Brothers Grimm vs Disney: Snow White

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This version of Snow White was published in 1938 by Whitman publishing.

Brothers Grimm's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

An illustration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from Grimm's Fairy Tales published in 1962 by Heritage Press.

This version of Snow-White, published in Grimm's Fairy Tales by P. Hamlyn in 1961, features an illustration of Snow White in a mirror.

Like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwards has become increasingly popular with children over time; however the story was not originally intended for small children. The version of Snow White that everyone has come to love was created by Walt Disney; however it originates from a fairytale written by the Brothers Grimm.

The Brothers Grimm version of Snow White is called "Little Snow-White". The Queen sends a hunter to kill Snow White and comes back with a heart for her, which is actually a boar's heart, and the Queen eats it. She discovers that Snow White is still alive and attempts to kill her three seperate times - once by lacing up Snow's corset too tight, once by a poisonous comb, and finally by a poisonous apple. After the dwarfs bury Snow White in a diamond casket, a Prince finds her and demands to have her taken to his castle so he can admire her. On their journey to the castle they accidentally hit a bush causing the apple to fly out of Snow White's throat which makes her wake up and thank the Prince for saving her life. At the Prince's and Snow's wedding the Queen is forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she eventually dies.

The differences between the Disney version and the Brothers Grimm version of Snow White help display the "Disneyfication" of stories as well as how the storylines and publishing have changed over time.