Walt Disney is arguably the most influential person of the 20th century due solely to his imagination and success, and continuation of that success, in the media industry. In 1928, Disney took Buster Keaton’s idea of Steamboat Bill, Jr., combined it with sound effects and called it Steamboat Willie. It quickly became popular amongst viewers. “The effect on our little audience was nothing less than electric. They responded almost instinctively to this union of sound and motion” (Walt Disney, 22). Disney and Mickey Mouse both became legends leaving their footprints in the media industry. What one does not always realize is where the spark of Disney’s imagination and ideas came from.
The fairytales of today differ from the original fairytales of the past. They may generally have the same plot line, but there are some very strong differences at parts. For example, Walt Disney’s version of Cinderella depicts the ugly sisters not being able to fit the glass slipper on and eventually giving up on winning Prince Charming’s heart. While on the contrary, the original Cinderella fairytale tells how one of the ugly sisters actually severs part of her foot off with a knife to make the glass slipper fit. What I’m saying here is that the original fairytales are actually very gory and also sexually inclined. Disney took the ideas from old fairytales and turned them into his own family-friendly stories. “This ‘borrowing’ was nothing unique, either for Disney or for the industry…The key to success was the brilliance of the differences” (Lessig, 23).
In today’s television media, Matt Groening’s The Simpsons make a mockery of the old fairytales with the cartoon that Bart Simpson always watches called “Itchy and Scratch.” This cartoon (unlike those actually on TV) portrays a cat and a mouse and both have the same goal in injuring and/or killing the other. The cartoon shows the full extent of their injuries including blood and the like just as the injuries and such were described in the original fairytales. “Itchy and Scratch” does not only transcend from these concepts, but in fact the really short cartoon within a cartoon harnesses and makes it their own in an effort to cause laughter.
I agree that it is very creative and brilliant of Disney to take original ideas, such as Steamboat Bill Jr. and fairy tales, to create new retellings of old stories. Even though it was someone else's idea, it still puts a new, creative, spin on a story. Yet I don't really understand what Itchy and Scratchy has to do with Walt Disney's legacy.
ReplyDeleteYour example regarding Disney is an excellent one. Nobody associates the Disney classics with their original origins. I know personally that I do not have the slightest clue where the stories came from or who they were written by. I feel as though Walt Disney was able to take advantage under the rights set of circumstances.
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