Combining Fairy Tales: Top 10 Universes, Crossovers and Mash-Ups

We are all familiar with a wide range of fairy tales, and their numerous retellings. However, sticking to just one of these stories can be a bit limiting in a world where people are always looking for something new. One quick way of providing the unique product which audiences want is by making a story combining two or more familiar tales in a new way, and many talented authors do this in order to make their contributions to the fairy tale genre stand out. The resulting stories can be referred to as 'combination tales', and there are more than enough examples of 'combination tales' for them to be considered as a full subgenre. There are three ways of combining numerous fairy tales and fairy tale characters into a single story: Universes, Crossovers and Mash-ups.

Universes – The simplest way of combining fairy tales is by placing all the characters we know in a single world. This environment is generally modern in nature, designed to contrast with the rural traditions of fairy tales. The main source of appeal in these universes comes from seeing familiar characters react to the pressures of an unfamiliar world.

Crossovers – Similar to Universes, but with a few differences. These tend to focus on combining a select number of stories instead of depicting an entire world, and they are set in a more conventional fairy tale environment in which woods and witches lurk around every corner.

Mash-Ups - In the world of music, Mash-Ups feature the lyrics of one song being laid over the music of another. The 'combination tales' listed here do something similar, often putting well-known characters from one tale into another story.

There are numerous examples of stories in all three categories. As in any subgenre, 'combination tales' range from brilliant to terrible. However, this article will showcase only the ten best of these. These prove that different fairy tales can be combined into a single story which is unique, creative and fascinating in its own right. This list includes comic books, novels, plays, films, TV series and even a couple of fanfics, but the diverse range of works highlighted represent the very best examples of this subgenre.

Universes

• ·         Fables

(Plot: Thousands of years ago, characters from our favourite children’s stories were forced to flee their homelands when a creature called The Adversary invaded them. They now live in modern-day New York, forming a community called Fabletown. One of the most important citizens there is Snow White, the assistant of Fabletown’s mayor King Cole. In addition to protecting her fellow “fables” and hiding them from the “mundys” (ordinary humans), she has an eventful personal life, including a romance with Bigby Wolf - a sheriff keeping his lupine and homicidal instincts in check - and a strained relationship with her troublemaking sister Rose Red.)

Vertigo Comics have been behind comic books such as Preacher and The Sandman (the latter created by the legendary Neil Gaiman), and the stylish and edgy approach of these cult favourites is applied to the world of children’s stories in Fables. Created by Bill Willingham with the aid of various illustrators, the first issue of Fables was published in 2002, with new issues being published monthly until the series concluded on issue #150 in 2015. Fables started with a relatively mundane murder mystery story which introduced us to our main characters and their world, then gradually expanded in scope until the final issues, which depict Snow White and Rose Red preparing for the battle which will lead to the destruction of Fabletown. In between, our protagonists face numerous conflicts and adventures, and a wide variety of characters get smaller, self-contained stories.

Like other Vertigo Comics properties, Fables is something of an acquired taste, with plenty of gore, sex and swearing. However, there is enough charm and creativity to prevent things from becoming too unpleasant, and plenty of great characters for us to care about. Snow White is a fascinating protagonist, who is tough and intelligent, but she struggles to deal with the traumatic events which have defined her past, and repair her relationship with Rose Red. Meanwhile, Bigby is a moody antihero whose love for Snow White and desire to protect Fabletown make up for his numerous objectionable traits. Apart from the protagonists, the most memorable supporting characters include a womanising Prince Charming who has slept with every "Fable" princess he has ever met, and the likeable Frog Prince, Flycatcher, AKA Prince Ambrose. Due to its large and memorable cast and distinctive tone, Fables has become one of the most successful series created by Vertigo Comics, spawning numerous spin-off comics, graphic novels and even a video game during its long run.

• ·       Once Upon A Time

(Plot: On the night of her 28^th birthday, cynical bounty hunter/ bail bondswoman Emma Swan is visited by a child called Henry, who reveals that he’s the son she gave up for adoption a decade ago. Emma takes Henry back to his hometown of Storybrooke, but Henry tells her that the inhabitants of Storybrooke are actually fairy tale characters, transported there after the Evil Queen placed a curse upon Snow White. Although Henry and his mysterious adoptive mother Regina are initially the only two people aware of this, the rest of the residents, including mysterious pawnbroker Mr Gold and warm-hearted teacher Mary, soon begin to recall their pasts in the fairy tale world. Across subsequent series, the inhabitants of Storybrooke get involved in various adventures involving new dark forces and several curses and mysteries…)

Given that they have created some of the most iconic fairy tale films of all time, it is no surprise that Disney have been behind several works in which characters from multiple fairy tales interact in a single world. Their TV movie Descendants featured the children of famous Disney heroes and villains attending school together, but their most successful attempt at combining the fairy tale characters we love into a single universe is Once Upon a Time, which has aired for six seasons on the Disney-owned channel ABC, with the first of these airing in 2011. The series was created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, who previously helped write the hit TV series Lost. Like Lost, Once Upon A Time features elaborate storylines and character arcs which can be confusing to the uninitiated, but it has developed a large and passionate fanbase who are drawn to the universe it depicts and its messages about the value of love, family and happy endings.

The most notable aspect of Once Upon a Time is the large cast of memorable characters, who often prove far more complex to be than the archetypal fairytale characters they are based on. The most prominent of these are Emma, a tough everywoman whose experiences in Storybrooke inspire her to fight for the inhabitants of the town, and Regina, who starts out as a conventional vampish villain, but soon evolves into a more sympathetic figure. The residents of Storybrooke have also met a wide variety of characters from famous stories ranging from Frozen to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Across its run, Once Upon a Time has been nominated for a total of 91 awards, winning 9 of these, including Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi at the 2016 Teen Choice Awards. A seventh series will start airing in the autumn, but this will be a “soft reboot”, centred on the now grown-up Henry. It will retain some of the core characters, such as Regina and Hook, but others such as Emma and Snow White are no longer part of the main cast.

• ·       Shrek

(Plot: Shrek is a giant green ogre who prefers to live as far away from others as possible. However, his swamp gets invaded by fairy tale characters (including the fast-talking Donkey) evicted from their kingdom by the tyrannical Lord Farquaad. In a bid to get his swamp back, Shrek makes a deal with Farquaad – he and Donkey will rescue Princess Fiona, a sassy princess imprisoned in a tower due to a mysterious curse, and bring her to Farquaad to be his bride. Shrek manages to complete the first part of his task and free Fiona, but things get complicated when they begin to develop feelings for each other...)

None of the projects on this list has had as much impact as Shrek, which revolutionised the animated genre in 2001. At the time, Disney’s films had become too formulaic and had lost a lot of their signature charm, so when rival animation studio Dreamworks (owned by former Disney head Jeffrey Katzenberg) released Shrek, its irreverent humour meant it represented a breath of fresh air. Shrek was adapted from a 1990 picture book written and illustrated by William Steig, but screenwriters expanded the 32-page story to feature-length by creating a more elaborate plot, with fairy tale characters such as Pinocchio, The Big Bad Wolf, and The Gingerbread Man playing a key role. The inclusion of these familiar figures enhanced the movie’s parody of established fairy tale conventions, and there were numerous jokes at the expense of Disney. However, for all the crude and subversive aspects of Shrek, the CGI animation was incredibly advanced for the time, and the film had an excellent message about the importance of inner beauty.

Due to its ability at combining edgy humour with an appealing, family-friendly story, Shrek proved a major hit, winning the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Film. In 2004, it was followed by Shrek 2, which added a Zorro-inspired take on Puss in Boots and a villainous Fairy Godmother to the universe, and introduced viewers to Far Far Away Land, a fairytale kingdom with more than a passing resemblance to modern-day Hollywood. It proved to be every bit as popular as the original, making over $919 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing animated film to date. The two subsequent sequels (released in 2007 and 2010) failed to match up to the high standard set by these two movies, but Shrek remains popular today, and Dreamworks have been spending the last few years developing a revival of the franchise.

• ·         The Lunar Chronicles

(Plot: Cinder is a cyborg* in the polluted, plague-ravaged futuristic city of New Beijing. Scarlett is an impulsive teenager from France whose grandmother has just gone missing. Cress is a computer expert who has been imprisoned on a satellite since childhood. Winter is a rebellious princess whose facial scars do not conceal her inner beauty. These heroines will have to team up to take on the tyrannical Queen Levana of the planet Luna, who plans to take over the earth.)

(*for those too addicted to fairy tales to understand technical terminology, this means she’s half-human, half-robot)

Most of the fairy-tale “universe” stories mentioned here feature fairytale characters in the modern world or (in the case of Shrek) a fairy tale world that has more in common with the present than the past. However, The Lunar Chronicles goes even further, setting its retellings of fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel in the far future. The Lunar Chronicles franchise consists of five novels (as well as several shorter stories and a couple of graphic novels) written by Marissa Meyer. The first three novels in The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet and Cress) introduce us to our misfit protagonists, the fourth (Fairest) is told from the perspective of the villainous Queen Levana, and the series climaxes with an epic finale, the 827-page Winter.

A former fanfiction writer, Meyer understands her teenage audience very well. Although The Lunar Chronicles uses the same basic ‘teens vs. tyrants’ storyline of major YA (Young Adult) literary franchises such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, it also has the epic storytelling and memorable characters needed to stand out in a crowded genre. Cinder, Scarlet and Cress are relatable protagonists, with enough quirks and flaws to feel realistic and well-developed. The combination of fairy tale characters and sci-fi tropes is also effective. Whilst the two genres seem totally different, they both rely on building atmosphere and appealing to our fascination with the unknown. This means that, in spite of the frequent use of technical terminology and the complex relationships at the centre of her work, Meyer manages to maintain the of the underlying mystique and charm of the classic stories which inspired her. Overall, The Lunar Chronicles is an entertaining series which highlights the enduring appeal of the fairy tale protagonists who feature in it.

Crossovers

• ·         A Tale Dark and Grimm

(Plot: Hansel and Gretel are reimagined as the children of a monarch, who cuts off their heads in order to bring his faithful servant back to life. Hansel and Gretel quickly get resurrected, but their experience (understandably) causes them to run away and look for parents who won’t kill them. However, in the world of fairy tales, such perfect parents turn out to be incredibly hard to find, and Hansel and Gretel end up battling witches, dragons, curses and even the devil himself…)

It is difficult to dislike a story which begins with the line “Once upon a time, fairy tales were AWESOME!”, and this novel by Adam Gidwitz succeeds in demonstrating that fairy tales are not as sweet and innocent as many moral guardians want us to believe. A Tale Dark and Grimm has often been compared to Lemony Snicket’s much-loved A Series of Unfortunate Events, as it revels in the notion that it may be too dark and gory for sensitive readers, featuring numerous warnings advising the faint of heart to stop reading. Much is made of the fact that A Tale Dark and Grimm preserves the bloody content of the classic Brothers Grimm stories, but it also maintains the simplistic, earthy and unpretentious tone which makes them so appealing.

A Tale Dark and Grimm weaves together several Brothers Grimm stories in which children are treated in ways which would make modern audiences uncomfortable. Almost everyone knows about Hansel and Gretel, but only fans of the Brothers Grimm are familiar with tales like Faithful Johannes, The Seven Ravens and Brother and Sister. The common theme of “children in peril” which unites these stories allows them to be combined into a single engaging and effective narrative, as our two protagonists end up stuck in a variety of dangerous situations and realise that they have to grow up quickly in order to survive. The darkness of the fairy tales used is balanced out by the comedic narration and a narrative with the excellent message that children are more intelligent and self-sufficient than adults give them credit for. Unsurprisingly, A Tale Dark and Grimm has been a huge hit with older children since it was first published in 2010, and it even managed to appear on the New York Times’ prestigious Bestsellers list. Adam Gidwitz has since written two follow-up stories (In A Glass Grimmly and A Grimm Conclusion) which have stuck with the winning formula, featuring various child protagonists navigating their way through fairytales both familiar and obscure.

• ·         Into the Woods

(Plot: A baker and his wife learn that their inability to have a child is the result of a curse placed on them by a witch. In order to break this curse, the duo have to bring her a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Their quest leads them to Little Red Riding Hood, (who encounters a wolf on her journey to find her grandmother) Jack (who wishes to regain the cow he sold for five magic beans), Rapunzel (seeking to leave her tower and explore the outside world) and Cinderella (who wishes to attend the King's Festival and escape her cruel stepmother and stepsisters). Initially, all these characters are able to obtain the happy endings they seek. However, their impulsive actions eventually lead to disaster, as the Baker’s marriage starts to fall apart, Rapunzel proves unable to cope with the outside world, and a rampaging giant seeks revenge on Jack…)

Stephen Sondheim is one of the most iconic songwriters in the musical theatre genre, renowned for his clever lyrics, intricate melodies, and his ability at creating compelling musicals about dark and unconventional subjects. Sondheim’s talents are in full display in Into the Woods, which premiered on Broadway in 1987. James Lapine, (who previously collaborated with Sondheim on Sunday in the Park With George) wrote the script, but Sondheim is the person most responsible for making Into the Woods such an iconic musical. The 14-minute prologue to Into the Woods, which introduces us to the characters and their wishes and kick-starts the plot, highlights just how talented Sondheim is, as he creates a distinctively mysterious world and memorable characters using complex musical techniques, amusing wordplay and even a bit of rapping. Other notable songs from Into the Woods include “Hello Little Girl” (The Big Bad Wolf’s enjoyably creepy attempt to seduce Little Red Riding Hood), the moving “No-One Is Alone” and the closing number “Children Will Listen”. This impressive music is used to soundtrack a creative and intelligent deconstruction of the fairy tale genre.

The most notable feature of Into the Woods is its inspired use of the Two-Act structure which defines modern theatre. The First Act blends faithful retellings of four classic fairy tales, which preserve their darker and gorier aspects (Cinderella’s story is based on the Brothers Grimm version, rather than the softer and simpler Charles Perrault version which inspires most adaptations), with the adventures of the baker and his wife, two ordinary people who end up having a significant influence on the familiar characters. The First Act ends happily, with the dreams of the protagonists coming true, but in the Second act, these dreams turn into nightmares. Today, in an era when fairy tales are expected to be dark and edgy, many of the twists which shocked those expecting more a conventional fairy tale narrative (protagonists get killed by the giant, Cinderella and Rapunzel’s Prince Charming’s both turn out to be shallow philanderers) no longer feel so subversive. That said, Into the Woods will always remain a great musical, due to the brilliant songs, the fascinating characters and, most importantly of all, the timeless and valuable messages about the impact of fairy tales on our children and the consequences of pursuing your dream without considering the long-term effects this could have. There have been several major productions of Into the Woods over the last 30 years, and in 2014, it was even adapted into a film featuring an all-star cast which included Meryl Streep, James Corden, Johnny Depp and Chris Pine.

• ·         Kissing the Witch

(Plot: This collection features thirteen stories, which put unique twists on European fairy tales ranging from Cinderella and Donkeyskin to The Snow Queen and The Little Mermaid. These include a story about Cinderella realising that she cares more about her fairy godmother than any prince, and one which explains why the Evil Queen wanted to kill Snow White. However, these tales are connected far more closely than they initially appear to be…)

Emma Donoghue is best known for her 2010 novel Room, which was recently-adapted into an Oscar-winning film, but she has also provided a number of short story collections, of which Kissing the Witch is the most notable. Kissing the Witch sounds like yet another collection of revisionist takes on fairy tales, but whereas most works in this crowded genre consist of an anthology of standalone stories, Donoghue combines her tale into a single chain of interlinked narratives. Each story ends with the protagonist asking a question about another central character, and that character then tells them their own tale. Donoghue described this device as “a simple ploy” to make the stories “more marketable”, but it allows Kissing the Witch to stand out (it also allows the anthology to qualify for this list). This structure also pays tribute to the role of women’s folklore in shaping the fairy tale genre.

Kissing the Witch starts with its unusual spin on Cinderella, with establishes some of the major themes of the collection. In addition to showing Cinderella rejecting her Prince in favour of the beautiful Fairy Godmother, it focuses on her doubts and insecurities, with her earlier servitude forced upon her by negative voices in her head rather than a wicked stepmother. After this, we learn about how the fairy godmother had to deal with her own inner demons, and a sense of inadequacy which made her feel as small as Thumbelina. The chain of fairy tales continues from here, going from Rapunzel to The Snow Queen to Hansel and Gretel, before finishing with an original story about a witch who, in spite of her reputation has no magical powers”. The transitions are usually highly effective, giving increased depth to the characters and the world which they inhabit, and the ease with which a secondary character from one story becomes the protagonist in the next proves that the wide range of women in fairy tales have more in common than most casual readers would think. Kissing the Witch uses its unconventional structure to update fairy tales for more feminist times whilst also highlighting their origins as oral narratives and old-wives tales.

Mash-Ups

• ·         Dark as Snow

(Combines Frozen and The Bloody Chamber)

(Read Dark as Snow here. It can also be read on ArchiveOfOurOwn and Tumblr)

(Plot: Desperate to escape from her lonely life with her troubled, reclusive sister Elsa, Anna Arendelle gets impulsively married to seemingly perfect widower Hans Westergard. However, life with Hans in his lavish estate isn’t the fairy tale ideal she expected, and Anna soon finds herself becoming increasingly close to his stable hand, Kristoff. But Hans is keeping a dark secret, hidden inside a mysterious locked room, and it could endanger everything Anna holds dear…)

In theory, the idea of combining Frozen, Disney’s most successful movie, with The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter’s adults-only take on Bluebeard, sounds ludicrous. However, this fanfic, from the author Anysia, blends the two into one atmospheric and enthralling story. Essentially, Dark as Snow is a straightforward retelling of The Bloody Chamber with characters from Frozen in the lead roles. Anna becomes the protagonist, whilst the villainous Hans takes on the role of The Bloody Chamber’s sinister Marquis. Kristoff and Elsa are also central characters, with Anna’s relationship with Kristoff providing some much-needed sweetness to contrast with the dark and grim tone of the rest of the tale. Dark as Snow includes many of the most memorable elements from Carter’s story (the red ruby necklace, the bed surrounded by mirrors, the book full of sexually sadistic pornography), whilst also sneaking in a number of references to Frozen. If you are familiar with The Bloody Chamber, the allusions to that story are a real treat, but even if you aren’t, this is still a great work on its own terms.

The writing is excellent, with vivid and evocative descriptions that really add to the atmosphere and thus increase tension. Anysia is also great at getting inside Anna’s head, and really makes us care about her and hope that she gets a happy ending. Dark as Snow is definitely not suitable for children, and it is often genuinely scary. Hans is upgraded from the scheming nuisance of Frozen into a truly terrifying monster, and this fanfic contains a number of disturbing scenes where he inflicts acts of physical and sexual violence upon Anna. However, adult readers who can endure moments like these should definitely check this story out. With its memorable, well-developed characters, powerful descriptions and an excellent feminist message, Dark as Snow is proof that a fanfic can be every bit as impressive as a more professional work of fiction.

• ·        The Coachman Rat

(Combines Cinderella and The Pied Piper of Hamelin)

(Read The Coachman Rat here)

(Plot: A rat seeking to explore the human world is accidentally transformed into a human coachman as part of a spell from a fairy godmother which turns scullery maid Amadea into a beautiful princess so that she can attend the Royal Ball. After Amadea’s eventful night at the ball, Robert turns back into a rat, but maintains his ability to speak. However, his gifts soon attract the attention of unscrupulous revolutionary Devlin, who exploits Robert’s power of speech in order to carry out a bloody coup. After Amadea is killed, the fairy turns Robert back into a human, enabling him to plot revenge on Devlin and his supporters.)

Even when competing against stories like Into The Woods and Dark As Snow, The Coachman Rat is the darkest 'combination tale' mentioned in this article by some distance. Written in 1989 by English author David Henry Wilson, it takes one of the most iconic stories of wish-fulfilment in fiction and ruthlessly shatters the upbeat ideals which it represents. The idea of telling the story of Cinderella from the perspective of an animal sidekick seems rather whimsical, but this incarnation of the tale takes place in a world of plague, superstition and witch-burnings. Initially, Robert’s quest to become human permanently has some amusing aspects, but then Amadea and her prince get gruesomely executed. Once Robert is made human again, The Coachman Rat reveals itself as a variation on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, as he gains the ability to summon and control an army of rats using a recorder. Robert uses this power to strike back against the kingdom which wronged him, but soon finds himself alienated from both humankind and his fellow rats.

It goes without saying that Robert is the most important character here, as his initial fascination at the power and influence of humans is replaced by disgust and hatred when he realises what they are truly capable of. Robert’s first-person narration conveys his loss of innocence effectively, as he recalls a variety of awful events with the cold, matter-of-fact detachment of a protagonist whose quest to learn and discover has ended in total tragedy. If you like your fairy tales to be escapist and optimistic, then The Coachman Rat is definitely not for you. However, its bold approach and hard-hitting messages allow it to stand out, providing a harsh reminder that the innocence embodied by fairy tales cannot survive the cruelty and violence of the real world.

• ·        The Tangled Princess Bride

(Combines Tangled and The Princess Bride)

(Read The Tangled Princess Bride here)

(Plot: With their parents both away on royal business, the task of looking after Zachary and Rose falls to their grandfather, the King of Corona. Deciding to read them a bedtime story, the King chooses a tale called The Princess Bride from an anthology series called the Nineteen 80’s. This story is about the relationship between Rapunzel, a girl with magical hair, and the stable hand Eugene Fitzherbert, who get involved in an incredible adventure involving fencing, revenge, chases, escapes, true love, miracles and all sorts of exciting stuff. Soon, Zachary and Rose begin to notice parallels between the protagonists of The Princess Bride and their parents…)

Based on the novel by screenwriter William Goldman, The Princess Bride is one of the best-loved fairy-tale films of all time, with its wonderfully quotable dialogue (including iconic lines such as “As you wish” and “Inconceivable!”), memorable characters and playful sense of humour. Its blend of comedy, fantasy and adventure has inspired numerous fairy-tale films, such as Disney’s 2010 hit Tangled. This story highlights how much Tangled was influenced by The Princess Bride by inserting Rapunzel, Eugene and all their friends and enemies into Goldman’s story, leading to a gloriously chaotic and enjoyable adventure.

Rapunzel and Eugene fit perfectly into the shoes of Buttercup and Westley, and their eternal love for each other gives the story heart to accompany the comedy. Like the two films which inspired it, The Tangled Princess Bride takes great pleasure in celebrating the familiar fantasy tropes whilst pointing out how ridiculous they can be, leading to plenty of silliness and tonnes of anachronistic humour. Highlights include an unusual wedding ceremony presided over by a highly inebriated priest, a wonderfully over-the-top climactic battle involving dozens of famous Disney characters, and an interlude where the King of Corona gets the wrong page and accidentally reads the children an extract from a story called Tangled Die Hard…

Frozen on Broadway – 10 Important Questions

Since it was released at the end of 2013, Frozen has become one of Disney’s most iconic and popular films. Though the memorable supporting characters and creative twists on the traditional Disney formula played a key role in this, the main reason for Frozen’s popularity was the relationship between the two protagonists: Princess Anna and her troubled older sister Queen Elsa, who has the ability to control ice and snow. Millions of fans want to see more of Anna, Elsa and their friends and enemies, so it is no surprise that Frozen is about to be adapted into the stage musical Frozen: The Musical, making it the seventh animated musical from Disney to be turned into a play. The full cast and crew have been unveiled over the past couple of months and rehearsals have just begun. The list of those working behind the scenes features three of the people most responsible for bringing the original film to life. Jennifer Lee, who wrote the script for the original film, will write the book for this version.  Kristen-Anderson Lopez and her husband Robert will also return to write additional songs. The other major members of the creative team will include director Michael Grandage and choreographer Rob Ashford.

The cast is as follows:

• ·         Anna and Elsa will be played by Patti Murrin and Caissie Levy. There will also be alternates for both characters (Aisha Jackson and Alyssa Fox), and child actresses to play them when they’re children during the prologue (Audrey Bennett and Mattea Conforti will play Young Anna, whilst Brooklyn Nelson and Alya Schwartz will play Young Elsa).

• ·         The male lead, Kristoff, will be played by Jelani Alladin, and his loyal reindeer Sven will be played by Andrew Pirozzi. Greg Hildreth will play snowman sidekick Olaf.

• ·         The two villains, Hans and the Duke of Weselton, will be played by John Riddle and Robert Creighton respectively.

Frozen: The Musical will premiere at in Denver on August 17^th, and it will be performed at the Buell Theatre (the largest theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts) until October 1^st. After a few (hopefully minor) changes, it will finally arrive at the St. James’ Theatre on Broadway during March 2018 (the exact date has yet to be confirmed). If it proves to be a success, expect versions of it to premiere all over the world in the next few years. Time will tell whether it becomes a long-runner like the stage versions of The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, or leaves Broadway as quickly as the stage versions of Tarzan and The Little Mermaid.

In order for Frozen: The Musical to be a hit, it has to build on the best features of the film whilst rectifying its flaws, and follow the template set by that movie whilst doing enough to stand out on its own terms. The project faces numerous issues, with some stemming from the film, and others being related to the challenges posed by translating an animated film to the medium of theatre. Here are ten important questions which need to be asked about Frozen: The Musical. If the stage version answers these effectively, it could become almost as significant and enduring as the original film…

(Note: This post contains spoilers, as it is assumed that most of us are familiar with the story of Frozen by now. If you aren't, be careful...)

How Will Anna and Elsa’s Relationship be Developed?

The most popular aspect of Frozen is the relationship between Anna and Elsa. Viewers who love these two characters want to learn more about their relationship. They want to see more of Anna and Elsa’s time together before their parents decided Elsa’s powers were going out of control. They want to learn about the 13 years they spent isolated from one another, and how it affects them in the present. However, it’s possible that they want too much of a good thing. In the film, Jennifer Lee made the deliberate decision to keep Anna and Elsa apart for as long as possible, because making them too close would make the big reveal at the end (that sisterly love will save Anna and allow Elsa to control her powers) feel too predictable. A lot of the issues faced with providing a new version of Frozen revolve around the difficulties of retelling a story which stood out due to the numerous surprises it offered. This makes it necessary for Frozen: The Musical to provide a balance between pleasing the fans and retaining the sense of freshness which made Frozen stand out in the first place. Thus, the bond between Anna and Elsa needs to be emphasised enough to cement its status as the heart of the story, but overexposure could cause their reconciliation to lose the power which it possessed in the film.

Another issue is the fact that Elsa is absent for long stretches of the second act, as the story focuses on Anna and Kristoff. This is due to the fact that Elsa doesn’t have an active goal when living in seclusion in her ice palace – she just wants to stay away from everyone else. However, Elsa is too popular and significant to be left out of Frozen: The Musical for too long. This means that she will probably gain a number of extra scenes, which could be used to discuss her insecurities and her motivations. Elsa undergoes the most significant transformation out of any of the characters in Frozen, as she goes from being an isolated outcast to being a woman able to put her incredible powers to good use. In order to allow these changes to fully register, we need more information on how she feels about others, especially Anna. Giving her an extra musical number or two, possibly in the ice palace, would develop Elsa’s character arc and allow her to become even more interesting.

Will there be any New Twists on the Story?

Frozen is currently the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and has become a part of mainstream culture in a way which no Disney film has since The Lion King. Therefore, most of the people who see the play will be familiar with the story. They know that Anna and Elsa will be reunited, they know that Anna and Kristoff will become a couple, they know that Hans is not to be trusted. However, as beloved as the movie is, providing the exact same story in a different medium will not be sufficient. In order to justify the time and money which people will spend on seeing Frozen: The Musical, it has to provide a few new selling points. Like most stage musicals, Frozen: The Musical is expected to last about two and a half hours. It’s hard to tell whether this includes the interval or not, but it still will be at least half an hour longer than the film. The extra length will need to be filled with more songs and more scenes of character development. The need to replace the three-act structure of the film with a two-act structure means that the scenes which occur around the halfway point assume a greater level of importance in this version. The changes to the story will probably be relatively minor, but some aspects of Frozen will probably be emphasised over others, as certain characters and themes receive more development…

In addition to providing something new, the stage version will have to use a great deal of its extra length to sort out some of the questions left unanswered by the original film. In a 100-minute animated film focused on appealing to the heart rather than the head, there are several instances where important details are left unexplained. However, in a longer production where the story and characters have to be more developed, the plot holes created by this “fairy tale logic” become more conspicuous and need to be addressed. There is a risk that (like the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast) Frozen: The Musical will spend too much time on questions which don’t need to be answered, thus undermining the magic and mystery of the source material. In order to prevent this from happening, Jennifer Lee needs to be careful when expanding the material, and focus on answering the questions that increase our understanding of the characters and their motivations. Lee doesn’t have to explain where Elsa’s ice powers come from, but she should try and explain some of the inconsistencies related to her actions…

How Will the Film be Translated From the Screen to the Stage?

In the world of film, directors and cinematographers are able to use the camera to tell the story and fully convey the expressions and gestures of the actors. However, you are unable to do this in theatre, which is a problem when trying to depict smaller, more dramatic scenes. Several important scenes from Frozen, such as the argument which causes Elsa to lose control of her powers and the scene where Hans betrays Anna, are dialogue-based and occur in confined settings. In theory, these moments should be perfect for stage, but they rely on close-ups for a lot of their power, and the characters have the big expressive eyes you can only find in animation. It is impossible for the majority of audience members to read the eyes of an actor standing in the middle of a stage, so Frozen: The Musical has to find new ways of capturing the emotions of these shocking moments. The music, acting and direction will be absolutely pivotal, as they need to capture the heightened emotions of these scenes, whilst also maintaining enough subtlety to stop it from being too melodramatic.

The other issue with bringing Frozen to stage is the need to fit the vast world of the film onto a single stage. This is going to be especially difficult during the quest-based second act, as Anna and Kristoff team up to find Elsa. As the two cross the snowy expanses, they encounter wolves and plenty of pretty scenery. All Disney films feature spectacular locations, but the quest narrative in Frozen means that there are more of these, and they play a larger role in the story. If the scenery is not impressive enough, it could undermine the epic feel of Frozen: The Musical and make Anna and Kristoff’s journey feel less authentic. In addition, numerous scenery changes occur during songs such as “For the First Time in Forever”, giving them a level of energy which is hard to capture on stage. Although the songs should dominate these sequences, poor staging could undermine the goal of providing a memorable and immersive experience.

Will the Extra Songs Meet the Standards Set by the Old Ones?

It goes without saying that the eight full songs from the movie (such as “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”, “For the First Time in Forever” and the inescapable “Let it Go”) will appear in this version. However, these will only represent the tip of the iceberg in the stage version as the Lopez’s have promised to provide a total of 23 songs. It’s likely that many of these will be reprises of existing songs, but a substantial amount will be entirely new. Unlike most of Disney’s other stage musicals, such as Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, songs which were written for the film but cut during production (Such as “Life’s Too Short”, “More Than Just a Spare” and "You’re You”) will not be used in the stage version, as the radical changes which occurred during the movie’s development mean that they can no longer be integrated into the story. The 15 new songs have to fit in with the style and tone of the originals, but also need to be unique and interesting enough to stand out on their own terms.

The decision to increase the amount of songs could solve one of the biggest problems with the movie. In Frozen, the songs are disproportionately loaded into the early section of the movie. Four of the movie’s eight full songs are sung during the first act, and Elsa sings “Let It Go” at the start of the second. However, once Anna meets Kristoff, the songs dry up. This is because the film is too focused on telling the story, and dialogue and action sequences were seen as more effective means of doing this. However, in stage musicals, audiences expect a song for most of the major scenes and twists. As a result, Frozen: The Musical will need to spread the songs out, and divide them far more evenly between the two halves of the story. The songs at the start of Frozen are so popular because they advance the narrative and provide insights into our characters, and hopefully the stage version will maintain this winning approach throughout the story…

How Will the Non-Human Characters Get Brought to Life?

Given that Disney’s most successful and beloved stage musical is their adaptation of The Lion King, depicting the two non-human characters central to Frozen should not be a challenge for Disney, but it still requires plenty of work. The most iconic of these non-human characters is the loveable snowman Olaf, who is the primary source of comic relief. As popular as he is, Olaf will have to be changed a bit for Frozen: The Musical. During the movie, a lot of humour is generated from Olaf’s status as a snowman invulnerable to everything except heat. However, jokes about his head getting knocked off and his ability to withstand impalement only really work in the world of animation, as it is hard to capture their cartoonish nature on stage. Instead of using Olaf for slapstick, Frozen: The Musical will have to emphasise his optimism and naivety in order to make the audience laugh. However, the need to focus on characterisation means that Olaf’s role as the symbol of Anna and Elsa’s lost bond should also be highlighted a bit more. This would allow him to become a truly pivotal part of the story, and justify his role for those who prefer the more serious aspects of Frozen.

The other major non-human character in Frozen is Sven, an expressive reindeer who has been Kristoff’s best friend since childhood. In this stage version, Sven will be played by an actor dressed as a reindeer. This is probably a sensible decision, as it is impossible to use real animals on stage, and lifelike puppets similar to the ones used in War Horse would not suit Frozen’s more comedic tone. However, this raises a number of questions. Will Kristoff be able to ride him? How will he pull a sled? Will he be able to talk for real, or will Kristoff continue to hold one-person conversations with him as if he were a ventriloquist’s dummy? Sven is one of the central characters in the movie and all animated projects set in the Frozen universe, but if his shtick fails to translate to the medium of theatre, the carrot-loving reindeer could lose a lot of his appeal.

How Will Hans Be Portrayed?

A seemingly perfect prince secretly plotting to steal Elsa’s throne, Hans is one of the hardest Disney villains to portray properly, and this isn’t just because of his constantly shifting personality. The idea of a fake “Prince Charming” using his image to advance his own selfish interests is brilliant (The original Disney Princes were always too perfect), but Hans feels more like a plot device than a fully-formed character. The decision to hide his true nature until the start of the third act ensures that less time is spent exploring the threat he poses, and his main motive for his misdeeds (being bullied by his older brothers) is not integrated into the story smoothly enough. In short, Hans is a villain who could really benefit from a few major changes.

Almost everyone who goes to see Frozen on Broadway will have already seen the film, so they will be fully aware that Hans is up to no good. However, the late reveal of his true nature is too iconic and memorable for him to be exposed as a villain too early. This leads to a dilemma. Should Jennifer Lee and the Lopez’s try and make viewers trust Hans for the first three-quarters of the story in order to shock them a second time, or should they focus on examining the motivations and flaws which fuel his villainy? It seems that they will be aiming to do both. The Lopez’s have teased a new song for Hans designed to mislead audiences into believing that “this is the hero”, but have also promised they have “got deeper” into a character “waiting for his moment to pounce”. This is a difficult balancing act to pull off, but successfully highlighting Hans’ ability at deceiving others whilst developing his underlying motivations would allow the scheming prince to become a more complex and threatening character.

Will We See More of Elsa Running the Kingdom?

The main thing which makes Elsa stand out from Disney’s other female protagonists is the fact that she’s a queen rather than a princess. This means that she has a degree of power and responsibility not generally associated with women her age (Frozen is set in an age when female rulers were not as common as they are today), but it also puts her under increased pressure. Given Elsa’s anxiety and her struggle to control her ice powers, looking after an entire kingdom is going to be a daunting challenge. The film doesn’t really explore this in detail, but the play could use its extra length to show that being queen means more than just attending ceremonies and meeting foreign diplomats. No one wants to see a story in the Frozen universe get bogged down in tedious political detail, but giving us some idea of what it truly means to run a kingdom will make it easier to connect to Elsa and understand the problems she faces trying to look after her country whilst managing her ice powers.

In addition to providing insight into the pressures of being a ruler, the stage production will have to focus on how Elsa reacts to those who are suspicious of her and frightened of her powers. The main hint that the stage version will explore prejudice against Elsa in greater detail is the listing of Frozen’s fatuous secondary antagonist, the Duke of Weselton, as a lead character in this version. The Duke’s main role in the film is to be Elsa’s primary detractor, so giving him more to do here indicates that his prejudice against the new queen will be a central aspect of this version. However, it would be unwise to link the fear and distrust which Elsa faces too closely to a single person, so we need to learn more about the way in which the ordinary citizens of Arendelle view her and her powers.

How Will the “Sensation Scenes” be Pulled Off?

Many of the biggest plays on Broadway feature plenty of memorable moments used to showcase spectacular special effects. In the 19^th century, these were known as “sensation scenes”, and the term can still be applied to the extravagant sequences featured in blockbuster plays today. The stage version of Frozen will feature plenty of "sensation scenes", as the try to replicate the most epic moments from the film on stage. Key scenes like Elsa creating her Ice Palace, accidentally freezing all of Arendelle, and ending the eternal winter, will have to be performed using physical effects- there will be no CGI animation in this version of the story. Illusions and puppetry can be used for many of the scenes where Elsa displays her powers, but if these look unconvincing, they can take the viewer out of the story. Furthermore, whenever Elsa is directly manipulating her surroundings (For example, when she uses her powers to build a flight of stairs during “Let it Go”) the effects need to be completely in sync with Caissie Levy’s performance. Although “sensation scenes” don’t have to be totally lifelike (In the world of theatre, it is easier to accept a certain degree of artifice) they need to be spectacular, unique and authentic enough to convey the impression that Elsa can actually control ice and snow.

The trickiest of all the special effects to portray will be the curse which Elsa accidentally inflicts on Anna in the second half of the film – a condition which slowly freezes her heart and can only be undone by “an act of true love”. In animation, it is easy to depict someone slowly turning into ice, as animators have full control over a wide range of special effects not available in any other medium. However, it’s a lot harder to depict this gradual transformation on stage, and the primary indicator that Elsa’s curse is affecting Anna (her hair steadily turning white) may not be noticed by those seated in the back row. Patti Murin will need to convey Anna’s deterioration through physical gestures and increasingly limited movement, which is not an easy task...

Will the Climax be Spectacular?

Disney films are often known for featuring action-packed conclusions. The climax to Frozen is no exception, as Anna finds herself torn between finding Kristoff (who she believes is the only person who can break her curse) and saving Elsa from Hans. The sequence switches between three different perspectives (Kristoff racing to find Anna, Anna searching for Kristoff, and Hans preparing to kill Elsa), adding tension as Anna chooses between self-preservation and protecting her sister. For all the spectacle, this conclusion is effective because it is focused on our protagonist and the decisions she makes, and it powerfully reinforces the primary message about the importance of family. A key reason for the success of the original film was its ability at providing something new and subversive whilst also retaining a pleasing degree of warmth and comfort, and the ending embodies this. However, the resolution has its share of problems (Anna and Elsa’s problems are resolved a little too quickly after Elsa brings her sister back to life), so the team behind Frozen: The Musical need to clear these up whilst preserving everything which makes the final scenes so memorable.

One major weakness with the stage versions of The Little Mermaid and Tarzan was their inability to translate the conclusions of the films to the world of theatre, with the new endings created for the stage seeming flat and boring. In comparison to the treetop fight in Tarzan and the big sea battle of The Little Mermaid, the conclusion of Frozen is much easier to stage, but there is a risk that it could seem less exciting, as it is much harder to cut between three perspectives at the same time on the same stage. Whether or not the ending works will depend on the writing and direction. If we care enough about the protagonists, and the music and staging is sufficiently rousing, then Anna’s eventual decision will be all the more powerful, and Elsa finally learning how to control her powers will be just as heart-warming as it is in the movie.

How Will it Set Up Frozen 2?

The third proper Disney sequel to a Disney animated film after The Rescuers Down Under and the forthcoming Wreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Wrecks the Internet (this ignores the infamously mediocre Direct-to-Video sequels churned out by the company during the 90s and 2000s), Frozen 2 will be released on November 2019, almost exactly 6 years after the original film. Jennifer Lee will return to write the script and the Lopez’s will provide new songs.

It is possible that some of the songs used in the Broadway musical could appear again in the sequel. Even if they don’t, the melodies and lyrics could be recycled in some fashion (“Making Today A Perfect Day”, the song from the 2015 short Frozen Fever, reused elements from “Life’s Too Short”). There is also a likelihood that more substantial aspects will be added to Frozen 2 as well. If the stage play succeeds in exploring the backstories and motivations of our characters in more detail, then many aspects may be made “canon” and incorporated into the animated universe. As Jennifer Lee is writing both the play and the sequel, at the same time, she will be know before anyone else which elements from the stage musical will be worth using in the sequel. If these are used effectively and carefully in Frozen 2, they will be popular with fans of the stage version, and seem new and exciting to casual fans who are unable to go to the theatre. Furthermore, if Frozen fans are particularly lucky, Frozen: The Musical may even set up some of the key elements and plot points which will be explored in further detail in Frozen 2… 

Wonder Woman Vs. The Little Mermaid

At the moment, the most significant movie in cinemas is Wonder Woman, the first live-action movie to centre on the iconic DC Comics heroine (An animated movie was released direct-to-DVD in 2009) and the latest instalment in the DC Extended Universe, which has also included Man of Steel and Suicide Squad. The Wonder Woman comics always been heavily inspired by Greek mythology, as the eponymous heroine (real name Diana), the Princess of the Amazon island of Themyscira, is the daughter of Zeus, with her superpowers given to her by the Greek gods. However, the new Wonder Woman movie takes a lot of inspiration from a variety of more modern sources, with one film in particular providing a significant and unlikely influence. Allan Heinberg, who wrote the script for Wonder Woman, has admitted that it was heavily inspired by the Disney classic The Little Mermaid. Given the darker and edgier tone of the DCEU, it may seem odd to use this family-friendly film (which turned a tragic Hans Christian Andersen story into an upbeat musical) as inspiration. However, the risk has definitely paid off. Wonder Woman has become the first DCEU movie to gain critical acclaim (It currently has 93% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, with over 285 reviews), and the first movie directed by a woman to earn over $100 million in America in its opening weekend.

The clearest link between Wonder Woman and The Little Mermaid is the similarity between their basic plots. Both centre on a strong and inquisitive female protagonist who saves a handsome male from drowning, and leaves her idyllic home to follow him to the human world. However, the similarities go much further than this, with both movies also featuring handsome and adventurous male leads, nasty female villains who specialise in creating deadly potions, and a big, spectacular climax. There are also several differences between the two movies. Wonder Woman places much more emphasis on the dark side of the human world, and is set during 1918, at the climax of World War One, whilst The Little Mermaid is set in an unspecified period in the past (presumably during the mid-19^th century). This post will compare the two movies in greater detail, examining the parallels between them and the ways in which they utilise familiar tropes in order to create something unique and memorable.

(Note: This article contains several minor spoilers for Wonder Woman throughout. It contains more substantial ones later on. There will be another warning before these major spoilers are revealed, but if you haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet, be careful)

The Heroine

Both films feature protagonists defined their willingness to learn and discover more about the world. Wonder Woman’s inquisitive nature is established very early on in her film. We see her as a child, asking her mother, Queen Hippolyta, about the history of the Greek gods, and seeking information about the weaponry which her fellow Amazonians use. Wonder Woman wants to be a warrior, but recognises that in order to fulfil this destiny, she has to learn more about the worlds which she is going to fight for. Meanwhile, in The Little Mermaid, the curiously of the titular mermaid, Ariel, is made clear in her “I Want” song, “Part of that World”, as she sings about wanting to experience life in the human world and expresses her desire to “know what the people know”. In spite of this enthusiasm for learning, both characters are fish out of water in the human world, making them unfamiliar with various human items and customs. Whilst in Prince Eric’s palace, Ariel combs her hair with a fork and mistakes a pipe for a musical instrument. Even though Wonder Woman is a much more serious movie, the titular heroine’s discoveries about the human world are often played for comedy, as she learns about marriage, struggles with a revolving door, and even finds time to eat an ice cream on the way to the Western front. In both cases, the way in which our protagonists react to even the most mundane aspects of the human world highlights their innocence and likeability, making it easier to root for them.

However, both Wonder Woman and Ariel both have the same major flaw – naivety. When Ursula gives her a contract to make her human for three days in exchange for her voice, Ariel impulsively accepts, not aware that her inability to speak is going to make it much harder to gain Eric’s love within the time limit. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman literally believes that she can end “the war to end all wars “merely by vanquishing Ares. One major advantage of setting Wonder Woman in World War One is the fact that it places the idealistic heroine in a conflict primarily remembered for being “futile”. The First World War was the result of a complex series of diplomatic disputes, and this reality directly challenges Wonder Woman’s perception that a problem like war has a simple cause and a simple solution. The coming-of-age narrative in both movies ties in with a loss of innocence, but this is especially apparent in Wonder Woman, and the contrast between her beliefs and the reality of the conflict adds to the drama.

Atlantica vs. Themyscira

Both Wonder Woman and Ariel come from a paradise which is deliberately cut off from the human world. Ariel’s homeland, Atlantica, is populated by mermaids and a wide array of sea creatures. Themyscira is depicted with green grass and blue skies, with the bright colours contrasting with the grey and chaotic human world. As beautiful as Atlantica is, it doesn’t really get explored in much detail in The Little Mermaid, as it plays no part in the story and relationships involved – focusing too much on depicting life underwater would take attention away from Ariel and her dream of exploring the human world which fascinates her so much. However, in Wonder Woman, we see more of Themyscira, as we learn how Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons train to be warriors. Their mythology is explained in detail, introducing viewers to the origins of the Amazon race and their conflict with Ares, the fearsome god of war. As most viewers of Wonder Woman are not familiar with the comics, the film has to make an extra effort in order to gain their attention and make Wonder Woman and her world as appealing as possible. Spending more time exploring Themyscira at the start of the movie makes this much easier to do.

The Love Interest

The Little Mermaid is a romance first and foremost, meaning that Ariel’s relationship with Prince Eric is the most important aspect of the film. It is also one of the most problematic, as Ariel and Eric have not properly interacted with each other before Ariel decides to risk everything in order to gain true love’s kiss from him. That said, Ariel spends enough time spying on Eric before the storm starts to learn that he’s kind, modest, and adventurous and looking for the perfect wife. In short, it’s obvious that he’s not the barbarian which her father, King Triton, accuses all humans of being. Compared to the princes from earlier Disney films such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (who were mere plot devices), Eric has a bit more depth, as he finds himself torn between the “dream girl” with the beautiful singing voice who saved his life and the lively mute staying in his castle, not knowing that they are actually one and the same. However, this dilemma is relatively underdeveloped, ensuring that Prince Eric still seems too perfect, leading to the common complaint that he’s a bland love interest.

Whilst Ariel is often accused of becoming human just to win the heart of a guy, Wonder Woman’s reasons for seeking out the human world are not related to romance. However, her relationship with Steve Trevor provides Wonder Woman with a lot of its heart. He specialises in working as a spy, going undercover in German territory, and has a good reason to describe himself as an “above average” male. Although his experiences have made him all too aware that humans are capable of great evil, he is still committed to protecting as many people as possible, claiming that “my father once told me that when you see something wrong happening in the world, you can either do something or do nothing, and I’ve already tried nothing.” Steve’s willingness to fight for peace in spite of his understanding of how violent and cruel humanity can be, proves to be a major inspiration for Wonder Woman, and ensures that he’s just as compelling a character as she is.

View on Humanity

Aside from the characters and storyline, a key aspect of both movies is their depiction of the human world which both Wonder Woman and Ariel find themselves exploring. The Little Mermaid portrays the human world in an extremely positive fashion. Although Sebastian the crab has a run-in with a deranged French chef (played entirely for cartoonish comedy), Ariel generally sees the best side of humanity during her three days on land. Eric and his staff treat her very well, and she gets to spend time in a luxurious castle and a bright sunny town, seeing puppet shows and experiencing carriage rides. The film is primarily focused on validating Ariel’s belief that the human world is not as bad as King Triton fears, reinforcing the message that it’s worth taking risks and challenging prejudices. This means that the problems with the human world are heavily downplayed.  In contrast, Wonder Woman learns far more about the negative aspects of the human world. Heading to fight, she sees numerous crippled soldiers, and is disgusted by the conduct of the British government, which is willing to let countless men die on the battlefields. However, in spite of all the death and destruction she sees during her time in the human world, Wonder Woman eventually realises that “only love will truly save the world” as there will always be people like Steve Trevor willing to do heroic deeds in the name of securing peace. Both movies ultimately believe that the human race is worth fighting for, but Wonder Woman highlights the brutality and complexity of our world, making it much more balanced than the overly idealised portrayal of humanity in The Little Mermaid.

Side Characters

Wonder Woman and Ariel are aided in their missions by a small band of memorable sidekicks. In order to gain True Love’s Kiss from Eric, Ariel relies on the support of her friends Sebastian the crab, Flounder the fish and Scuttle the seagull. Flounder is a cute and expressive sidekick, whilst the feather-brained Scuttle provides Ariel with some wonderfully inaccurate information about the human world. However, Sebastian is easily the best of the comic relief sidekicks. His anxious, panicky personality generates a lot of humour, but when he starts singing songs like “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”, he changes into a confident, smooth and energetic showman. In addition, Sebastian’s willingness to aid Ariel in spite of his opposition to her rebellious ways gives him a greater level of depth. Sebastian is one of the most developed characters in The Little Mermaid, and children and adults love him as much as (if not more than) Ariel and Eric.

In contrast, the side characters in Wonder Woman are much less important. Steve’s secretary, Etta Candy is a lively and likeable individual, but she only really appears in the relatively short sequence set in London. Whist fighting in France, Wonder Woman and Steve are assisted by three soldiers: Sameer, a master of disguise from Africa, Charlie, a Scottish marksman and Chief, a Native American mercenary. These characters have some amusing quirks which allow them to stand out, and the brief mentions of their backstories (Charlie has nightmares about his experiences in combat, Sameer became a soldier after being rejected as an actor due to his race) subtly highlight the unpleasant aspects of the human world. They provide Wonder Woman with invaluable help in her mission, but they primarily function as part of the scenery without trying to steal the show.

(WARNING: The next two sections contain major spoilers, revealing major twists in the third act. If you haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet, you should skip to the conclusion)

Villains

In order to make life even harder for them, an innocent in an unfamiliar world needs to come up against an extremely dangerous villain. In its conniving baddie Ursula, The Little Mermaid features one of the greatest ever Disney villains. A tentacled troublemaker plotting to take over Atlantica, Ursula revels in her grotesque nature, eating live shrimp and turning merfolk into wretched worm-like creatures for her own amusement.  She is skilled at exploiting Ariel’s vulnerability, claiming that her spells can solve the mermaid’s problems and allow her to pursue her dreams. However, Ursula will do anything to ensure that she can usurp King Triton’s throne, so she has no intention of allowing Ariel to gain her happily ever after. Wonder Woman also features a wicked witch of its own in Doctor Maru, nicknamed Doctor Poison by Steve. Doctor Maru is a chemist working for General Ludendorff, the head of the German army. She creates a number of deadly weapons, including pellets which can increase Ludendorff’s strength, and a type of poison gas which can be used to wipe out entire villages. With her deformed face (she has several facial disfigurements hidden by a porcelain mask), sinister eyes which highlight her sadistic nature, and her willingness to test her bioweapons on various unlucky people, Doctor Maru is a memorably nasty character. Although she’s relatively underused and pretty flat, Doctor Maru is a prominent example of the archetypal “baroness” (Wonder Woman’s first archenemy in the comics, Baroness Von Gunther, also epitomises this character type). Sadistic, powerful and lacking inhibition, Doctor Maru essentially represents a 20^th century version of the wicked witch, creating chaos and devastation using science and technology instead of the magical spells and potions which Ursula specialises in.

For all the devastation which Doctor Poison is planning to unleash, there are even greater threats. Wonder Woman is the latest in a long line of recent blockbusters to feature a “Surprise Villain”. Sir Patrick Morgan, a diplomat who initially seems to be working to end World War One, is eventually revealed to be Ares himself. He has secretly been using his powers to influence belligerents such as Ludendorff and Doctor Poison, and aims to make the war continue until mankind has completely destroyed itself. Although he’s able to teleport from place to place in the blink of an eye, resist Wonder Woman’s special weapons and send trees flying through the air with a flick of his wrist, Ares prefers to work in the shadows, manipulating humans into acting on their own selfish and destructive desires. His ability at exploiting the worst traits of mankind contrasts with Wonder Woman’s belief that humans are inherently good. The “Surprise Villain” is rapidly becoming an incredibly annoying trope, but Ares ability at hiding his true nature demonstrates that some of the deadliest villains in the human world are those able to prey on the flaws and prejudices of others.

The Final Battle

Even avid fans of Disney’s The Little Mermaid will admit that the third act is one of the weakest aspects of the film. Although the final battle, in which Ursula essentially turns into Cthulhu and tries to finish off Ariel and Eric, is wonderfully spectacular and over-the-top, Ariel is reduced to a damsel-in-distress, doing little to defeat Ursula. As Ariel is the one who caused this situation in the first place, she should be taking charge and defeating Ursula, thus demonstrating how much she’s grown as a character since she initially accepted Ursula’s deal. The climax of Wonder Woman also relies heavily on spectacle, with Wonder Woman facing off against Ares whilst Steve and his friends race to destroy Ludendorff’s poison gas before it can be used in combat. However, unlike the final battle in The Little Mermaid, this conclusion provides a substantial test of Wonder Woman’s character, as the all-powerful Ares tries to convince her to abandon mankind. It’s a little bit disappointing that the men are ultimately the ones who ultimately stop the Germans, but their actions are necessary to convince Wonder Woman that mankind is ultimately worth saving from Ares. In both films, the big heroic gestures are ultimately done by men (Eric saving Ariel and destroying Ursula, Steve sacrificing himself to blow up the last supplies of the bioweapon) but at least the ending of Wonder Woman manages to centre on the decisions of the female lead and complete her character arc in a powerful and satisfying fashion.

Conclusion

Both The Little Mermaid and Wonder Woman are good movies, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor are a more interesting central couple than Ariel and Eric, but the side characters and villains of The Little Mermaid are far superior to the merely functional ones used in Wonder Woman. The Little Mermaid is an optimistic and enjoyable film, but Wonder Woman centres on a more realistic and better-developed world, with more complex and thought-provoking themes and subject matter.

In some respects, it can be reductive to compare the two films when they belong to different genres (Wonder Woman is an action-adventure, The Little Mermaid is a primarily a romantic comedy), with different tones. Wonder Woman probably has greater depth, with WWI setting and its themes about sacrifice and the loss of innocence. It helps that the movie is around 50 minutes longer than The Little Mermaid, and a lot of this extra time is used to explore the complexities of the human world. However, The Little Mermaid is probably better as entertainment, due to its memorable characters, colourful animation and those legendary songs which have made it one of Disney's best-loved musicals. Ultimately, the success of both Wonder Woman and The Little Mermaid highlights the timeless appeal of a coming-of-age tale. Both films turn classic source material into engaging and unique entertainment, with strong and hopeful messages, memorable characters, and most importantly, a simple but compelling storyline which can be engage and inspire viewers of both genders all over the world. 

Fairy Tales and Capital Punishment

Previous posts on this blog have discussed how fairy tales relate to controversial subject matter such as nationalism, politics and racism. However, out of all the issues associated with fairy tales, one of the most problematic is their use of capital punishment. Many fairy tales are notable for ending with the villains getting executed in particularly lurid and gruesome fashion. Fairy tales appeal to us because of their ability at providing wish-fulfilment, and there are few things more satisfying than seeing a villain punished for their misdeeds (something which doesn’t happen as much as we’d like in real life). However, the use of the death penalty to deal with them raises a number of issues.

To start with, we need to establish a distinction between capital punishment and other means of killing off a villain. For example, Disney films often end with the villain suffering an impressively disturbing death, providing a welcome dose of darkness in otherwise light-hearted movies. However, Disney villain deaths are often accidental, with baddies such as Gaston, Frollo and Clayton falling to their deaths as a result of their own hubris. In the Disney films where the hero or heroine actively kills the villain (e.g Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Mulan), it is done during a battle, either out of self-defence or the need to protect others. There is a world of difference between a death which occurs by accident or in battle, as unpleasant as it may be, and executions which are designed to be as degrading, terrifying and protracted as possible. Thus, even those who enjoy seeing the Wicked Queen from Disney’s version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves fall to her death can find it uncomfortable when the Brothers Grimm version ends with the Wicked Queen being forced to dance herself to death in red-hot shoes. The nearest thing to a villain being executed in a Disney film is when Scar’s hyenas turn on him at the end of The Lion King, and that is the result of his henchmen acting in their own self-interest. In contrast, fairy tale executions are the result of a normally benign ruler (who usually tends to be the husband or father-in-law of the protagonist) adopting the role of nemesis and inflicting an incredibly unpleasant punishment in the name of justice.

However, there are techniques which make the use of capital punishment in fairy tales seem more tolerable. The main way of doing this is by reducing the characters to archetypes. Just as the heroes are purely good, the villains are purely evil. The lack of depth and internal psychology makes it much easier to hate the villains, as they are defined solely by negative traits and actions, increasing opposition to them enough to make execution seem like an appropriate punishment. In fairy tales, capital punishment seems to be presented as a relatively reliable instrument of justice. Although heroic characters may be threatened with the death penalty (as in The Six Swans) they are invariably rescued before anything bad can happen to them. One major issue with capital punishment is the fact that many innocent people get executed for crimes they didn't commit, but as this doesn’t happen in fairy tales, it seems a lot less unjust. In addition, the gruesome deaths which occur are described in a very superficial way. We just hear that they happen – the details are omitted, as the blood, gore and pain which makes these fates so unpleasant is not mentioned in any way. This creates distance between the action and the audience, ensuring that there is less awareness of the reality of capital punishment and putting it within the fantastical context of the fairy tale environment.

A key way of creating distance from the villain and justifying the use of capital punishment is through a frequently used trope called the ‘Original Position Fallacy’, in which a character makes an unwise proposal based on the mistaken assumption that they will not suffer the consequences of it. This plot device is often found in the subgenre of ‘False Bride’ fairytales (of which The Goose Girl is the most notable), in which a villainous stepmother or maidservant steals the protagonist’s throne. These stories end with the heroic king discussing the plight of the heroine and asking the villain what punishment should befall the person responsible for this. Said villain doesn’t realise that the ruler is referring to their misdeeds and, out of sadism or a desire to protect their secrets, suggests a particularly nasty form of execution for the criminal, most often involving being stuffed into a barrel lined on the inside with spikes and dragged through the streets by horses until they bleed to death. It is then revealed that they have “spoken their own sentence”, and the punishment is carried out on them instantly. With the ‘Original Position Fallacy’, the villain literally brings their fate upon themselves. This makes their suffering into a direct punishment for their overconfidence, reducing its disturbing impact.

Another reason for retaining the use of capital punishment in fairy tales is the need to reflect the fact that they tend to be set in a much harsher era. Fairytales typically take place in an unspecified version of the past which exists between the medieval era and the dawn of the industrial revolution. During this time, maidservants would be harshly punished for their infractions. In Germany, even petty misdemeanours from maidservants were treated as major crimes, with lazy or dishonest servants being forced to stand in the pillory and being banished from the town. Meanwhile the ‘Bloody Code’ in Britain meant that many maids were hanged for mere theft. In this context, the crimes which the villainous maidservant commits in The Goose Girl (Refusing to fetch water for the princess she is meant to be looking after, stealing her throne, forcing her to work as a servant tending geese and killing her horse) are definitely worthy of more extreme penalties. The period was also defined by a belief in the “divine right” of the absolute monarch, as kings, queens, princes and princesses were believed to receive their power from god. This meant that attempts to subvert this hierarchy posed a major threat to order and stability. In fairy tales, this danger is often embodied by devious maidservants and wicked stepmothers trying to assassinate or overthrow the protagonists, and a harsh response to them reinforces the message that mistreatment of royalty can have dire consequences. The society of the past was much more brutal and barbaric than the more permissive world we live in today, and the use of capital punishment in fairy tales reflects this reality whilst expressing it in a fairer way, with only villains truly suffering.

The decision to cut capital punishment out of fairy tales is often dismissed as an attempt to sanitise them. However, there are reasons of getting rid of it which go beyond a desire to avoid traumatising children. One reason is the need to adopt a more realistic approach, which avoids the moral certainties needed for the death penalty to be acceptable. This is made clear by comparing the Brothers Grimm story The Six Swans with Hans Christian Andersen’s version of the tale, The Wild Swans. Both feature a protagonist who is accused of witchcraft, but gets rescued by her brothers at the last minute. In The Six Swans, the heroine is deliberately framed for witchcraft by a wicked stepmother who kidnaps her children. The story ends with the crimes of the stepmother being exposed, and she gets burnt at the stake instead of the protagonist. However, in The Wild Swans, the character who accuses Princess Eliza of witchcraft is an overzealous archbishop, who is portrayed as misguided rather than evil and does not receive any punishment for his actions. The Wild Swans simply ends with Eliza’s innocence and purity being recognised, disproving the archbishop’s allegations about her. This difference in approach indicates a more sophisticated attitude towards morality. In real life, you are more likely of finding an antagonist like the archbishop, who acts based on mistaken assumptions and prejudices as opposed to pure malice. In this situation, the best way of dealing with them is simply to demonstrate that they were wrong. Even when using more straightforward villains, modern fairy tales have often sought different ways of giving the villains their comeuppance without killing them. In recent Disney hits such as Frozen and Moana, villainous characters have been humiliated instead of killed. Villains have been less important to recent Disney films, as the studio has focused increasingly on providing more complex and developed protagonists, so they don’t really need a spectacular defeat. Furthermore, the outright villains in these movies, such as Hans and Tamatoa, are focused on upholding their personal image (Hans with his “Prince Charming” façade, Tamatoa with his boasts about how shiny he is), meaning that the most satisfying way of dealing with them is to discredit them. Sometimes, there are better ways of dealing with a villain than simply killing them, and undermining their beliefs or image can be a stronger punishment.

The reduced focus on villains has coincided with an increased emphasis on heroes and heroines. Instead of being mere visions of beauty and power, they have to be strong, realistic characters and positive role models. This means that, for those who read old fairy tales, it can be uncomfortable to see the kind, beautiful heroes and heroines reacting to extreme methods of execution by standing back and doing nothing. In fact, in one horrifically racist ‘False Bride’ story from Portugal, The Maid and the Negress, the heroine herself is the one who suggests that the villain should be killed, with her bones made into bed-steps and her skin used for a drum. Even when her suffering is taken into account, this is unnecessarily sadistic, making the supposedly virtuous princess into a much less appealing character. More recent stories have often featured different responses to villainy, giving the protagonist greater depth in the process. In several adaptations of The Goose Girl, including the 2009 version for the popular German fairytale series Sechs Auf Einen Streich (Six in One Stroke), the heroine intervenes at the very last minute, choosing to spare the wicked maidservant from her gruesome demise and have her exiled instead. These versions of the story often make it clear that the maidservant’s actions are motivated by her frustrations with her job, and her dissatisfaction with life as a servant (This is seldom discussed in the original fairy tale, where she seems to be acting out of mere spite). Thus, the heroine’s willingness to show mercy indicates that, unlike her enemy, she is not going to let her experiences of forced servitude make her bitter and resentful. The need for protagonists to set positive examples for the audience means that they need to be merciful and compassionate as well as brave and beautiful, and refusing to use capital punishment is an excellent example of this more enlightened approach.

Conclusion

Like many issues, the decision of how to punish the villains in a fairy tale is a matter for the storyteller. If you have to kill off a villain, accidental deaths or deaths in battle are probably preferable. They tend to be integrated into the story more effectively (the execution of a villain tends to occur at the very end of the story, after their defeat) and offer the most satisfying aspects of capital punishment, such as ensuring that the villain can’t hurt anyone again, without the numerous problematic features. That said, the gruesome creativity of execution scenes in fairy tales tends to make them highly memorable, and many readers enjoy these moments. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they should be kept, as the means of punishing a villain should depend on their personality and behaviour. Whilst some tales have antagonists who are annoying rather than evil and not worth punishing in such an excessive fashion, others feature villains so despicable that even the most gruesome execution is not nasty enough for them. Ultimately, the approach taken towards capital punishment should vary according to the type of story. In a more moralistic tale which adheres to the primal sensibilities of Brothers Grimm, executing the villain in gruesome fashion can be an effective way of appealing to our desire for revenge. However, in a fairy tale which places more emphasis on providing complex and interesting characters, the use of capital punishment is often unnecessary and inappropriate, and should generally be avoided.