Classic Disney cartoons have become a universal language for generations of movie lovers; the new blueprint for the fairytales and legends that define our public imagination. The idea of their happily ever after is so enmeshed in our minds that anything to the contrary — like, say, the stories that Disney originally adapted — feels like a divergence from true canon.
In reality, though, the tales of Cinderella, Snow White, and the Little Mermaid were gruesome, tragic affairs. Their authors were acutely aware of how cruel the world could be: even the stories that end “happily” are punctuated with body horror and blurred lines of consent. Prince Charming is rarely all he’s cracked up to be, making our heroines’ excruciating transformations all the more pointless. With our public tastes shifting from unconditional optimism back to meta-modern cynicism, Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm feel oddly prescient today.
