Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.
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| I know that I`m standing out with my brown gown, but they told me so :) |
Despite how Disney has always been synonymous with fairy tales, it`s very remarkable how the studio have made little of them as Full-Length Features. Sure, some of them have made it as shorts. But most of the fairy tales Disney has adapted have included one trademark that the studio has been synonymous with: The Princesses. In fact, the Princess element has stood out so much that they`ve outshined how their movies have been fairy tales and now become Princess movies. But that`s another story for now. But regardless of how Disney and fairy tales have been synonymous with each other, these tales had a large life of their own before Disney existed or tapped into them.  |
| We`re the attractive mimes :) |
Sure, the Disneyfication aspect of these tales has always been relevant, due to Disney`s position (which also fuels the issue of purism). But regarding some of thehe authors who`s been behind these tale, two of them were the Grimm Brothers. The German brothers (Jacob, 1785–1863 and Wilhelm, 1786–1859) were academics, linguists, cultural researchers. And authors whose work in folklore, linguistics, and scholarship shaped the development of modern folkloristics and the study of the German language. They were also among the best-known tellers of European folktales. And most of their adaptations have lived on for generations. Which is the reason for why I`m making this entry.
General Information About the Grimm Brothers
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany. To Philipp Wilhelm Grimm, a jurist, and Dorothea Grimm, daughter of a Kassel councilman.They were the second- and third-eldest siblings in a family of nine kids (three who died as kids). As Jacob was the eldest son. In 1791, the family moved to the countryside town of Steinau during Philipp's employment as a district magistrate. The brothers were happy in Steinau. And were educated by private tutors, having a Lutheran upbringing, making them religious. But they went to schoolslater. In 1796, Philipp died of pneumonia, causing poverty for the family. Both brothers had to take adult tasks for the next two years. But their grandfather urged them to be industrious. They left Steinau in 1798 to attend the
Friedrichsgymnasium in Kassel. They were forced to rely on each other and become very close. They were different, as Jacob was introspective and
Wilhelm was outgoing (although he suffered from ill health). But
shared a strong work ethic and excelled in their studie. And they graduated at the head of his class, Jacob in 1803 and Wilhelm in 1804 (as he missed a year of school due to scarlet fever). Afterwards the brothers attended Marburg University. As they were treated badly due to lower social status. They were excluded from tuition aid. They had to request a dispensation to study law. Their poverty kept them from fellow activities
or university social life. But their outsider status made them pursue their studies with extra vigor.
Inspired by their law professor, Friedrich von Savigny, who made them interested in history and philology, the brothers studied medieval German literature. They shared Savigny's desire to see the 200 German principalities as a single state. The Grimms were introduced to Johann Gottfried Herder`s ideas of how German literature should be simpler. Jacob was still financially responsible for his family in 1805, so he became Savigny's research assistant in Paris. But on his return to Marburg he was forced to
abandon his studies to support the family and joined the Hessian War
Commission. In 1808, Jacob became a court librarian to the King of Westphalia and became a librarian in Kassel. After their mother's death that year, he became responsible for
his younger siblings. He paid for his brother Ludwig's art school studies. And for Wilhelm' visit to Halle heart and respiratory problems, after Wilhelm joined Jacob as librarian in Kassel. 
On 15 May 1825, Wilhelm married Henriette Dorothea "Dortchen" Wild, a pharmacist's daughter and childhood friend. Who had given the brothers many tales (as Hansel and Gretel and Sleeping Beauty). Jacob never married, but lived in the
house with Wilhelm and Dortchen. In 1830, both brothers were overlooked when the job of chief librarian was available,. They moved to Göttingen in the Kingdom of Hanover, where they worked at the University of Göttingen as professor (and Jacob also as a head librarian). In 1840, Savigny and Bettina von Arnim urged Frederick William IV of Prussia to give the brothers posts at the University of Berlin. And the Academy of Sciences gave them stipends to continue their research. Jacob researched German legal traditions and language. Published in the late
1840s/early 1850s. Wilhelm researched medieval literature, while editing new versions of Hausmärchen. After the revolutions of 1848 Germany, the brothers were chosen to the civil parliament. Jacob became a member of the National Assembly at Mainz. But their political activities were short-lived, as their hope for a unified Germany went away. Wilhelm died of an infection in Berlin, 16 December 1859. Jacob died on 20 September
1863.The Adaptations of Grimm Brothers, Other Works and Criticism
As for the legacy of Grimms' stories, they contains legends, novellas and folk stories. And most of them weren`t kid tales. They collected and published their tales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (with 86 folk tales), as a reflection of German
cultural identity. In the first book, they also included Charles Perrault's tales. It`s that version of Grimms' collection which is a source to how scholars studying them. The brothers wanted to collect stories to make scholarly
treatise of them and keep them as they
had been handed from generation to generation (threatened by industrialization). Their book was based on stories gathered from educated acquaintances. They expanded and revised the book during their lives. They also published studies on Germanic and
Scandinavian legends, medieval texts and history of language. But due to poverty in 1838, they began with a definitive German dictionary in 1838, which were uncompleted
at their deaths. The first volume was not published until 1854.
During their times as librarians, the brothers published books between 1812 and 1830. Hausmärchen was followed by two books German legends and one of early literary history. They also published works about Danish, Irish folk tales and Norse mythology. Wiklhelm made the tales stylistically
similar, added dialogue, removed pieces, improved the plots, and included psychological motifs. They also added religious and spiritual
motifs and also from old Germanic faiths, Norse, Roman and Greek mythology, and biblical stories. Later on, Wilhelm excluded sexual elements and added morals. After 1819, he began writing original tales for
children (who weren`t thought as a audience)
and adding morals. However, Grimms' work have been critcized for anti-feminism. The tales were also criticized for being pure German. But scholars as Heinz Rölleke say that the stories are an
accurate depiction of German culture, showing rustic simplicity and sexual modesty. Alistair Hauke, a Jungian, said that the deaths of the brothers' father and grandfather were why their stories idealize fathers. The Twelve Brothers mirrors their situations of brothers overcoming opposition. Where they follow a
simple plot where a character lose a home, work industriously at a
specific task, and in the end find a new home. 
Jacob's and Wilhelm's stories has been translated to more
than 160 languages; 120 different editions of the text are available
for sale in the US alone. And while some scholars criticized the Grimms' way in rewriting the legends, they set an example for legend
collections that was followed by others. Between 1816 and 1818 the brothers published, Deutsche Sagen (German Legends) of 585 German legends. Unfortunately it sold poorly. And while Hausmärchen was not a bestseller at first, it`s popularity increased with each new edition. But they received lukewarm reviews on how the stories were unappealing, which the brothers responded to rewrite for children. By the 1870s the tales had increased in popularity to how they were added to teaching in Prussia. And it was the most popular book in Germany, second to the Bible. And their stories have continued to be popular around the world. But regarding the stories that has been adapted from Grimm, are The Frog Prince, The Brave Little Tailor, Cinderella,Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Briar Rose, The Golden Goose and The Three Little Birds among others.
The Disney Versions of the Grimm Stories
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| We`re the Santa`s of spring :) |
Regarding the Grimm stories adapted from Disney, the studio has actually adapted of them. The first ones were Little Red Riding Hood and The Four Musicians of Bremen. Both of them in 1922 as Laugh-O-Gram shorts. Cinderella was also made as a Laugh-O-Gram short in 1922. Ten years later came Babes in the Woods, a Silly Symphony short inspired by Hansel and Gretel. In 1934, The Big Bad Wolf was released as Symphony short. Part sequel to Three Little Pigs and part retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. But the first Full-Length Feature from a Grimm story was the one who started it all (pardon my intended pun), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  |
| Pocahontas gave me a spell to have my hair fly in the wind :) |
The following year had The Brave Little Tailor adapted as a Mickey Mouse short. In 1950, the Full-Length version of Cinderella was released. Nine years later, Sleeping Beauty came to screen. And despite how both of them are based on Charles Perrault`s versions, they take element from Grimm as well (in Cinderella how her father marries another woman with two older daughters, and how she`s going to be home by midnight. In Beauty as how she`s given the gift of beauty, the name Briar Rose, the curse and how it`s reduced to how her having her sleeping, the thorn hedge and the Prince awakening the Princess with a kiss).  |
| Since my hair is so long, I have to look after it so that it doesn`t get dirty :) |
Hood) was made by Walt Disney Television Animation as part of a planned show named Totally Twisted Fairy Tales. In 2009, The Princess and the Frog was very loosely adapted on both The Frog Prince
and E. D. Baker's The Frog Princess. And the following Tangled
was based on Rapunzel (and yes, let`s ignore the ridiculous name swap debate for now, shall we?). And while it may be superfluous to bring the live action remakes of Walt`s Princess triology, the Live Action Remake of Cinderella takes cues from Grimms` version (as how her mother tells her to remain good and kind. And how Cinderella begs his father for the first twig to knock his hat off).
Epilogue
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| I made the sword myself :) |
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At the end, the Grimm Brothers remains one of the World`s most famous and well-known authors.
And it`s a truly astonishing that they lived in a time before our times.
And their work is going to continue to live on forever for many
generations. As for my own personal experiences with Grimm`s stories, I knew about them and read them in my chilhood. I remember having some books and comics by them. But
unfortunately I don`t have any specific memories of how and when I heard or read about them. However, as for Disney`s adaptations, I remember not seeing the Silly Symphony versions of the stories in my childhood. But I saw The Brave Little Tailor and thought it was okay. But I saw Snow White theatrically in my childhood and frankly finding the movie just okay (as I thought it was too grim and bittersweet).  |
| I`m doing the bending dance :) |
Both Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty I saw on VHS by renting them. And frankly, I liked Cinderella, but thought that Sleeping Beauty was too tedious, slow and pedestrian. However, I learned to like Snow White when I became an older child, as well as Sleeping Beauty. And now I prefer them to Cinderella, (sorry to say). With both The Princess and the Frog and Tangled, I liked them, despite how I never loved them. They had great elements in them, but were just good movies, just not great ones. But at the end, it`s amazing what a legacy the Grimm`s has given us. Since this entry was meant to synergize the anniversary of Wilhelm`s birth, there`s nothing left to and thank them for their everlasing influence and legacy that their left to our World. 
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