Fairy Tale and Film

particularly given their contrasting intentions, and neither should it be 
assumed that more interesting fairy tale allusions are only to be found 
in independent art-house fare. This assumption seems implicit in many 
critical discussions, in Zipes’ distinction between ‘conventional’ and 
‘experimental’ films (2011), or Greenhill and Matrix’s claim that the 
fairy tale films discussed in their collection range from ‘entertaining and 
escapist’ endeavours to ‘deeply political’ fare (2010: 8). Although they 
note that fairy tale motifs can be found in ‘Hollywood, international, 
and independent productions’ (8), there is a tendency to privilege the 
latter categories while negatively conflating Hollywood with escapism 
(in direct contrast to the criteria used for the online top 50 mentioned 
earlier, which explicitly allots points for such features!). Are we all sim-
ply looking for different things in the fairy tale film? And is academic 
derision, largely on the grounds of popularity, necessarily correct? 
A central aim in this work is to counter some questionable assumptions, 
asserting that we should not reject, out of hand, fairy tale-inspired films 
produced by a major studio, intended for mass appeal, or which are ‘feel-
good’ in tone, but should appraise each film on its own merits, challeng-
ing what is regarded as politically progressive or unorthodox. Fidelity to 
the source is beside the point – as Warner puts it, ‘shape-shifting is one of 

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14 
Fairy Tale and Film
fairy-tale’s dominant and characteristic wonders’ (1995: xvi) – and claims 
about a radical folkloric past are too patently idealised to consider here, 
yet neither are irreverent or tongue-in-cheek versions necessarily deemed 
alternative
– in the true sense of the word. Instead, the films selected for 
discussion have been chosen because they highlight the multiple generic 
features of fairy tale tropes and exemplify how certain themes remain 
recognisable in film, albeit frequently altered to reflect changing times. 
This includes rom-coms that give ‘Cinderella’ a modern makeover in 
which finding a prince is secondary among the heroine’s aspirations; 
comedies that use magical transformations to turn male protagonists 
into more appealing partners; crime dramas that revise some interesting 
moral lessons of earlier tales – combining the appeal of seeing under-
dogs triumph with salutary warnings about the potential cost of avarice; 
thrillers that rewrite the Gothic template of ‘Bluebeard’ yet significantly 
make heroines responsible for saving themselves; and horrors that affirm 
profound dangers in the family home – while supernatural interventions 
additionally seek to restore a sense of hope. Familiar tropes are thus 
discerned among some very contemporary narratives in order to make 
clear how diverse the fairy tale’s influence on film has been – aiming to 
contribute another voice to the growing critical interest in this subject. 
Beyond demonising Disney, or applauding artier twists on the fairy tale 
for their supposed ability to ‘disenchant’ us, a more considered approach 
asks that we evaluate every example in terms of what it has taken from 
older sources, what is added, and what it has to tell us about who we are 
today and what we want from life.
In seeking to explain the similarity between tales found around the 
world, folklorists have tended to promote two different explanations. 
Psychoanalytic accounts argue that tales are essentially symbolic, 
encapsulating inner drives and conflicts that are innate, unchanging 
and universal – which is why the same types of stories have been told 
through the ages. An alternative explanation is the historic-geographic 
approach, which contends that tales have travelled with us around the 
globe, migrating and mutating over time. The similarity between certain 
stories may offer a means of reassurance, suggesting that, despite our 
differences, we share mutual interests and aspirations, yet the appeal of 
forging connections (with both one another and our forebears) should 
not come at the expense of recognising interesting points of difference 
also, in terms of not only regional variations, but the impact of a chang-
ing social milieu. Recent research on ‘Red Riding Hood’ – attempting 
to plot the tale’s global transition – received considerable attention in 
the press, affirming a continued fascination in these tales, their origins 

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