10 Horrific Truths Behind Your Favourite Disney Movies

7. Cinderella Includes Violent Animals & Dismemberment - Cinderella

Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures

In the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, the titular character's luck is even worse than the Disney version. The first morbid difference is that her father never dies - he just let's the evil stepmother and stepsisters turn her into their servant and doesn't do anything about it. So when he goes away and brings back gifts for the girls, the two stepsisters get dresses and jewellery, and Cinderella gets a branch from a tree. Yes, A BRANCH. But lucky for her, she plants the branch over her mother's grave and cries on it, which causes it to grow into a tree where white birds grant her wishes. So, no fairy godmother in this tale.

Once we get to the slipper business (and it's a golden slipper, not a glass one in this story), both Cinderella's stepsisters cut off their toes and heels to try and fit into the slipper. Needless to say this doesn't work, and lucky Cinderella gets to try on the shoe after they've had their dismembered feet inside of it. But don't worry, when they try to go to Cinderella's wedding, the birds from the tree PECK OUT THEIR EYES.

Contributor
Contributor

Holland Baker is based in New York City, where she is an editor, writer and co-host of Whatever It Takes: A Degrassi Podcast. In her free time, you can find her searching for bodega cats, eating mass amounts of pizza and using humor as a defense mechanism.