The Real Stories Behind 9 Disney Princesses
Rated "D" for dark.
1. The witch expels Rapunzel and blinds the prince.
via: wikimedia
The story of Rapunzel is based on the fairy tale by the brothers Grimm. In their version, when the witch finds out about Rapunzel and the prince, she cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and dangles it out the window. When the prince is confronted by her, he jumps out of the window and is blinded when he lands on thorns. He eventually finds Rapunzel, and she heals him with her tears.
Interestingly, in the first version of the tale, Rapunzel is the one who foolishly gives the prince away by admitting to the witch that her clothes are getting too tight for her around her waist (indicating pregnancy).
2. The Little Mermaid dies heartbroken.
via: wikimedia
Ariel, the Little Mermaid, is based on the character from Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale. In this story, the Little Mermaid saves the prince from drowning, falls in love with him, and trades her beautiful voice to become a human. But it comes with a price: every step she takes is extremely painful.
The prince marries another girl that he believes to be his savior, and the Little Mermaid throws herself into the sea and turns into sea foam.
3. Maui is a slim teenager, and Moana does not exist.
via: wikimedia
Moana is a fully fictional character. The author’s original idea was to make a movie about Maui, but after their visit to Polynesia, they were inspired by the beautiful and powerful women there (as shown in the photo on the right). They also learned a lot about navigation, and this is how the character of Moana came to life. The movie is full of references to Polynesian mythology, in which the islands are believed to have been created by the demigod Maui. In the myths, in contrast to the movie, Maui appears as a slim young man who is coming of age with a top-knot on his head.
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via: wikimedia
The story of Rapunzel is based on the fairy tale by the brothers Grimm. In their version, when the witch finds out about Rapunzel and the prince, she cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and dangles it out the window. When the prince is confronted by her, he jumps out of the window and is blinded when he lands on thorns. He eventually finds Rapunzel, and she heals him with her tears.
Interestingly, in the first version of the tale, Rapunzel is the one who foolishly gives the prince away by admitting to the witch that her clothes are getting too tight for her around her waist (indicating pregnancy).
2. The Little Mermaid dies heartbroken.
via: wikimedia
Ariel, the Little Mermaid, is based on the character from Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale. In this story, the Little Mermaid saves the prince from drowning, falls in love with him, and trades her beautiful voice to become a human. But it comes with a price: every step she takes is extremely painful.
The prince marries another girl that he believes to be his savior, and the Little Mermaid throws herself into the sea and turns into sea foam.
3. Maui is a slim teenager, and Moana does not exist.
via: wikimedia
Moana is a fully fictional character. The author’s original idea was to make a movie about Maui, but after their visit to Polynesia, they were inspired by the beautiful and powerful women there (as shown in the photo on the right). They also learned a lot about navigation, and this is how the character of Moana came to life. The movie is full of references to Polynesian mythology, in which the islands are believed to have been created by the demigod Maui. In the myths, in contrast to the movie, Maui appears as a slim young man who is coming of age with a top-knot on his head.
