Disney's First Black Princess

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

True, but it's not like Disney's the first to clean up fairy tales. Even the Grimms didn't always publish the most gruesome versions.

Very true, although it's not so much the cleaning up of the stories that bothers me as the changing the story to the point that it's not really the same story anymore. I really like Lion King (much better on stage, even) and Aladdin, and I think Sleeping Beauty is visually fantastic. Cinderella and a few others are okay. But The Little Mermaid with a happy ending? Peter Pan lite? Ugh.

Of course, I think the movie of "The Wizard of Oz" screwed up that story, too, so keep your grain of salt handy.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Very true, although it's not so much the cleaning up of the stories that bothers me as the changing the story to the point that it's not really the same story anymore. I really like Lion King (much better on stage, even) and Aladdin, and I think Sleeping Beauty is visually fantastic. Cinderella and a few others are okay. But The Little Mermaid with a happy ending? Peter Pan lite? Ugh.

Of course, I think the movie of "The Wizard of Oz" screwed up that story, too, so keep your grain of salt handy.

No, I agree with you about Oz. The sequel was more in keeping with the books. Although it's been so long since I've seen or read Peter Pan I have little opinion about the movie, I liked the live action version and Hook has always made me happy (Wasn't Disney but the animated Swan Lake (Swan Princess?) is worse IMO than the Little Mermaid)

I wonder if kids today are losing out on being able to accept a tragic ending. I mean, if you always have happily ever after until you get to Shakespeare, can you really appreciate the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth or Hamlet or Julius Caesar? Hans Christian Anderson could always make me cry when I was younger (and might still today) but there's a lot of meaning there.

[LaneSig]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

I wonder if kids today are losing out on being able to accept a tragic ending. I mean, if you always have happily ever after until you get to Shakespeare, can you really appreciate the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth or Hamlet or Julius Caesar? Hans Christian Anderson could always make me cry when I was younger (and might still today) but there's a lot of meaning there.

/hijack
You just made me think of the episode of "Friends" when Phoebe finds out that her grandmother didn't let her know that Bambi's mother died or that Old Yeller gets shot in the end. On "The View" recently, Elisabeth Haselbeck announced that she tore out the page in "Babar" where the hunters kill his mother.

/end hijack

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

/hijack
You just made me think of the episode of "Friends" when Phoebe finds out that her grandmother didn't let her know that Bambi's mother died or that Old Yeller gets shot in the end. On "The View" recently, Elisabeth Haselbeck announced that she tore out the page in "Babar" where the hunters kill his mother.

/end hijack

The Babar thing pissed me off. Seriously. Let kids deal with sad things. Better that their first experience be Bambi or Babar's mom than their own family members.

Lion King didn't shirk from this, and I'm liking Harry Potter's willingness to take it on. I suspect there's a good chance Harry's not making it out of the 7th book alive and neither Cedric, Sirius or Dumbledore deserved to die. (OMG SPOILERS)

[LaneSig]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

The Babar thing pissed me off. Seriously. Let kids deal with sad things. Better that their first experience be Bambi or Babar's mom than their own family members.

I totally agree. Why not use this as a chance to talk with your child about the subject? Talk about how it feels to lose a loved one and how it's okay to be sad. I taught 1st and 2nd graders for 8 years. They think about things like this and just want to be assured that everything will be okay.

[MysticCat]

^^^^ That's one reason I love the Lemony Snicket books.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

^^^^ That's one reason I love the Lemony Snicket books.

I <3 Lemony Snicket. I finally got to read The End Such a weird set of stories that repeatedly crush your hopes that something good will happen.