List of Disney animated films based on fairy tales

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Walt Disney poses with statuettes of the Seven Dwarfs in the original theatrical trailer for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Walt Disney Snow white 1937 trailer screenshot (12).jpg
Walt Disney poses with statuettes of the Seven Dwarfs in the original theatrical trailer for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Fairy tales have provided a significant source of inspiration for Disney studios, mainly Walt Disney Animation Studios. Sometimes, Walt Disney Pictures alters gruesome fairy tales in order to make them more appropriate for different age groups, specifically children and adults. The silent short cartoons produced at the Laugh-O-Gram Studio during Walt Disney's early career consisted of humorous, modern retellings of traditional stories. Later, Walt Disney and his studio turned to traditional fairy tales as the source for shorts in the Silly Symphony series, and later animated features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , his first full-length feature. After a hiatus from the fairy tale genre, the modern Disney company once more looked to classic fairy tales during the late 80s and 90s, resulting in popular films such as Aladdin , Mulan , The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast . The following list is the examples of the fairy tale films which produced by the Disney company, along with their sources of inspiration (some stories, including Cinderella and The Ugly Duckling , have been subject to multiple treatments). Excluded are television series (such as The Little Mermaid TV series) and sequels to previous fairy tale films (such as Cinderella II: Dreams Come True ), unless explicitly incorporating elements of another traditional story.

Contents

Disney's animated shorts based on fairy tales

Name of filmYearSource materialFurther notes
Little Red Riding Hood 1922 Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault/Brothers Grimm Laugh-O-Gram
The Four Musicians of Bremen 1922 The Bremen Town Musicians by the Brothers Grimm Laugh-O-Gram
Jack and the Beanstalk 1922Traditional English tale of Jack and the Beanstalk , best known through the retelling by Joseph Jacobs Laugh-O-Gram
Jack the Giant Killer 1922Traditional English tale of Jack the Giant Killer Laugh-O-Gram, also released under the title of The KO Kid.
Goldie Locks and the Three Bears 1922 Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Robert Southey Laugh-O-Gram, also released under the title of The Peroxide Kid.
Puss in Boots 1922 Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault Laugh-O-Gram
Cinderella 1922 Cinderella by Charles Perrault/Brothers Grimm Laugh-O-Gram
Mother Goose Melodies 1931various Mother Goose StoriesFrom the Silly Symphony series. Semi-remade into Old King Cole.
The Ugly Duckling 1931 The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen From the Silly Symphony series. The only such short in the series to be remade in colour.
Babes in the Woods 1932Title taken from the traditional English tale Babes in the Wood , though largely inspired by the Brothers Grimm's Hansel and Gretel From the Silly Symphony series.
Father Noah's Ark 1933 Noah's Ark from the Book of Genesis From the Silly Symphony series.
Three Little Pigs 1933Traditional English tale of The Three Little Pigs From the Silly Symphony series. An extremely successful film, it introduced the Disney versions of the namesake pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, and bore the popular song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?". Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Old King Cole 1933Mother Goose's Old King Cole nursery rhymeFrom the Silly Symphony series.
The Pied Piper 1933German folk tale of The Pied Piper of Hamelin , popularised in the English-speaking world by the 19th century poem by Robert Browning From the Silly Symphony series.
The Night Before Christmas 1933 A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore From the Silly Symphony series.
Giantland 1933Loosely inspired by the traditional English tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, best known through the retelling by Joseph Jacobs Mickey Mouse short.
Gulliver Mickey 1934Loosely inspired by the English novel , Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. Mickey Mouse short.
The China Shop 1934The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep by Hans Christian AndersenFrom the Silly Symphony series.
The Grasshopper and the Ants 1934 The Ant and the Grasshopper by Aesop From the Silly Symphony series.
The Big Bad Wolf 1934Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault/Brothers Grimm, featuring characters from Three Little PigsFrom the Silly Symphony series. Part sequel to Three Little Pigs, part retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
The Wise Little Hen 1934Traditional story of The Little Red Hen From the Silly Symphony series. First screen appearance of Donald Duck. The duck character is not in the original fairy tale.
The Tortoise and the Hare 1935 The Tortoise and the Hare by AesopFrom the Silly Symphony series.
The Golden Touch 1935Greek myth of King Midas From the Silly Symphony series.
Water Babies 1935 The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby by Charles Kingsley From the Silly Symphony series.
Who Killed Cock Robin? 1935The English nursery rhyme Cock Robin From the Silly Symphony series.
Three Little Wolves 1936 The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Aesop, featuring characters from Three Little PigsFrom the Silly Symphony series.
Thru the Mirror 1936 Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll Mickey Mouse short.
The Country Cousin 1936 The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse by AesopFrom the Silly Symphony series.
Little Hiawatha 1937 The Song of Hiawatha , an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow From the Silly Symphony series.
Wynken, Blynken and Nod 1938 Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene FieldFrom the Silly Symphony series.
Brave Little Tailor 1938 The Brave Little Tailor by the Brothers Grimm Mickey Mouse short.
The Ugly Duckling 1939The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian AndersenFrom the Silly Symphonies series. Colour remake of the 1931 short. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Chicken Little 1943Traditional story of Chicken Little World War II propaganda
Dumb Bell of the Yukon 1946The Russian folk tale of The Bear with a Wooden Leg by A. N. Afanas'ev Donald Duck short.
Paul Bunyan 1958North American folk hero and lumberjack Paul Bunyan
Donald in Mathmagic Land 1959Partly based on Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll Donald Duck short. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).
Mickey's Christmas Carol 1983 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Mickey Mouse short.
The Prince and the Pauper 1990 The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain Mickey Mouse short.
Redux Riding Hood 1997Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault/Brothers GrimmProduced by Walt Disney Television Animation as part of a planned series called "Totally Twisted Fairy Tales".
Hansel and Gretel 1999 Hansel and Gretel , by Brothers Grimm From Mickey Mouse Works . Mickey and Minnie play the roles of Hansel and Gretel in a musical retelling of the fairy tale; the music featured is Danse Macabre . This short is also a segment in the movie Mickey's House of Villains and in an episode of the TV series House of Mouse .
The Little Matchgirl 2006 The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian AndersenIncluded on The Little Mermaid Platinum Edition DVD. Originally made for a third continuation of Fantasia that was ultimately shelved.

Disney feature films based on fairy tales

Name of filmYearSource materialFurther notes
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 Snow White by the Brothers Grimm Walt Disney's first full-length animated feature film; it became the most successful sound film in motion-picture history up to that point.
Pinocchio 1940 The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1949 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving All the segments are based on fairy tales. First segment an adaptation of classic English children's story by Kenneth Grahame and the second segment based on Washington Irving's gothic short story
Cinderella 1950 Cinderella by Charles Perrault Walt Disney's comeback feature after a series of financial difficulties following the Second World War.
Alice in Wonderland 1951 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
Peter Pan 1953 Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie
Sleeping Beauty 1959 Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault The last fairy tale film produced by Walt Disney before his death; it is one of only two Disney animated films produced in a special 70mm widescreen process, the other one being The Black Cauldron . The film features heavily stylized art direction and music adapted from the Tchaikovsky ballet score.
The Little Mermaid 1989 The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen The first Disney animated fairy tale in 30 years, the critical and commercial success of The Little Mermaid resulted in a popular renewed interest in Disney animation. The story had been considered by Walt Disney as a potential segment for a planned film based on the life and works of Hans Christian Andersen.
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp 1990Elements from Aladdin from the Arabian Nights Though largely a theatrical spin-off of the television series DuckTales , the film owes a lot of its plot to the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, which would be produced as a feature film by Disney two years later.
Beauty and the Beast 1991 Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont Even more successful than The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast was the first animated feature ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. As with The Little Mermaid, it is said that the story had been considered for a film treatment during Walt Disney's lifetime.
Aladdin 1992 Aladdin from the Arabian Nights and Antoine Galland's interpretation An even more resounding commercial success than its predecessors, the film also takes cues from such adventure films as The Thief of Bagdad and Raiders of the Lost Ark .
Mulan 1998Traditional Chinese story of Hua Mulan
The Emperor's New Groove 2000A comedic play off of the story "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Andersen
Chicken Little 2005Loosely inspired on Chicken Little with a Sci-Fi twistDisney’s second adaptation of Chicken Little. Disney’s first non-Pixar film to be computer animated. Unrelated to the 1942 short.
The Princess and the Frog 2009 The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm and The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker The first traditionally animated Disney film since the revival of the medium following a regime change in early 2006. Ditching a traditional European setting for New Orleans during the 1920s, the film gained much attention over the introduction of Disney's first ever black princess, Tiana.
Tangled 2010 Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimmcomputer-animated and released in 3D. Much controversy surrounded the decision to rename the film from the more traditional Rapunzel to Tangled in an attempt not to put off male audiences. Nevertheless, the film was a big success.
Frozen 2013 The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersencomputer-animated and released in 3D. It also won the studio its first Best Animated Feature Oscar. It has since spawned a successful franchise that includes a television spin-off, a sequel, an album, two animated shorts, a musical and merchandise.

Disney feature films containing segments based on fairy tales

Name of filmYearSegment nameSource materialFurther notes
Fantasia 1940"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"Traditional German story of The Sorcerer's Apprentice , popularised in verse form by Goethe Set to Paul Dukas's tone poem of the same name, featuring Mickey Mouse in an iconic sorcerer's outfit. Reprised for Fantasia 2000 .
Make Mine Music 1946"Peter and the Wolf"Traditional Russian story of Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev Narrated by Sterling Holloway.
Fun and Fancy Free 1947"Mickey and the Beanstalk"Traditional English story of Jack and the Beanstalk , best known through the retelling by Joseph JacobsOriginally planned as a feature film, monetary issues at the studio forced the film to be retooled as a shorter segment for a package feature. Narrated by Edgar Bergen, though individual releases of the short features narration by Sterling Holloway and/or Ludwig Von Drake.
Fantasia 2000 1999"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen The story, set to Shostakovich's' "Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major", had once been considered by the studio in the late 1930s.

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