5 Disney Adaptations That Were Surprisingly Accurate (& 5 That Were Totally Disney-fied)
When it comes to adaptations of non-original works, Walt Disney has a bit of a reputation for taking a few creative liberties when presenting them for the big screen. Disney-brand fairytales and family-friendly stories are a dime a dozen and everyone knows it.
That being said, when Disney does get something factual and accurate, they really knock it out of the park. The studio has gone to great lengths to ensure the best version of the stories they tell to make it to the big screen. The question is, which Disney productions are the most accurate to their source, and which are totally Disneyfied?
10 Accurate: Saving Mr. Banks
Any armchair Disney historian will know that the events in Saving Mr. Banks were true up until the final act. But with that in mind, what the film did get right was truly spot-on. Especially the details surrounding the company's prolific founder.
Under the acting chops of Tom Hanks, Walt smokes, drinks, and even swears in the film. Walt is still the lovable character everyone knows, but with a bit of a sharper edge. In the end, he's still the man who always gets what he wants.
9 Disneyfied: Mary Poppins
Saving Mr. Banks was about how Walt Disney locked horns with P.L. Travers to secure the rights to make a Mary Poppins movie. But even after he got her signature on the contracts, Disney still took several liberties in their adaptation of the character, but not without protests from her creator.
To say that P.L. Travers was displeased with Disney's adaptation would be putting it lightly. The author practically raged war against the studio, and never truly embraced the film version of her character.
8 Accurate: Brave
Brave might be an original concept, but Pixar's tales of bears and bows deserves an honorable mention on the list due to the amount of detail that went into maintaining visual and cultural accuracy.
Special attention went in on the costumes, the tapestries and Pixar even registered a tartan for clan DunBroch. It's the little things that add up to give a solid dose of realism to an otherwise entirely fantasy film.
7 Disneyfied: The Black Cauldron
As dark and twisted as Disney's black sheep was, the film was still far from what the original books presented. Although Lloyd Alexander was actually satisfied with Disney's adaptation, the film tried to mash too many things together from his Chronicles of Prydain series to be true to the source.
And that's not even including all the material Katzenberg cut from the project. A cult favorite it might be now, but it is far from what it should have been.
6 Accurate: The Lion King
Although many Shakespeare scholars will be quick to bristle up at The Lion King's inclusion, but much like Brave, the accuracy comes not from the plot but from the animation.
Disney not only went to great lengths to make sure their animal cast not only looked and moved like their real-world counterparts, but even went as far as to create a new software so that the wildebeest stampede behaved like an actual herd. If only the same thing could be said for the remake.
5 Disneyfied: The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is practically notorious for how unlike the Hans Christian Andersen original it is. With the phenomenal soundtrack, fairytale enchantment, and overall Disneyness of the project, it can be easy to forget that the original had a lot more pain, suffering, and attempted murder.
The original is one of the most famous fairytales in existence, but to say that Disney would go all-in for it? That's a bit of a stretch.
4 Accurate: 101 Dalmatians
Although there are a few understandable changes, 101 Dalmatians is actually remarkably accurate to its source material. This is more than likely due to the penpal relationship between Walt Disney and the book's author, Dodie Smith.
Despite the veritable feud with P.L. Travers years later, Walt did know how to play nice with others and his collaboration with Dodie Smith is certainly proof. Smith reportedly even had a particular fondness for Pongo and Perdita. A few snips here and there, but it's still a phenomenal adaptation.
3 Disneyfied: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Honestly, it's no surprise that this adaptation of Victor Hugo's most famous work is often titled Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. To be fair, it would be nearly impossible for Disney to be 100% with this tale of architecture, deformities, and corruption of the church without breaking a few of their own rules.
That all being said, Disney's version is still one of their most mature projects, and arguably the most beloved adaptation of the story. Can't fault Disney for knowing their audience.
2 Accurate: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Disney's answer to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings was not only brilliant but a surprisingly faithful and beautiful adaptation of C.S. Lewis's fantasy series. Everything from the original novel is here, but with some very stylistic flair.
Narnia and Middle Earth are two different planets, but the quality of the production is certainly equal and the attention to detail is positively fantastic. Although the story has been adapted before, Disney's version never fails to pull viewers in like Lucy into the wardrobe.
1 Disneyfied: Hercules
Greek mythology and gospel music, those are two elements that go together, right? Artistic choices aside, Disney's version of Hercules has a laundry list of inaccuracies right from the very beginning. Not only is Zeus not a thunder-slinging womanizer, but Herc is a bit too even-tempered compared to his real-world inspiration.
That's just scratching the surface, but a true-to-form adaptation of this greek myth wouldn't be possible without a minimal PG-13 rating, and that's being generous.
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