The Real Story Behind These 5 Famous Disney Stories

(Warning: The stories below might ruin your childhood. Proceed with caution.)

    I didn't grow up watching Disney fairy tales, but I did grow up reading the original stories retold (and disneyfied) by them. To tell you the truth, the earlier versions of many Disney stories are dark, violent, and really, really grim. But for me, these original tales pack more punch than the Disneyfied versions. Also, I think it's high time to give credit to the original authors from whom Disney has been ripping off.

    And so, here are the famous Disney stories retold from their original (or earlier) sources:

1. Sleeping Beauty

Original story by: Giambattista Basile

Original Title: The Sun, The Moon, and Talia (From Basile's book "Pentamerone")

Year published: 1634

The story: Talia was born to a wealthy ruler, but was prophesied to meet her end from a flax splinter. (No, she wasn't cursed, she was prophesied to die in the original story.) The king, Talia's father, tried to prevent this from happening by getting rid of all the flax in the kingdom, only to have done it in vain. One day, Talia saw an old woman spinning flax on a spindle and pleaded to stretch the hemp, at which point a flax splinter gets lodged under her fingernail, and seems to die. Unable to bury her daughter, the king dressed her in the most beautiful dress, adorned her coffin, and hid her in a palace deep in the woods. 

    On a hunting trip, a king stumbled upon the palace as he attempts to retrieve his lost falcon which happened to be inside it. He went in, saw Talia in her glorious beauty. He tried to wake her, but he couldn't. Smitten by the beautiful sleeping maiden, the king raped her instead. Afterwards, the King left the palace and seem to have forgotten about the affair. Talia became pregnant and the babies were born and cared for, as was Talia, by kindly fairies. The fairies would put the babies up to Talia’s breasts to feed, except one time, one of the babies instead sucked on Talia’s finger with the splinter in it and sucked it out, at which point she woke up.

    Quite a while later, the king remembered the girl and decided to go back to the house to see her again. This time, though, he found her awake and with twin babies she named “Sun” and “Moon”, as their origin was just as mysterious to her as the origin of the Sun and the Moon. They fell in love and would have had a happy ending, except that, you know, the King is already married. The King's wife got suspicious and forced the King's secretary to tell why the King has been going out too often, and found out about Talia and the children. To cut the story short, the Queen ordered the abduction of Talia's kids, planned to send them to the chef to cook them, and feed them to the King. As for Talia, she tried to burn her alive, but she was saved by the King. The King's rage was so intense that he murdered his wife and secretary. Luckily for the kids, the chef spared their life. 

2. Snow White

Original story by: Brothers Grimm

Original Title: Tale 53 or Sneewittchen (from the authors' Grimm's Fairy Tales)

Year published: 1812

The story: A queen wished for a daughter whose lips are as red as blood, skin as white as snow, and hair as black as night. Some time later, she gave birth to such a very beautiful baby and named her Snow White, but the queen dies in childbirth a short while later. Snow White's father, the King, marries again. The new queen is such a beauty to behold, although her heart is black as coal. She is vain and a very wicked witch. The queen has a magic mirror, which she asks every morning to check who's the fairest woman in the kingdom. 

    The magic mirror answers that it is her, the queen, who's the fairest of all. But years passed and Snow White started to bloom into a ravishing young woman, and she just gets even more beautiful as day passed by. One day, the queen asked the mirror the same question she asks every morning, and shockingly, the mirror said that Snow White is the fairest girl in the kingdom. 

    Blinded by jealousy and rage, the wicked queen ordered a huntsman to kill Snow White, and as a proof of Snow White's death, the huntsman is to bring back her liver and lungs, which she will consume to become as beautiful as Snow White. But the huntsman was ridden with guilt and conscience that he had let Snow White escape to the forest. He brought back a boar's inside to present to the queen. Pleased with herself, the witch consumed it. Believing that Snow White is dead, she asked the magic mirror again, and to her unpleasant surprise, the mirror answered that it's Snow White who's the fairest of all in the kingdom. 

    The queen devised a plan to kill Snow White by herself and located where she is. She found out that Snow White is in the woods, living with seven dwarves. She attempted to murder her thrice, and succeeded in the third try (or so it seemed), which is a poisoned apple. The dwarves placed her in a glass casket. Three days later, a prince stumbled upon the casket and as one of his servants trip over, and dislodged the apple from Snow White's throat, reviving her. The prince and Snow White fell in love, and concocted revenge against the wicked queen. They got married, the evil queen went to investigate it, only the prince ordered that the evil queen wear a pair of red-hot iron slippers and dance in them until she drops dead.

3.  The Little Mermaid

Original story by: Hans Christian Andersen

Original Title: The Little Mermaid (Den lille havfrue) 

Year published: 1837

The story: The little mermaid fell in love with a human prince that she saved. Unable to bear being apart from the prince, the little mermaid went to the sea witch for a potion that would give her a pair of legs. 

    The sea witch agreed, in exchange for her tongue and beautiful voice. In addition, the little mermaid won't be able to come back to the underwater world forever, that she will feel like she's constantly walking on sharp knives, and that she will only obtain a soul if she wins the prince's heart. It is said that the moment the prince marries another woman, the little mermaid will die of broken heart and will dissolve into a sea foam, without a soul.

    So off she went, despite these ridiculous conditions, for her love is greater than any pain or fear. She swims to the surface near the prince's castle and drank the potion. The potion felt like a sword stabbing through her insides and she fell down, passing out. The prince found her and kept her as a company. She became the prince's favorite companion, but the time came when the prince is forced to marry a neighboring princess in an arranged marriage. 

    The prince refused and told the little mermaid that he will only marry the woman in the temple who he believes to have saved his life. That was the little mermaid! But remember, she's mute, so she cant say it. As it turned out, the prince was told that the neighboring princess was the one who saved his life, for she was sent to the temple for her education that time!

    The prince and the princess got married, leaving a broken-hearted little mermaid. To cut the details, the little mermaid tried to murder the prince in his sleep for if she does this, she'll be able to go back to her family. But she didn't have the heart to do it, so she killed herself instead. But instead of dissolving into nothingness, she became one of the daughters of the air, and was given the chance to earn her soul after serving mankind for 300 years.

4. Cinderella

(one of the) Earliest well-known story by: Brothers Grimm

Original Title: The Little Glass Slipper

Year published: 1812

The story: It begins with the death of a young girl's mother. The very next spring, the father remarries a very evil woman who has two daughters of her own. The three of them turn the young girl into a servant who must sleep on the floor in the cinders, and they give her the nickname Cinderella. 

    Despite being treated so poorly, Cinderella remains humble. In the original story, planted a tree by her mother's grave, and it grows beautifully. Any prayer made by Cinderella under this tree is granted to her by a little white bird who tosses down her wish from the branches. (No, there was no fairy godmother here.)

    When the king announces that there is to be a three-day festival for the prince to choose his bride, Cinderella wants desperately to attend. Her stepmother, however, makes it seemingly impossible. Cinderella goes to the magic tree that has helped her often, and it tosses down a dress and slippers of gold, silk, and silver. She's so beautiful at the ball that nobody recognizes her, and the prince falls madly in love.

    At the end of the three-day festival, though Cinderella tries to sneak away each night, the prince is able to get one of her golden slippers. He knows that the woman who can fit into the shoe is the one he loves. One stepsister cuts off her toe to make the shoe fit and trick the prince, and the other cuts off her heel, but the birds once again help Cinderella by revealing the blood that is pouring out of the slipper in each case.

    Because Cinderella is the only one who can truly fit into the shoe, the prince knows that she is the mystery woman. The two get married, and at the wedding, doves peck out the stepsisters' eyes. So, Cinderella is able to enjoy her good fortune, and the evil stepsisters are paid back for the hate they showed to Cinderella. 

5. Pinnochio

Original story by: Carlo Collodi

Original title: The Adventures of Pinnochio

Year published: 1881-1882 (it was a series for a children's magazine)

The story: Pinocchio is a puppet who wants to be a human boy. When he tells lies, his nose grows long. At least, that's what most people remember about him. Carlo Collodi sets his modern-day fairy tale in Tuscany, Italy, in an uncertain era and starring an unexpected protagonist: ''Once upon a time there was a piece of wood.''

    Geppetto, a woodcarver, crafts a marionette (a puppet on strings) out of a piece of enchanted wood. He calls it Pinocchio, and Geppetto treats him like a son. In Geppetto's workshop, Pinocchio meets a talking cricket who tries to teach him his first lesson. ''Woe to boys who refuse to obey their parents and run away from home!''

    Thus Pinocchio's adventures begin. Pinocchio tries and tries to redeem himself, but at every turn, his will is challenged. At some point in the story, the real ending is that Pinnochio will be hanged and killed, as Collodi wants to show one moral lesson: even children can't get away from wrongdoings. But the editor of the magazine convinced Collodi to continue writing it, for the editor himself wanted a happy ending, and that's when the blue fairy came to rescue Pinnochio.

Read More

18 Children's (and not so children's) Books You Need To Read and Re-read As An Adult

There's one thing many people don't know about me as a bookworm: I am a sucker for children's literature. Because why not? Just because we get older doesn't mean the life lessons we learn from children's books are any less important. Also, many books written for adults are sometimes redundant, dull, impossibly dark, and depressing (in addition to not being wholesome!) Aside from the fact that children's lit is light and packed with life lessons, it's short enough to keep our attention and the pacing runs smooth. The books are branded as popular or underrated in the international scale and is purely arbitrary. I did it just in case you see it somewhere, not recognize it, and wonder if it's worth a read!  ALL these reads are gems. Whether you're an ESL learner, a beginner in reading, someone who's looking for books to give to a young person, or simply an adult who's young at heart, this is for you!

Here are my top picks:

1. Verdict: Popular

Author: Antoine De Saint-Exupery

No. of pages: 112

Famous quote: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

The story so far: The Little Prince is a classic tale of equal appeal to children and adults. On one level it is the story of an airman's discovery, in the desert, of a small boy from another planet - the Little Prince of the title - and his stories of intergalactic travel, while on the other hand it is a thought-provoking allegory of the human condition.

2. Verdict: Popular

Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery

No. of pages: 464

Famous quote: "People laugh at me because I use big words to express them. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?"

The story so far: Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without 'their' Anne - and for the people of Avonlea to recall what it was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town.

3. Verdict: Popular

Author: E.B. White

No. pages: 192

Famous quote: “I don’t understand it, and I don’t like what I don’t understand.”

The story so far: Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come.

4. Verdict: Popular

Author: George Orwell

No. of pages: 112

Famous quote: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” 

The story so far: Mr Jones of Manor Farm is so lazy and drunken that one day he forgets to feed his livestock. The ensuing rebellion under the leadership of the pigs Napoleon and Snowball leads to the animals taking over the farm. Vowing to eliminate the terrible inequities of the farmyard, the renamed Animal Farm is organised to benefit all who walk on four legs. But as time passes, the ideals of the rebellion are corrupted, then forgotten. And something new and unexpected emerges. 

Animal Farm - the history of a revolution that went wrong - is George Orwell's brilliant satire on the corrupting influence of power.

5. Verdict: Popular

Author: Joanne Kathleen Rowling

No. of pages: 256

Famous quote: “I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper on death.” 

The story so far: When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him that apparently he's the last to know. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Leaving his unsympathetic aunt and uncle for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry stumbles upon a sinister mystery when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers, which could be valuable, dangerous - or both. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

6. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Lois Lowry

No. of pages: 240

Famous quote: “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” 

The story so far: It is the future. There is no war, no hunger, no pain. No one in the community wants for anything. Everything needed is provided. And at twelve years old, each member of the community has their profession carefully chosen for them by the Committee of Elders. Twelve-year old Jonas has never thought there was anything wrong with his world. But from the moment he is selected as the Receiver of Memory, Jonas discovers that their community is not as perfect as it seems. It is only with the help of the Giver, that Jonas can find what has been lost. And it is only through his personal courage that Jonas finds the strength to do what is right.

7. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Lemony Snicket

No. of Pages: 192

Famous quote:  “Books about law are notorious for being very long, very dull, and very difficult to read. This is one reason many lawyers make heaps of money. The money is an incentive - the word 'incentive' here means 'an offered reward to persuade you to do something you don't want to do' - to read long, dull, and difficult books.”

The story so far: In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.

In The Bad Beginning, the siblings encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune and cold porridge for breakfast. (Notice: This book has the best explanations of vocabulary in context. A true gem for ESL learning!)

8. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Loise Fitzhugh

No. of pages: 300

Famous quote:  “Don't mess with anybody on a Monday. It's a bad, bad day.” 

The story so far: Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she's written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together? 

"What the novel showed me as a child is that words have the power to hurt, but they can also heal, and that it's much better in the long run to use this power for good than for evil."--New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot.

9. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Allie Brosh

No. of pages: 369

Famous quote: “I am incensed that reality has the audacity to do some of the things it does when I CLEARLY don't want those things to happen.” 

The story so far: Hyperbole and A Half is a blog written by a 20-something American girl called Allie Brosh. She tells fantastically funny, wise stories about the mishaps of her everyday life, with titles like 'Why Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving' and 'The God of Cake'. She accompanies these with naive drawings using Paint on her PC.
Brosh’s website receives millions of visitors a month and hundreds of thousands of per day.
Now her full-colour debut book chronicles the many “learning experiences” Brosh has endured as a result of her own character flaws. It includes stories about her rambunctious childhood; the highs and mostly lows of owning a mentally challenged dog; and a moving and darkly comic account of her struggles with depression. (Notice: Bill Gates, yes, The Bill Gates of Microsoft Inc., recommends this book. I'm a Gates note taker, by the way.) 

10. Verdict: Popular

Author: Clive Staples Lewis

No. of pages: 224

Famous quote: “All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think.” 

The story so far: Four adventurous siblings - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie - step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series, which has been drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over sixty years. (Notice: this is a stand alone read, but if you want more of C.S Lewis, check out the other books in the Chronicles of Narnia series.)

11. Verdict: Popular

Author: Dr. Seuss

No. of pages: 48 pages

Famous quote: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” 

The story so far: This book is perfect for all of us who wants to explore the world but so scared of the unknown. Dr. Seuss' advice: Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! 

12. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Jeff Kinney

No. of pages: 224

Famous quote: “The best person I know is Myself.” 

The story so far: Things aren't going well for Greg Heffley. He's been thrust into a new school where undersize weaklings share the corridors with kids who are taller, meaner and already shaving.  With his friend Rowley, Greg's desperate to prove his new maturity, which only going up a grade can bring. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, will Greg be able to reach the same heights of popularity as Rowley? 

13. Verdict: Popular

Author: Judy Blume

No. of pages: 144

Famous quote: “What’s next on your reading list? Discover.” 

The story so far: Two is a crowd when Peter and his little brother, Fudge, are in the same room. Grown-ups think Fudge is absolutely adorable, but Peter and his pet turtle, Dribble, know the truth. From throwing temper tantrums to smearing mashed potatoes on the wall, Fudge causes mischief wherever he goes! 

"As a kid, Judy Blume was my favorite author, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was my favorite book."--Jeff Kinney, author of the bestselling Wimpy Kid series. (Of course there's a reason why I put these two books in sequence.)

14. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Maurice Sendak

No. of pages: 48

Famous quote: “I have nothing now but praise for my life. I'm not unhappy. I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can't stop them. They leave me and I love them more...What I dread is the isolation. ... There are so many beautiful things in the world which I will have to leave when I die, but I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready.”

The story so far: One night Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief of one kind and another, so his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without his supper.  That night a forest begins to grow in Max's room and an ocean rushes by with a boat to take Max to the place where the wild things are. Max tames the wild things and crowns himself as their king, and then the wild rumpus begins!  But when Max has sent the monsters to bed, and everything is quiet, he starts to feel lonely and realises it is time to sail home to the place where someone loves him best of all.

15. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Beverly Cleary

No. of pages: 208

Famous quote: “She was not a slowpoke grownup. She was a girl who could not wait. Life was so interesting she had to find out what happened next.” 

The story so far: Ramona likes that she's old enough to be counted on, but must everything depend on her? Mrs. Quimby has gone back to work so that Mr. Quimby can return to school, and Ramona is expected to be good for Mrs. Kemp while her parents are away, to be brave enough to ride the school bus by herself, and to put up with being teased by Danny the Yard Ape. In Ramona's world, being eight isn't easy, but it's never dull!

16. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Sebastian de Castell

No. of pages: 416

Famous quote: “I’m a woman, kid. You probably haven’t met one before, coming as you do from this backward place, but it’s like a man only smarter and with bigger balls.” 

The story so far: MAGIC IS A CON GAME.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage's duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi - a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She's difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen's only hope. (Notice: I'm selling this book hard to you, because the pacing is really smooth.)

17. Verdict: Underrated

Author: Raquel Jaramillo Palacio

No. of pages: 416

Famous quote: “We carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.”

The story so far: 'My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.' Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things - eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren't stared at wherever they go. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? Wonder is a funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

18. Verdict: Popular

Author: Roald Dahl

No. of pages: 240

Famous quote: “I'm right and you're wrong, I'm big and you're small, and there's nothing you can do about it.” 

The story so far: Matilda Wormwood is an extraordinary genius with really stupid parents. Miss Trunchbull is her terrifying headmistress who thinks all her pupils are rotten little stinkers. But Matilda will show these horrible grown-ups that even though she's only small, she's got some very powerful tricks up her sleeve. (Notice: Roald Dahl is hailed as the world's no. 1 story teller. He wrote numerous books that are worth reading.)

Disclaimer: All synopses are from the books' original back covers and from Book Depository, your ultimate online bookstore and home of over 20 million books (with free shipping worldwide!)

Read More