While I acknowledge that Disney changed the American view of fairytales forever; in part by taking away from the original life lessons of fairytales. More importantly i find it extremely fascinating how Disney managed to make fairytales accessible and all and a staple in American culture. I find it exceptional how dedicated he was to fairytales and how he personally related to them so much. Zipes states that he built the perfect studio for creating fairytales in Los Angeles and put so much of himself into many of the characters.
What I most agree with Zipes on is how Walt Disney did not give credit where credit was due. Although he did change many aspects of the fairytales he reproduced they were not his original ideas and I think it is unfortunate that he did not reference that. Disney's selfish tactics have now made his version of classic tales the base off which many artists now craft their version of tales. I believe this change in base information takes away many aspects or version of fairytales that could interest audiences for years to come.
I think you make a great point in highlighting how Disney made fairy tales accessible to everyone. Zipes discusses oral tradition and the importance of it within an illiterate society, and so film can be seen as another step in the progression of making fairy tales highly accessible. Although he did not give credit to others, does that really take away anything from the stories themselves. While I would say it shows that Disney may not have had the best morals, I do not think you can say it alters the actual tales he made.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou make a lot of good points. Disney definitely made his fairy tales more accessible to audiences, but I have to wonder how much of the traditional fairy tales are portrayed in his versions, in terms of morals and lessons. They just seem like an uplifting escape from real life, rather than a means of teaching children real-life lessons.
ReplyDelete