Disney Knows Best

It has been a while since I’ve seen the Disney version of “Snow White” but there are some aspects of Brother’s Grimm’s “Snow White” that I am completely unfamiliar with.  For example, in Disney’s version I don’t believe the mother pricked her finger and let three drops of blood fall to the snow and then wish her child would look similar to that. This is how Snow White got her name in Grimm’s version but I don’t recall Disney explaining where she got her name from. I feel as though Disney just let her appearance explain the name.  Also, in Grimm’s version the prince doesn’t kiss Snow White to wake her from her sleep but instead an apple chunk that was lodged in her throat was knocked out. Obviously Disney wanted to make their version of Snow White more romantic.

What surprised me in Grimm’s version that isn’t in Disney’s version is that the evil stepmother was able to trick snow white three times. You would think after the first time Snow White would have learned her lesson but no. She didn’t listen to the warnings that the dwarfs gave her and finally on the third try, the evil stepmother managed to do some damage. I’m glad that Disney didn’t put this part into their version because it just makes Snow White look not so smart.

As for the theme of Grimm’s story, I believe it has to do with being happy with your own appearance. The evil stepmother was so worried about being the fairest in all the land that she turned against her own stepdaughter and basically went crazy. In the end, Snow White was still the fairest in all the land and the stepmother ended up dead so all that deceiving the stepmother did was for nothing. Little girls should learn to accept themselves as they are and work towards being a better person on the inside for improving our outsides can only go so far.