Disney-comics digest #859.

[MASSENGALE MELANIE O]

On Mon, 27 Nov 1995 disney-comics at Minsk.DoCS.UU.SE wrote:

> ======================================================================
> Date:          Sun, 26 Nov 1995 14:39:35 
> From: Daniel van Eijmeren <daniel at maisie.ow.nl>
> Subject:       Re: Pinocchio     
> 
> JAKOB:

(snips re: Pinocchio)

> Disney-versions of already existing stories are often slightly 
> different. They make they're own interpretation out of it. (Which 
> is mostly the case with movies adapted from stories). So, you've seen 
> the complete movie but not the complete original story.
> 
> Did you ever compare the Disney-version of "Alice in Wonderland" with 
> the original stories "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice through the 
> Looking-glass" by Lewis Caroll? There were a lot of complaints by 
> people that the Disney-version didn't reach the much higher level of the 
> original story with all it's wordplays (although it contained some 
> very beautiful pictures).

Disney's "Alice" is certainly one of his weaker movies, though it has a
few good moments.  I'd like to add that "Ichabod and Mr. Toad" are even
weaker.  Disney could have done so much more with Kenneth Grahame's
classic _The Wind in the Willows_ and he made this lame cartoon instead. 
I have yet to see an interpretation of WitW that I really like.  Of
course, Disney also had the rights to Tolkien's _Lord of the Rings_, but
sold them to Ralph Bakshi (FRITZ THE CAT, WIZARDS) who botched that story. 

> Now people are complaining that "Pocahontas" doesn't follow the 
> original story very closely. For example, Pocahontas was only 12 years 
> old according to the story. Well, you can see clearly she isn't that 
> young in the movie. ;-)

Also, Pocahontas later went to England with husband John Rolfe, where she
contracted smallpox and died at a young age.  Not the stuff of Disney
flicks, either.

> The only solution with movie-versions seems to be appreciating a movie 
> how much it enjoyed you, *not* how accurate it was to the book.

Disney _should_ include disclaimers that their "historical" movies are
highly fictionalized, IMHO.

Regards,

Melanie