We all loved to watch Disney movies during our childhood. This article offers you some real stories behind Disney movies.
Disney movies like Cinderella, Aladdin, Mermaid, and much more take kids away into the world of Fairy Tale. These movies are worldwide famous. There are even theme parks based on Disney movies.
People of all age groups have come across these movies. The huge castles, magical powers, fantasy world and so are so beautiful and worth watching. But what if the real stories behind Disney movies are revealed.
Here below are mentioned top real stories behind Disney movies that are worth your read.
Top Real Stories Behind Disney Movies
1. Cinderella
Cinderella is the most popular Disney movie. The movie is still famous even today. Almost no child ever misses this film. The storyline is perfect just like the fantasy world. Princess meets the Prince but returns home at midnight. Since then Prince tries to find her with her last piece of shoe left behind.
We know this as the story, in real Cinderella’s sisters play the evilest part. Her sister cuts off her toe to fix her feet in the shoe. Another sister cuts a part of her heel to take over the shoe. Yet, Cinderella and her Prince charming unite together. In the background, Cinderella’s group of pigeons plucks her sister’s eye as a wedding blast.
Quite a weird story right? Think, how it would look on television.
2. The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid Disney movie made us believe in Atlantis; the lost city underwater. Ariel a lovely mermaid daughter falls in love with a human Prince. In the end, Ariel gets her voice back and wins over the Prince. They both celebrated the wedding on a boat with all their aquatic friends.
In accordance with Hans Christian’s original storyline, things are not the same. All through the way, it’s gruesome. Ariel undergoes real pain while transforming into a human. This takes place before the Prince breaks her heart marrying another girl.
Evil sea witch informs Ariel that only by killing the Prince she can be a mermaid again. But she decides to sacrifice herself and turn into sea foam.
3. Pinnochio
Everyone loves the Pinnochio character and also Tinkerbell. He’s sweet and small who wishes to be a real man. Pinnochio meets his friend Jiminy Cricket who acts as an advisor too, they both go through adventures. Ultimately this helps him to become human. Such an innocent story right?
The real stories behind Disney movies consider this story as dark. Carlo Collido revealed Pinnochio’s real character in the newspapers. The kid was bad, mischievous, and cruel. His friend Jimmy Cricket could only talk. But on giving much advice Pinnochio killed him with a mallet. This proves Pinnochio never actually went on an adventure with him.
All through the movie, Pinnochio gets tortured due to his bad personality. The created ends the story with Pinnochio’s death by hanging. But since many fans weren’t satisfied, he continued further. He decides that Pinnochio’s life will be saved to face more upcoming punishments.
4. Sleeping Beauty
The Princess in Sleeping Beauty looks elegant and beautiful. The story has an innocent end, the Prince kisses her to wake her up from long sleep. Talia the Princess pricked her hand against a needle and went into a deep sleep. This fulfilled the curse of an evil witch. Except for this, the rest of her story is too ghastly to show children.
The Prince who saved her was actually a king. Before waking her up, he raped her and gathered the fruits of love. His kiss never woke her up. After nine months she gives birth to twins, one of which bit her finger waking her up. Talia and the King fell in love, but he was already married.
King’s wife ordered to kidnap the twins, cook them and feed it to the King. He was unknown to such a gruesome act. But the Queen fails over her plain. The final lesson teaches us that lucky people are blessed by fortune while in bed. Thus, Sleeping Beauty is not actually a fairy tale in real. Children should stay away from knowing the real story.
5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Considered as Disney’s darkest film. Inspired from a novel, the story centers around Hunchback named Quasimondo who grew up in Notre Dame Cathedral. Archdeacon Frollo raised him since childhood. Both Quasimodo and Frollo fell deeply in love with the same women, Esmeralda.
Frollo played the villain’s role. Quasimondo pushed Frollo away from Cathedral’s roof killing him. Although it doesn’t match with Disney fairy tale standards, in real Victor Hugo’s story has a more horrendous ending.
In his story, Frollo made attempts to call Esmeralda a murderer and puts her in prison. Esmeralda was supposed to be hanged. Quasimondo pushed Frollo since he was laughing away at Esmeralda’s hanging. The hero then visits her love’s grave and decides not to leave her. Soon he dies out of starvation. Thus the story never had a happy ending just like other stories.
6. Snow White
Snow White is quite similar to Sleeping Beauty but here the Princess takes revenge. We see her enjoying away with seven dwarfs. She falls in love with the prince, but an old witch tries to make her sleep with a poisonous apple.
After she failed for two times, Snow White finally eats the apple after her plea. She went into a deep sleep on eating the apple. But later the Princess wakes her up with a kiss. In the end, Prince saves her with pure love.
In reality, they both are still happily married but Snow White decides to take revenge. The evil witch is present at the wedding and has to dance wearing hot shoes as a punishment. She danced away until her feet burned and dies. This shows tit for tat.
7. Rapunzel
Rapunzel is the story of a young girl with long beautiful hair. Since this Disney movie, every child wished for a golden long hair. You must have watched Disney’s Tangled, it’s modern-day Rapunzel series. It shows how she escapes from the tall tower and explores the outside world.
The real story is even more twisting. She goes through a tough time, her gets cut off. She gets thrown away into the wild; after the witch comes to know about a Prince visiting Rapunzel every night. Again when the Prince makes a visit, the witch tricks him. He climbs through Rapunzel’s cut hair only to get thrown away.
After the fall, he gets blinded and wanders around everywhere to find his love. Rapunzel gave birth to twins who guides him to her through beautiful singing. Rapunzel’s tears of happiness give sight to the Prince and they lived together in happiness. Even the real story is entirely beautiful.
8. Frozen
Disney’s Frozen movies very famous and popular. This movie is based on Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson. The frozen movie shows the real bod between sisters and not to fear your own power.
The Snow Queen’s beginning scene is dark yet has a happy ending. In Snow Queen, a Devil creates a mirror which shows the negative side of people. As the mirror is shattered, it’s pieces get into the people’s hearts and eyes. Thus freezing all of their hearts.
Years later, one of its splinters pricks a boy, Kai’s eyes. He disowns his grandmother and best friend Gerda; he becomes an easy target for the Snow Queen and she imprisons him. On his disappearance, everyone believes that he fell into a river. But Gerda starts a quest to find Kai and save his best friend.
9. Mulan
Mulan is a strong female heroic warrior. Many girls follow her as an inspiration. Disney made a female strong hero twice. Once was back in 1998 the animated series and another is a live-action adaptation starring Liu Yifei. Both movies have a similar storyline.
The 1965 version; Ballad of Mulan where romance takes place with Sui Tang. Here the plot takes a dark turn. When Mulan represents her father in the army, she befriends the king’s daughter. They both create a strong bonding.
Later when the King gets defeated, they both offer their lives to the death. But are spared but as Mulan returns home, she finds her father dead and mother remarried. After her female identity is revealed, she is ordered to become a courtesan. But Mulan commits suicide rather than leading a concubine’s life.
Suicide isn’t something that a Disney movie can show to children.
10. Moana
Moana is Disney’s one of the successful movies. The real stories behind Disney movies have some historical aspects; Moana is a part of it. It’s not entirely on pure fiction but rather based on ancient Hawaiian, Mangarevan, Tahitian, Tongan, and Samoan. You’ll get to know about Polynesian Mythology from here.
The film centers around Moana who goes into a thrilling adventure with Demi-God Maui. She wants to save her people from starvation. In reality, ancient texts reveal that Demi-God is real and important. He’s capable of the powers similar to what is shown in the movie.
Disney’s Maui is actually edited and toned down. Some of his family members are glossed but not changing the complete figure. You’ll see more of Polynesian Mythology about Maui from this movie’s song, “You are welcome.” The original looks of Maui are not exactly shown in the song.
11. Aladdin
Aladdin is portrayed as a mischievous thief who later falls in love with Princess Jasmine. The tale is adopted from One Thousand and One Nights, where he also comes across a magical lamp.
In real, Aladdin summons two genies; Ring’s slave and Lamp’s slave. The second Genie helps him get closer to Jasmine by torturing her husband (vizier’s son) at night and let Aladdin sleep beside the Princess.
Lamp’s slave Genie is much stronger, yet turns against him and ends up helping the villain. But the first Genie actually helps Aladdin against the villain in the end. He teleports him to be united with his wife.
Princess Jasmine anyhow convinces the sorcerer to drink poison. Though, the sorcerer’s brother shows up. His evil brother disguised himself as holy women; convinces the Princess to bring egg from a giant predatory bird for Aladdin’s castle.
When Aladdin commands Lamp’s slave to bring this, the Genie at once disowns his orders. Not warning him about the dangers of holy women. Thus, happily ever after comes when Aladdin stabs the villain’s chest.
12. Beauty and The Beast
The 12th one under real stories behind Disney movies. This Disney movie is also attached to real stories behind Disney movies. Originally a novel by Gabrielle Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve published in 1740. The published one shows Belle’s father had 12 children who bring back a gift for each one. He gives a rose to Bella.
The movie shows Belle’s father gets captured by a cursed beast; the beast promises to return him only if he lets somebody stay back in his place. He chooses Bella to stay with the beast. Disney’s story portrays Bella falling in love with the beast and rescuing him.
The novel reveals that the Beast asks Bella to spend every night with him. But in Jeane Mary Laprise de Beaumont’s 1973 novel; the beast requests Bella to have dinner with him every night. Thus from here comes the famous theme song. Andrew Lang’s version was the sweeter one with no such complications.
13. The Lion King
Have you ever thought that Lion King could have a dark story? Falling the last under real stories behind Disney movies. This movie is loved by both kids and adults. Even recently a 3D version remake was made. It’s said the new live-action remake has a much darker story behind it.
The scriptwriters took inspiration from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where Prince Hamlet goes out to seek revenge against his uncle Claudius. Since Claudius killed his father to take over the throne. Quite similar to what the lion cub Simba does. A happy ending is shown at the end.
Thus, here’s the complete list of top 13 real stories behind Disney movies. Hope this kept you engrossed and stunned.
Last Updated on by Saket Kumar