12 Disney Films That Have Terrifying Origin Stories
Rated “D” for dark.
#1 Cinderella contained blood and mutilation.
In Disney’s version:
A princess who was mistreated by her stepmother goes to a ball and meets a prince, but has to escape before midnight and loses a slipper in her haste. Then the prince takes the slipper and has young ladies in the realm try it on to see if it fits. He finds Cinderella, whom it fits perfectly, and they live happily ever after.
In the original story:
In the Charles Perrault version, when the prince arrives at Cinderella’s house, the stepmother orders her two daughters to cut off their toes and put on their slippers. Her plan does not work, and Cinderella gets the prince and a happy ending. To add insult to injury, during the wedding, some pigeons devour the eyes of her already mutilated stepsisters.
#2 Sleeping Beauty shouldn’t even be a story for kids.
In Disney’s version:
In Disney’s version, a princess pricks her finger on a spinning wheel’s spindle and succumbs to eternal sleep. A brave prince rescues her with a kiss, and they both live happily ever after.
In the original story:
In the Giambattista Basile version, Aurora is not waken up with a sweet kiss, but with the birth of her twins. Oh, I forgot to mention that the prince doesn’t kiss her here — he gets her pregnant and then leaves, because he’s married. When Aurora and her children arrive in the palace, the prince’s wife tries to kill them, but the king stops her and allows Aurora to marry the man who raped her.
#3 Belle had very envious sisters.
In Disney’s version:
Belle is kidnapped by a beast (hence the name Beauty and the Beast) and lives in a luxurious castle with talking utensils, until she discovers the monster’s inner beauty. In love, she kisses him and saves him from the spell that made him ugly, because physical beauty does matter.
In the original story:
In the original story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Belle convinces the Beast to let her visit her sisters for a week. Upon seeing her covered in jewelry and hearing about the luxurious life she leads, the sisters convince Belle to stay longer, with the intention that her delay will drive the Beast mad and he will devour Belle.
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In Disney’s version:
A princess who was mistreated by her stepmother goes to a ball and meets a prince, but has to escape before midnight and loses a slipper in her haste. Then the prince takes the slipper and has young ladies in the realm try it on to see if it fits. He finds Cinderella, whom it fits perfectly, and they live happily ever after.
In the original story:
In the Charles Perrault version, when the prince arrives at Cinderella’s house, the stepmother orders her two daughters to cut off their toes and put on their slippers. Her plan does not work, and Cinderella gets the prince and a happy ending. To add insult to injury, during the wedding, some pigeons devour the eyes of her already mutilated stepsisters.
#2 Sleeping Beauty shouldn’t even be a story for kids.
In Disney’s version:
In Disney’s version, a princess pricks her finger on a spinning wheel’s spindle and succumbs to eternal sleep. A brave prince rescues her with a kiss, and they both live happily ever after.
In the original story:
In the Giambattista Basile version, Aurora is not waken up with a sweet kiss, but with the birth of her twins. Oh, I forgot to mention that the prince doesn’t kiss her here — he gets her pregnant and then leaves, because he’s married. When Aurora and her children arrive in the palace, the prince’s wife tries to kill them, but the king stops her and allows Aurora to marry the man who raped her.
#3 Belle had very envious sisters.
In Disney’s version:
Belle is kidnapped by a beast (hence the name Beauty and the Beast) and lives in a luxurious castle with talking utensils, until she discovers the monster’s inner beauty. In love, she kisses him and saves him from the spell that made him ugly, because physical beauty does matter.
In the original story:
In the original story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Belle convinces the Beast to let her visit her sisters for a week. Upon seeing her covered in jewelry and hearing about the luxurious life she leads, the sisters convince Belle to stay longer, with the intention that her delay will drive the Beast mad and he will devour Belle.
