spell bound?

With Disney, fairy tales will never be the same again. Disney came and casted his name, a captivating spell over fairy tales. Even though it was the Grimm Brothers that went around and did the dirty and hard work of recording and collecting fairytales and stories, Disney movies is what comes to mind when children or adults today think of the great classic stories. Jack Zipes’s article discusses the huge cultural influence that Disney had on fairy tales, and that completely changed that way that we view and enjoy them today, even in the 21st century. He was definitely a radical filmmaker that was not afraid to experiment and use to his advantage all of the new and technologically advanced resources to ensure the success of his name, that his name will be a household item even long after his death. That just like in many fairytales, especially in Snow White since we are discussing her in class this week, where Snow White is preserved for a while after her death and before her rescue by the prince, Disney’s name will forever be preserved in animations that still capture the hearts of children and adults alike.

I agree with Zipes that Disney has definitely taken fairytales and completely given it a makeover, stripping it of most of the elements from their original literary forms captured by the Grimm Brothers and giving it a new “look”. I definitely remember growing up and watching those classical stories when they were still on the VHS tapes! I remember having a collection in the cabinet under the TV and we kept them in prime condition, always putting them back in place after watching them. Disney took full advantage of all the technology surrounding filmmaking and animation and totally transformed the face of literary fairytales once only captured on paper. He took these inanimate stories and brought them to life, filling them with vitality and excitement, and thus casting spells of awe and wonderment in the hearts of those that watch. Disney definitely had a way with transforming fairytales, as I still am captured by the simplicity and enchantment of the stories even as I watch them now as an adult as I did when I was a kid. I am still in awe when Belle and the Beast danced in that magnificent ballroom surrounded by the grandeur of the palace, filling my heart with childhood, girly wishes of happily ever after and giddiness of “oh how romantic!” heheh. These “tale as old as time” fairy tales still leave me feeling young again and a happy and warm feeling in my heart.