Post by Anna Fargo from ,,The Curse''

Prompt #4: Disney Spell

The message I thought Jack Zipes was trying to get across in his essay “Breaking the Disney Spell,” was that Walt Disney is given far too much positive credit and fame for being a disgrace to fairy tales. The entire time I was reading the essay, I couldn’t help but to be a little frustrated. For the past twenty years, I guess I have just accepted Disney’s version of these stories. However, now that I know the original versions, I understand the deeper meaning within these fairy tales, and am convinced that Disney was just making a visually pleasing movie. As Zipes states, “Disney was a radical filmmaker who changed our way of viewing fairy tales, and…his revolutionary technical means capitalized on American innocence and utopianism to reinforce the social and political status quo.” Clearly, Disney was a smart businessman but he took away so much from these firy tales. First, all possible interpretation and imagination of these fairy tales were taken away. He achieved this by putting faces, outfits, and voices to characters. Now, even when I read the Grimms version of Snow White, the only image that pops into my head is what is in the movie. In addition, he sneakily alters the story to focus on prince charming, a character who’s experiences mirror his own. By doing this, Disney shows himself as a hero by utilizing “self-figuration.”

Although I agree with Zipes for the most part, I think it is important to remember a few things. Walt Disney is not the only one responsible for the transformation of fairy tales from oral stories, to animated movies. The fairy tale revolution was jump started in the fifteenth century with the printing press, and have only continued to transform with different media types. As bad as it may seem, there is good that has come out of the Disney Spell. Without Disney movies, by now, I don’t think that the average child would know much about Snow White or Beauty and the Beast, and these fairy tales would eventually be lost.

Posted by Anna Fargo at 6:03 PM

Post by Erin Martin from ,,The Nasty Stepmother''

Breaking the Disney Spell

In his essay "Breaking the Disney Spell," Jack Zipes articulates a feeling likely experienced in part by anyone who has grown up watching Disney films and then grown up to give more thought to what they were all about, exactly. However, it was hard to read this essay and definitively take one side or another--and perhaps ill-advised to do so. Jack Zipes in a renowned scholar of literary fairy tales, whose work is informed by extensive research into the storytelling tradition behind the stories we have all heard as children. Walt Disney built a media empire on a very specific interpretation of these well-known stories. Both have a vested interest in maintaining one extreme or the other, but as a reader, it's hard not to consider your own history and relationship to these stories that are uniquely personal.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I agree with Zipes on a lot of the points he makes, at other times I wanted to tell the man to take several deep breaths and think about dolphins or something equally calming.

It isn't that I don't agree with Zipes that the Disney version of Snow White takes a number of artistic liberties with the original tale--but so did the 1916 version that we watched, and Zipes does not seem to have a problem with that, perhaps because that version was not part of a cultural phenomenon on the level that Disney's films were. I do agree that the Disney version of Snow White is vastly different, in tone especially, from the Grimm original. And I also agree that Snow White, and a number of Disney's other fairy tale films, perpetuate an idea of a patriarchal, male-driven structure (I really wish this most recent Disney Princess craze would end and soon, for all our sakes.) I find all of those points to be relevant, it's just that I don't think one interpretation of a story with such a rich history behind it is going to ruin or change that story forever. The very nature of fairy tales is to be passed from person to person and reinterpreted, so how, in essence, is a movie any different from that idea?

That being said, it doesn't mean that I particularly like Disney's interpretation of the Snow White character. I actually caught myself rooting for the Evil Queen a couple of times, because Snow White was just so annoying.

Posted by Erin at 8:54 PM

Post by Brian Collura from ,,The Mean Giant''

Disney /= Fairy Tales

Before this class, we all likely thought of Disney films as just that. As childhood movies. When we think of animated movies, we think of Disney. HOWEVER! If you were to ask us to name a fairy tale, what would we have said? Little Red Riding Hood. Hansel and Gretel. Jack and the Beanstalk.

Somehow, in the course of learning how to be critical about fairytales and the media this semester, the idea has quickly been created that Disney is the primary medium for fairy tales in the US. Then, quickly we jump further and believe that Disney IS and EQUALS fairy tales for us, since its exposure to our popular culture. But let's step back for a moment.

The three examples I gave have NOT been made into Disney movies, yet they are probably the three most famous fairy tales to Americans today. This was clearly not mediated by Disney. Also, of the first 5 animated movies put out by Disney, 3 were NOT fairy tales (Fanasia, Dumbo, and The Three Caballeros [my personal fav]). Pinnochio may fit the bill, but is certainly not in the german/french tradition that we've come to understand thus far this semester. Of the next 5 put out by Disney, again 3 of 5 were not fairy tales (Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp). The next TEN released were also not fairy tales, including AristoCats, Pete's Dragon and Basil; The Great Mouse Detective.

Certainly the effect of those movies that WERE fairy tale recreations is strong, but we must first discount the idea that Disney was a "fairy tale teller" and that his mainstay was that of Grimm's old stories. Rather, they were a combination of old tales and new, aimed toward children with a nod toward their adult caretakers, with an apparant intent on literary exposure and technical achievement on their own part (i.e. Fantasia's groundbreaking format, Sleeping Beauty's groundbreaking widescreen format, Pete Dragon's integration of live action and animation).

Thanks to the aptly named disneymovieslist.com!

Posted by Brian

Post by Briana Weiser from ,,The Mean Giant''

Zipes Response

While rereading the Zipes article "Breaking the Disney Spell," I was struck by the assumptions that are made about Walt Disney's personal character and motivation behind his works, as well as animators in general. Zipes states that early film animators had one purpose in their films: "to impress audiences with their abilities to use pictures in such a way that they would forget the earlier fairy tales and remember the images that they, the new artists, were creating for them." This statement disregards the creativity film animators used in this new area of filmmaking almost entirely. Zipes even goes so far to say that animators were trying to make themselves akin to a "demigod[s]." This theory is never backed up by any quotes or references to events however. There is no evidence that early film animators were actually trying to erase the cultural history of the oral traditions that they were recreating on film.

Also, every good storyteller changes the story in some way. This is how stories were passed on and changed througout histories, and through different cultures. Fairytales were adapted to suit the culture in which they were being told, and this same tradition happened in the early 1900s with filmmakers. It is unfair for Zipes to judge early animators so harshly - he insists that these filmmakers sought to "subsume" oral fairytales and literature as well. They could have just been putting their own spin on stories that they have heard many times, and possibly, many different versions. When Zipes analyzes Disney's influence on his early film Puss in Boots, he states that "it is clear that Disney sought to replace all versions with his animated version." This is not very clear to me and Zipes again provides no proof of this theory. However, there is no doubt in my mind that Disney definitely capitolized on the fact that he was creating a new version of a fairytale that he could turn into a huge money source. If he hadn't, then critics such as Zipes would probably be berating Disney for not grasping the "American dream" fully.

In summation, Zipes arrogant claims are not backed up by any evidence or explanation other than his own interpretation of a man's personality. Which to me, makes his criticisms on this subject quite starkly empty.

Posted by Briana Weiser

Post by Tim Collazi from ,,The Cruel Witch''

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Zipes and Disney

One of the main arguments in the article by Jack Zipes is that Walt Disney sought to impose his image of a perfect society onto the tale that was being animated. He outlines the use of oral tradition and folktales and gives a brief background of Disney's animation history. To support his claim he uses the example of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. In this example Zipes outlines many changes that occurs in Disney's version, that was not present in the version by the Brothers Grimm. One of the biggest arguments that Zipes makes is that the role of the prince is greatly enhanced by Disney and that "the prince, the only one who can save Snow White, and he becomes the focal point by the end of the story."
This argument about the prince is what I would like the focus my response on. Disney wanted all the credit for his animation, taking sole credit for the works that had his name on it. Also, as stated earlier by Zipes the animator wishes to impose the greatness of his ideal world. In this sense I take the emphasis of the prince as a metaphor for the self aggrandizement of Walt Disney. Disney sought to increase the role of the prince, just as he was increasing the role he played in the creation of these fairy tales. However, I have a few problems with some of the assertions that Zipes makes. The main problem is that the role of the prince was already increasing (and deviating from the Grimm's version) before Disney came along. A perfect example of this is the silent film version of Snow White. The prince plays a very important role in this version. He is the reason Snow White is sent to be killed, and he brings her back to the palace where she is revived (although he is not directly responsible for her being revived he is insturmental in the chain of events that cause it to happen.) My point is you can already see that there is some major digression from the Grimm's version well before Disney. Also, to hold judgement on him for trying to display his vision of how society should be is also unfair. As we have read in previous articles, for example the article about the role of children, fairy tales are a way to reflect on a society's values. So, while it is true to say that Disney is trying to paint the world with his utopian image, while accurate, is not a fair assessment, because that is that has always been a major component of fairy tales.

Posted by Tim at 6:10 PM

Assignment 4- 3.Feb 2009

Identify the thesis/the argument(s) in Jack Zipes' essay , Breaking the Disney Spell’. Do you agree or disagree with him? Justify the stance you take.

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