More like an extra chapter in my colllection :)
Disney has it's own surprising dark tales behind their happily-ever-after stories...
P.S. Some might ruin your childhood...
-R.B.01
_____________________________
8 Dark Sides To Disney Stories
1. Disney's "The Jungle Book"
Originaly, Mowgli, an orphan boy raised by wolves, has many adventures in the jungle until he finally drives away a dangerous tiger named Shere Khan by attaching flaming branches to his tail. He then joins a nearby human village after finding a girl his age there.
Compared to Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book"
Much of the basis story is the same, but Mowgli continues on to kill Shere Khan. The other villagers imprison and torture Mowgli’s adopted human family for they do not trust Mowgli. Mowgli saves them and conducts revenge on the villagers by convincing the elephants to destroy the village. Everyone flees for their lives.
2. Disney's "Sleeping Beauty"
Aurora is pricked from a spindle on her 16th birthday, putting her under a sleeping spell placed on her my the evil witch Maleficent. Prince Phillip is aided by Aurora’s guardian fairies to defeat the Maleficent. He then kisses Princess Aurora and breaks the spell. They get married and live happily ever after.
Compared to Charles Perrault's "The Sleeping Beauty"
The spell placed upon her will last for 100 years before a prince may wake her with a kiss. When a prince finally does wake her, he marries her and has two children with her. His mother is part ogre, and demands a cook to prepare the Princess and her children to be served as a meal for her. The cook serves her animal meat instead. She learns about the trick and as revenge creates a pit filled with deadly creatures for them. When the Prince catches her, in a panic she leaps into the pit to be killed.
Compared to Giambattista Basile's "Sun, Moon, and Talia"
Perrault's version is based on this early version of Sleeping Beauty. In it, the princess is Talia. She falls into a sleep from a piece of flax stuck under her fingernail. When the prince comes, he had sex with her while she is unconscious. While he is away she wakes to find she has become a mother after one of her twins sucked on her finger and removed the flax. The prince comes and explains to her what happened. Then it is the prince's jealous wife who orders the cook to serve Talia and her children for a meal.
3. Disney's "Tarzan"
Tarzan is adopted by gorillas as a baby after his parents are killed by a leopard, who he later kills in adulthood. He meets other humans for the first time and falls in love with Jane. The guide, Clayton, plans on trapping and killing the gorillas for profit. Tarzan and Jane manage to save all the gorillas except for Tarzan’s adopted father Kerchak, and Clayton is killed. Jane decides to stay in Africa with Tarzan.
Compared to Edgar Rice Burroughs "Tarzan of the Apes"
Tarzan is adopted by gorillas after his mother dies of childbirth and his father from Kerchak. His gorilla mother Kala is later killed by hunters. Threatened by Tarzan in his adulthood, Kerchak attacks Tarzan and Kerchak is killed. Tarzan meets humans for the first time, falling in love with Jane. Clayton is actually his cousin of high rank. Clayton proposes to Jane, who reluctantly accepts, but later regrets for she realizes she loves Tarzan more. Tarzan later learns of his high rank, inheritance, and ability to call off Jane’s engagement, but declines it all thinking Jane is happy with Clayton.
4. Disney's "Pinocchio"
Pinocchio is an animated wooden puppet that must prove himself worthy of becoming a real boy through experience, and is aided by the conscience guide Jiminy Cricket. Although being misled numerous times by a fox and cat to a puppet show and Pleasure Island, he is saved by the Blue Fairy. He then hears of his "Father" Geppetto's imprisonment in a whale, gives his life to save him, and is reanimated as a real boy for proving his worth.
Compared to Carlo Collodi's "The Adventures of Pinocchio"
Pinocchio actually kills the talking Cricket right away, the Cricket's ghost comes back thoughout the story to be his conscience. The cat and fox try to rob him, and Pinocchio bites off the cat's hand. They try to unsuccessfully hang him until the Blue Fairy, who is actually a dead woman, saves him. He learns of Geppetto's imprisionment in a Terrible Shark, but doesn't try to save him right away. He goes on a few more adventures until he goes to Toyland, where he and his friend Lampwick turn into donkeys. A drummer tries to drown Pinocchio for his hide until he turns into a puppet again because fish ate his donkey flesh. He is then swallowed by the Terrible Shark and saves Geppetto. He finds the cat and fox are now beggars, the cat is blind and the fox is lame. Later he finds his friend Lampwick had been worked to death at a farm. Pinochio still turns into a real boy at the end though, so I mean, I guess it's a happy ending.
5. Disney's "The Little Mermaid"
The villain sea-witch Ursula’s plan to take over Atlantica is foiled when she is killed by Prince Eric. Ariel’s father turns her back into a human after her spell wore off from Ursula’s deal so she can live with Eric. Ariel gets married to him and lives happily ever after.
Compared to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Marmaid"
The Little Mermaid becomes human from the Sea Witch's potion, but if she does not marry the Prince, she will die and dissolve into sea foam like all mermaids since they don't have souls. The Prince marries another woman before she can woo him. Her sisters give her a dagger from the Sea Witch to kill the prince and use his blood on her feet to turn back into a mermaid. She loves him too much to do this and dies, but instead of turning into foam, becomes a spirit because of her good deed.
6. Disney's "Hercules"
Hercules defeats the God of the Underworld and nemesis Hades and ruins his attempt to rule over Olympia, but at the cost of his love Megara’s life. She dies, but he saves her soul from the underworld and traps Hades there. Due to this great deed, he is rewarded by becoming a God, but rejects the title to stay on Earth with Meg.
Compared to the Greek Myth of "Heracles"
Hercules, or rather Heracles, is really the nemesis of Hera, his father Zeus’ wife, but she is not his mother. Because he was born from another woman, Hera makes his life miserable, eventually driving him crazy and to murder his wife Megara (who was actually a princess) and all 4 of his children. He regrets this so much he suffers 12 trails to redeem himself. He goes on to have many more marriages, children, and adventures.
7. Disney's "The Hunchback ofnotre Dame"
The villain, Frollo, is killed after the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo saves the heroine gypsy Esmeralda from her execution ordered by Frollo for being a temptress. She lives happily ever after with the Captain of the Guard Phoebus. Quasimodo is finally accepted into society despite his deformities.
Compared to Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
Esmeralda falls in love with Phoebus, but he is already engaged. She is sentenced to death by Frollo when he frames her for an attack on Phoebus, which Frollo actually committed in jealousy of Esmeralda’s love. Quasimodo kills Frollo for laughing during Esmeralda’s death by hanging. He then lays next to her body until he starves to death.
8. Disney's 'The Fox and the Hound"
The fox Tod is being chased by a hunter and his hound Copper, whom Tod befriended as a child. Even after Tod saves both the hunter and Copper from a bear attack, the hunter eventually pins him down to shoot him. Copper stands between them, protecting his friend. The hunter backs down, Tod is free to live with his mate Vixey, and Copper continues to live with his master.
Compared to Daniel P. Mannix's "The Fox and the Hound"
Tod accidentally causes a hunting dog’s death, who was the hunter’s favorite dog. The hunter then trains his other dog Copper to hunt only Tod. Tod always manages to escape them, however the hunter was successful in killing two sets of Tod’s mates and children. Copper is ordered to pursue Tod unmercifully. Tod, who is aging, eventually collapses from exhaustion and dies. After a few years the hunter is convinced to retire to a nursing home, and remorsefully decides to put down Copper using his shotgun.