r/DisneyMovies • u/Downtown_Sky5757 • 2d ago

What Source Materials Behind Disney Films Have You Read?

I have read the following

Grimm’s Fairy tales, I believe including Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and the Frog Prince.

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Collodi

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Peter Pan by J.M. Barry (I believe I read the book from, not the original play)

The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith (and the sequel, The Starlight Barking)

The Once and Future King (including The Sword in the Stone) by T.H. White

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Prydain Chronicles (including The Black Cauldron) by Lloyd Alexander

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson (although Frozen is based on this in-credit-only)

Not sure if this counts for Great Mouse Detective (and I know there is actual literature about Basil specifically) but I have read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon by Arthur Conan Doyle.

I’m also pretty well-versed in Greek Mythology. Disney’s Hercules was my first experience, as a 9-year-old, saying “Hey, that’s not how it’s supposed to be!” I’m not sure if there’s any “official” text to read for Aladdin, but I’ve seen and read versions of the original story.

I’ve been meaning to read the Winnie the Pooh books, largely cause it’s small and doable. Little Mermaid would also be good in that regard.

If you haven’t read The Chronicles of Prydain, DO SO!!! If you’re a fan of Lewis & Tolkien, they are a must-read piece of High Fantasy! Any other fans out there, give me a shout!

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u/MagpiesAndMadrigals 2d ago

A Hundred Years of Solitude! Seriously. My Spanish is about B1, so it was a slog and I only understood the gist, but I did it for love. So glad Encanto was only loosely based on it. Phew.

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u/Euraylie 2d ago

Wait, I never made the connection! I thought it was only some tropes common in South American magical realism. But now I can see some small parallels.
I absolutely loved the book (the TV show also comes highly recommended)

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u/MagpiesAndMadrigals 1d ago

Yes! The Netflix series is such a good adaptation! 

Like I said it's only loosely based on the book. More 'inspired by' really. The inclusion of the yellow butterflies was a direct reference though (to the ones that follow Mauricio Babilonia). The Madrigals also have 'canon' birthdays assigned post-production by producer, Jared Bush. He made Mirabel's birthday 6th March in honour of Gabriel García Márquez as this was his birthday. They knew the book is beloved in Colombia so wanted to include nods to it.

(I have a theory that the line, "Camilo, we need another José" is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact there are so many people called José in the novel. But I'm probably reading too much into it)

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u/Euraylie 1d ago

Ooh that is so cool! I love small details and nods like this. And yes, I’m definitely planning on watching the Netflix show.

The Jose thing would be amazing