Disney VS original: The Little Mermaid.

When I was a little boy, my mother wouldn't let me watch The Little Mermaid.

... Until she learned that it, unlike the original story, has a HAPPY ending.

Den Lille Havfrue(The Little Mermaid) is a fairy tale from my country; Denmark. Most of you probably know the Disney version, but do you know Hans Christian Andersen's ACTUAL story?

Here is an abridged version:

Like the Disney movie, the young mermaid saves a human prince from a watery death. She falls in love with him, but she knows that it can never be the two of them, since a human A) can't breath underwater, and B) the don't live for 300 years(like merpeople). Also, a human's soul is immortal and move on to the afterlife, while merpeople turn into sea foam.

Lounging for the prince's love as well as a immortal soul, she makes a deal with a sea-witch, who turns her into a human in exchange for her tongue. The catch is that it will feel like she is walking on knives ALL THE TIME, and that she can only have a soul if he marries her. Should he marry someone else, she will die, and turn into foam.

But even though she finds the prince,he is already in love with another woman whom he believed saved him(she kinda did). He marries her, and the little mermaid is heartbroken. But as she feels sorry for herself her sisters manage to find her, telling her that they made a deal with the witch as well. By giving her all of their beautiful hair, they received a magical dagger. If the Little Mermaid slays the prince with the dagger and let's his blood drip on her feet, she will become a mermaid once more.

Unfortunately, the Little Mermaid can't make herself kill the prince, and must therefor die. But instead of being turned into foam, she becomes an air-spirit. Because of her selflessness, she now has the chance to earn a soul by doing good deeds for humans, and will one day be allowed to go to Heaven.

So... which version do you prefer? Disney or H. C. Andersen?

Andersen

As for all fairy tales that Disney have destroyed, ripping them of they original sense and drama. Disney, you do better... way better... with your own character...

@thatlyn_yoaeg_ill_rymmin: I don't know... what abut Snowwhite?

Didn't know that, very interesting. The original sounds better but as adults the happy ending no matter what becomes tedious.

Wow I remember going to Denmark Legoland like 10 years ago, good times. I prefer the Disney version because I love me some Disney and Ursula and her Poor Unfortunate Soul.

@mfundroid: Disney knows how to make great bad guy songs.

@guru_crack:In that case, you should know some more Danish fairy tales. One of the darker ones is Skyggen(the Shadow) that is about a man who is replaced with his shadow.

I initially expected worse. Is not the saddest thing. Or it just does not sound so from the abridged version.

I will need to re-watch the Disney movie.

Dude... Is that even a question? Your description of that story over the Disney one anyday of the week... Mate.

Pilasy:La Voix d'un homme

The original seemed more interesting.

@waezi2: Snow White... in the original Fairy Tale of Brother Grimm, there are many "gore" things that have been "forgotten" by Disney. For example, when the Evil Queen ask the Hunter to take the hearth of Snow White [or, in some version, others internal organs], he return to the Evil Queen with the earth of a boar, or after the Prince find Snow White, and they fall in love, they torture the Evil Queen! They apply on her scorching metal shoe and force her to a painfull dance till she dies!

Now, I'm not saying that is a "more beautifull" version of the story, but Disney change it quite a bit, stripping it from the original "dark tone" of the "Fairy" Tales of the period.

But the one main difference between Grimm version [why I've thinked "Ben Grimm" instead of "Grimm Brother"? I need a cup of coffèè...] ...the main difference is how Snow White wake up from the spell! There is no "True Love Kissing"! The Prince find her dead [not sleeping] and dosen't recognize she may be saved. He ask to the Dwarf to arrange her for a proper funeral rite, but while they carry the coffin to the graveyard for burial, they make it fall. Snow White fall from the grave to the ground and in the fall she throw up the piece of apple that was still in her throat [the "Sleep Spell" was more a "Death by Suffucation Spell"]. Throwing up the piece of apple, she wake up, and fall in love with the Prince. But there is no "Power of Love", "Kiss of True Love" or others similar things, changing the meaning of the whole story

@thatlyn_yoaeg_ill_rymmin: Well, in some versions(this is Grimm, so there is more than one) the prince's kiss is part of the reason to why she wakes up. Not because of magic, but still...

@guru_crack: @mfundroid: @ananke: @rouflex: @neongamewave: @thatlyn_yoaeg_ill_rymmin:I wrote another one about the fairy tale that Frozen is based on; Snedronningen(The Snowqueen)

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