Beyond the Disney spell, or escape into Pantoland

Today, although the historical context and the private significance placed on the tales are no longer relevant, the Disney spell has not lost its potency. In light of Zipes's understanding, this is so because the endless inventions of animators create a general impression of the absolute newness. Consequently, audiences, inundated with remarkable special effects, forget about the literary predecessors of Disney retellings. Disney films enter the canon and establish themselves as dominant versions of a given tale, shaping viewers' assumptions about its nature and meaning. However, regardless of whether one watches Snow White, whose dreams come true through being beautiful and very houseproud, or the feminist Mulan, who nevertheless falls under the spell of a happy ending--a successful marriage--Disney fairytales unremittingly generate the same one-dimensional message. This is coupled with the no longer exclusively American dream of an orderly world where the "flat, oversimple and commercially cute" Cinderella who "looks like a Barbie doll" (Lurie 1970, 43) easily distinguishes good from evil, and where hard work and honesty guarantee success. However, as Zipes rightly notices, the destabilisation of the classic, mythical Disney fairytale is exceptionally difficult for audiences of children, for whom Disney retellings are frequently the only point of reference. In view of this, perhaps it would be more appropriate to begin with making audiences aware of their consumerist attitudes, as well as instilling them with caution or even suspicion towards the traditionally privileged fairytale constellations.

It seems that it is this standardised vision that attracts audiences and makes the synthetic bliss of Disneyland so seductive. It is there that people can perceive themselves as members of one united community that shares norms and values, and cherishes the same concept of happiness. Unfortunately, this feeling is actually an illusion, a short-lived escape from reality. Therefore, the question of whether it is possible to remove the spell cast by the wizard of Hollywood seems of particular relevance.

Carnival in Pantoland

The underlying principle of revision is the use of various defamiliarising techniques that upset the reader's expectations. Two major techniques are the transfiguration of classical fairytales, and the integration of traditional motifs with contemporary references within atypical settings and plotlines. The former method relies on the reader's recognition and awareness of the original tale, which is then abruptly, and often humorously, distorted to "liberate the reader from the contrived and programmed mode of literary reception" (Zipes 1983, 180). More centrally, the provocative effect may be achieved through a sudden reverse of the anticipated plot, the use of unique and strange metaphors, a shift in the narrative perspective (for example, a retelling of a story from the villain's point of view), the lack of happy endings, or growing intertextuality. Interestingly, such stories are often referred to as fractured fairytales; they reshape traditional plots so as to update their social or moral purpose.