From Folklore to Fairy Tale Fantasy Within the Disneyfication of Cinema. The Case of Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen

Abstract

This article examines the Disneyfication of classic European fairy tales, focusing on how The Walt Disney Company has transformed the moral and aesthetic fabric of stories by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Through its adaptations of Snow White , Cinderella , The Little Mermaid , and The Snow Queen , Disney conceals the moral violence and existential suffering that characterized the original narratives, replacing them with sentimental optimism and a commodified “age of innocence”. The resulting films reframe tales of sin, punishment, and redemption into narratives of personal fulfilment and emotional reassurance. Therefore, beneath this surface of purity, Disney tends to over-aestheticize some taboo themes—death, desire, and transgression—, until altering the literary pattern.