Jack Zipes hates Walt Disney. Well, perhaps hates is too strong a word, but he really does not like that man. He wrote the essay entitled "Breaking the Disney Spell" where he basically states that Walt is a kind of narcissistic man who took a bunch of fairy tales that everyone knew and loved, and turned them into Eau de Disney. What he is saying is that Disney turned these fairy tales and turned them into stories that have no point but to show how awesome Disney and his animation studio are.
Well, I have an answer for Zipes, and that is, "so what else is new?" Let's think about this. Disney tales came from fairy tales, most of the time the Brosters Grimm version. Ok, Disney made it even *less* offensive than they were, took out the last of the bloodshed and tawdriness. Alright. Well, what did the Grimm Bros do? They took tales written by Perrault and the ilk and formatted them to suit a child's mind, and fill it with instruction, and important stuff. They, in some cases, drastically altered their own tales, so that people were not too offended, or surprised by lewdness. So they even censored and lightened themselves. Ok, what did C. Perrault and his peers do? They took traditionally oral tales and traditions, and wrote them down on paper, so that their 'version' became *the* version that could be spread amongst everyone. They added some fluff to make it a bit more like a story, and less like something that is embellished by the teller. He basically, in a sense, said boohoo you, tradition, I've got you in a strangle hold now! But what had the story tellers done? I don't know for sure, because that is when this all starts, and like a big game of telephone, the story changes from person to person who tells it. But I think Zipes should get off his high horse and realize that Disney is not raping the fairy tale, that process started the moment the story was committed into a permanent paper form, more than 300 years ago.
So he can shut it, and let me watch The Little Mermaid in peace.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Damn, girl. But I'm right on with you. Everyone has their own interpretation of these tales, and I'm sure if Zipes were to re-write or re-animate Snow White, he probably would have used characters, scenery, songs, and animals that were FAR less interesting than Disney's version. He's probably jealous that he didn't come up with the idea of "Whistle While You Work." That is some seriously genius (but seriously) stuff -- chipmunks cleaning cobwebs with their tails? Birds wringing wet laundry? Deer licking plates? This is entertainment, and it worked, it made millions (billions, probably), and again, it's what the people responded to. Zipes can just sulk in the corner and say what he wants, but he'll never be the man Walt Disney was.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Who gives Zipes or anyone else the right to decide what the right version of a fairy tale is? Stories change to fit the audience. A different version, like Disney's films, does not mean that the story teller was trying to claim the tales as there own. They are simply recreating a wonderful story. It is not Disney's fault he was creative enough to make his movies so memorable.
ReplyDelete