You knew I couldn’t last long without a Disney post, didn’t you? This challenge – one that I am undertaking under no time constraints because I tend to overload myself with goals that I want to accomplish and end up paralyzed by them – was inspired by a friend of mine.
The challenge is simple: to watch every movie put out by Walt Disney Animation Studios and read the literary piece it was based on.
Yes, Walt Disney Animation Studios films only. Not every Disney movie. Should your interest in the difference be piqued, you can check out the list of studios owned by the Walt Disney Company.
So, what movies/books will I be reading, exactly?
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) based on Snow White by Brothers Grimm.
- Pinocchio (1940) based on The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
- Fantasia (1940) certain segments based on “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Dumbo (1941) based on Dumbo, the Flying Elephant by Helen Aberson
- Bambi (1942) based on Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten
- Saludos Amigos (1943)
- The Three Caballeros (1945)
- Make Mine Music (1946) certain segments based on Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer and Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev
- Fun and Fancy Free (1947) certain segments based on Little Bear Bongo by Sinclair Lewis and Jack and the Beanstalk by Benjamin Tabart
- Melody Time (1948) certain segments based on the life of John Chapman (1774–1845), Little Toot by Hardie Gramatky, Trees by Alfred Joyce Kilmer, and Pecos Bill by folklore consultant Carl Carmer
- Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) based on The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
- Cinderella (1950) based on Cinderella by Charles Perrault
- Alice in Wonderland (1951) based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
- Peter Pan (1953) based on Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie
- Lady and the Tramp (1955) based on Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog by Ward Greene
- Sleeping Beauty (1959) based on Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault and Little Briar Rose by Brothers Grimm
- One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) based on The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
- The Sword in the Stone (1963) based on The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White
- The Jungle Book (1967) based on The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
- The Aristocats (1970)
- Robin Hood (1973) based on the British legend of Robin Hood
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) based on Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
- The Rescuers (1977) based on The Rescuers and Miss Bianca by Margery Sharp
- The Fox and the Hound (1981) based on The Fox and the Hound by Daniel P. Mannix
- The Black Cauldron (1985) based on The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986) based on Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
- Oliver & Company (1988) inspired by Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- The Little Mermaid (1989) based on The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
- The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991) based on Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont
- Aladdin (1992) based on Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (Arabian fairy tale) and One Thousand and One Nights translated by Antoine Galland
- The Lion King (1994) based on Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- Pocahontas (1995) based on life and legend of Pocahontas (1595–1617)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) based on Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo
- Hercules (1997) based on the Greek myth of Hercules
- Mulan (1998) based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan
- Tarzan (1999) based on Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Fantasia 2000 (1999) certain segments based on The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen
- Dinosaur (2000)
- The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- Lilo & Stitch (2002)
- Treasure Planet (2002) based on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Brother Bear (2003)
- Home on the Range (2004)
- Chicken Little (2005) based on the folktale Henny Penny
- Meet the Robinsons (2007) based on A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce
- Bolt (2008)
- The Princess and the Frog (2009) based on The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker; The Frog Prince by Brothers Grimm
- Tangled (2010) based on Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm
- Winnie the Pooh (2011) based on Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
- Wreck-It Ralph (2012) based on
- Frozen (2013) based on The Snow Queen Hans Christian Andersen
- Big Hero 6 (2014) based on the characters of Big Hero 6 by Man of Action
- Zootopia (2016)
- Moana (2016) based on the Polynesian myth of Maui
*Edit 2/27/2018 – the addition of Brothers Grimm fairytale to #49
I love everything Disney! The stories make me so happy. Good luck with this new undertaking!
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Hi! I’m undertaking a similar task to you, only mine is to watch every single Disney film ever made. How are you finding it so far?
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That’s ambitious! Although, to be honest, I don’t envy your having to slog through some of the atrocious Disney sequels (Cinderella 2, Mulan 2, etc.), although you will get to watch gems like “A Goofy Movie.” Are you including live-action Disney in there as well (Miracle, Pirates of the Caribbean)? Disney Channel Original Movies? What about the cartoon shorts or Silly Symphonies? Sorry, I’m super curious about your endeavor…that seems like a bucket list thing!
I’m really enjoying my little project so far. It’s interesting to read the source material and then see how Disney interpreted it. Surprisingly, Disney adds a lot more kissing to their movies (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and the The Frog Prince were never kissed in the source material). There will be an update coming soon regarding this project! Thanks for reading!
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Oh god tell me about it, Cinderella 2 is so so bad haha but yeah I will be watching everything, live action too. I think my intention to do it in a year though may have been slightly over ambitious.
I really enjoyed your blog so keep it coming!
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