10 Brothers Grimm Tales Which Disney Should Adapt
Forget Snow White and Rapunzel - it's time to recognise some less famous fairytales...
When we think of the Brothers Grimm, we usually think of stories such as Snow White, Cinderella and Rapunzel, which have been frequently adapted by Disney and other prominent filmmakers. However, these stories are barely scratching the surface of the siblings' output.
Over the course of their career, the Brothers Grimm collected and published dozens of fairy tales told throughout Germany. A handful are known by almost everyone, but there are several equally good stories which deserve a major adaptation of their own. Disney are still the most successful and popular adaptors of fairy tales, and adapting lesser known Brothers Grimm stories in their signature style could provide them with years of hits.
Whilst some Brothers Grimm stories are ABSOLUTELY NOT suitable for children (The Juniper Tree is particularly gruesome) there are plenty which could really work well as family-friendly animated fantasy. Plenty of liberties would probably be taken, but the resulting films would probably be closer to their source material than Frozen was. There are more than enough adaptations of the old favourites, so there is no harm in adapting more obscure stories and ensuring they get their turn in the spotlight…
10. The Glass Coffin
Plot: A tailor comes across a countess imprisoned in a glass coffin and frees her. When she gets rescued, she explains how a wicked magician imprisoned her and her kingdom.
In essence, The Glass Coffin is a variation on Sleeping Beauty. A lucky protagonist comes across a woman trapped in an enchanted sleep and manages to save her from it. However, The Glass Coffin has an identity and atmosphere of its own. The kingdom shrunken down and placed in a glass bottle is the sort of vivid, intricate visual which could lend itself really well to animation, and the villainous magician could allow Disney to provide some of the old-fashioned creepiness missing from most of their recent animated hits.
For a damsel in distress, the countess is a surprisingly dynamic character. The sorcerer tries to force her to marry him, but she refuses to do so and in fact tries to fight back as best she can, despite her total lack of magical powers. The countess and her battle to stand up to a predatory villain gives the tale a feminist dynamic that could really be exploited - making the countess the main character instead of the tailor would certainly provide the story with enough drama for a feature-length runtime.
The story of Sleeping Beauty is often criticised by those who find its messages about consent inappropriate today, so The Glass Coffin would make an excellent replacement, and a good Disney adaptation would really highlight this.