Comparison Of Cinderella

Maria Ramirez
Dr. Wiltse
English 1301
25 November 2014
Cinderella
Which is better, the book or the movie? That is the highly debated question that arose the minute the first motion film came to the public. For centuries, literary works and texts have been converted into movies and/or plays, leaving it up to the audience to decide which they prefer, the written text or the theatrical version of the said text. In the case of Cinderella, which was originally a short story composed by the well-known Brothers Grimm in 1812, and then later brought to life by the famous Walt Disney in 1950, the theatrical rendition wins by a landslide. In the original work, there is too much unnecessary cruel and unusual punishment, whereas in the Disney fairy tale, the story gives hope for a happily ever after. The Brothers Grimm folk tales, typically known for their abundance of violence and sexual content, are completely opposite of the politically correct, picture perfect productions that Walt Disney is often associated with. The two versions of the tale, although generally the same concept, make the reader see the story in two completely different lights. For example, in the original tale, the two step sisters are told by their mother cut off a toe and part of their heel so that the glass slipper will fit with the incentive that “when [they] are queen [they] will no longer have to go on foot” (Grimm and Grimm), and they do it. Disney, realizing the obscenity of the scene, omits these small