Fairy tales have become a child’s realm thanks to Disney. The damsel is always saved, the prince is always handsome, and the hero/heroine always lives happily ever after. It’s a good tale, a happy tale, something right for children. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view), some tales would be a stretch for even Disney to desensitize. Gratuitous violence, rape, and gore galore, here are a few tales that could not be “saved”.
10. The Original Tales
Yes, Disney cleaned up many tales successfully, but to do so, they neglected portions of the stories that would curdle anyone’s stomach. Take Cinderella for instance. She has been abused by her step-family for years, and her vengeance is far more chilling than simply marrying the prince. Her stepsisters, after mutilating themselves to try and win the heart of the prince, find themselves blinded by ravens plucking out their eyes. The Little Mermaid didn’t get the prince.
Andersen’s classic tale has the prince marrying the love of his life; it just happens to be not the mermaid. She is given a choice: kill the prince and his new bride before dawn, or die and turn into sea foam. She can’t go through it, and is turned into air. Oh, and by the way, it is through this that we discover that mermaids have no soul. Think about that the next time you start humming “Part Of Your World”. However, the prize for most gruesome goes to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Snow White’s evil Queen doesn’t just demand the huntsman kill her stepdaughter, but as proof wants Snow White’s heart. After presented with “Snow White”‘s heart, the evil Queen proceeds to eat the heart, after soaking it in brine, to bring out the flavour. The Queen gets her comeuppance, however. She is forced to dance at Snow White’s wedding, with the latest fashion item – red-hot iron shoes. She dances till she drops…dead, that is.
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1 Comments
Shockheaded Peter, aka Der Struwwelpeter, would be a mess as a Disney film. Instead of cutting of the kid’s thumbs, the thumbs would probably become gummy bears or something, and Der Struwwelpeter would be played by Paul Giamatti. There’d be a song at the end, the kid would get his thumbs back, happy frakking ending.
Del Toro, on the other hand…