10 Disney Movies You Had No Idea Were Based on Books

It’s a wide known fact that many Disney films are adaptations of beloved fairytales, fables and other children’s stories. There are a few titles, however, with origins that span beyond the Disney catalog despite being such recognizable franchises associated with the company. While Disney is largely responsible for shaping the public’s perception of these classic characters and stories, it’s interesting to analyze the source material and how it compares to Disney’s interpretation.

Through an array of animated and live-action films, Disney has taken several creative liberties with a number of works that were entertaining audiences way before the studio got their hands on them. Many of Disney’s earliest films, including Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland are known to be quintessential retellings of these stories though not always faithful to the original tale. Looking past the easily identifiable adaptations, it’s revealed that Disney’s method of injecting their own magic and wonder into classic literature is more common than one might think.

10

101 Dalmatians Transports Readers into the Minds of Its Main Characters

Based on The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

It’s hard to believe that such a devilishly iconic villain such as Cruella de Vil, and her undaunted Dalmatian rivals Pongo and Perdita didn’t come directly from the creative minds at Disney. Instead, the characters and their precarious adventure were exquisitely crafted by Dodie Smith in her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Originally titled The Great Dog Robbery and serialized in Woman’s Day Magazine in 1956, the story quickly gained popularity before being made into the hit Disney film. The novel and film follow the same premise and are even parallel in perspective, as both show the dogs thinking of their human owners as pets. The differences lie less in the story and more in the characters’ names and roles in the story.

In the novel, the couple we know in the film as Anita and Roger are simply Mr. and Mrs. Dearly. Pongo’s wife is similarly only referred to as Missis, and Perdita serves as a canine wet nurse found by Mrs. Dearly to assist with feeding Missis’s litter of 15 puppies. Of course, the extravagantly evil Cruella de Vil is characterized as the same maniacal woman who sends the Dalmatians’ life into turmoil after fixating on using the puppies’ fur for a coat. Through wildly entertaining antics, Pongo and Missis manage to trace the location of their cherished puppies as well as 97 more to add to their already gigantic family. There is an inherently storybook quality about 101 Dalmatians, which is why it’s landing in the last spot.

9

Tuck Everlasting Is a Mystical Romance with a Late 19th Century Setting

Based on Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

Starring Gilmore Girls’s Alexis Bledel and Nashville’s Jonathan Jackson, this sweet and magical film captures a sharp image of adolescence with poignant incorporations of the fantastical. The original novel, published in 1975 by Natalie Babbit, follows Winnie Foster, a 10-year-old girl living in the Adirondack Mountains in the late 1800s. A curious protagonist with a desire to be free of her overbearing family’s watchful eyes, Winnie ventures into the nearby woods and meets Jesse Tuck drinking from a spring.

Drawn to his beauty and allured by the strange demand that she does not drink from the spring, Winnie soon realizes Jesse and the rest of his family have been drinking from the spring which provides them with eternal youth. Throughout the novel, Winnie must navigate the difficult choices that come with knowing the Tuck family’s secret while dealing with developing a deep connection with Jesse. The movie doesn’t contain too many significant differences but does rectify a disconcerting age gap between the two main characters. The film’s choosing to have Winnie be 15 instead of 10 also makes for a more resonating conversation surrounding growing up and examines the longing for independence many teenagers feel while still clinging to the familiarity of their childhood.

8

Bridge to Terabithia Explored Loss Through Lens of Childhood Imagination

Based on Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

An eloquently painful story, Bridge to Terabithia centralizes themes of class, loss, and the power of imagination. Despite winning the Newbery Medal in 1978, a year after it was published, the book was challenged and banned in several school districts throughout the 80s and 90s. Surprisingly enough, parents were less concerned with the morbid ending and more offended by characters in the novel using “Lord” as an expletive as well as accusing the characters of encouraging the use of witchcraft.

A made-for-TV version of the film was released in 1986 but nothing compares to the 2007 film. Featuring a very young Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb, the two’s chemistry as the sullen Jesse and expressive Leslie lights up the screen. The book is noticeably rougher with its dialogue and primarily focuses on Jesse’s perspective but both the book and film stay committed to the brutally heartbreaking ending. Though shocking for a novel aimed at middle schoolers, the honest conversation surrounding grief and the appreciation of life is a necessary topic for young readers to be introduced to.

7

Peter Pan Is a Timeless Icon

Based on Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie

One of the most timeless figures of children’s literature, Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, was first conceptualized by Scottish writer J.M. Barrie. A lifelong writer and reader, Barrie explored many aspects of his life through his wondrous stories. Peter Pan first emerged in Barrie’s The Little White Bird, and the character took center stage in 1904 in a play that was later written into a novel by Barrie titled Peter and Wendy, published in 1911.

With Disney’s colorful animated feature released in 1953, the character instantly flew into the hearts of audiences. Though geared towards children, many adults find nostalgia and comfort in Peter Pan’s unabashed adventurous nature and relate to Wendy’s desire to hold tight to her childhood. Peter Pan’s story and the fascinating world of Never Land have been portrayed countless times in media from Steven Spielberg’s Hook to Joe Wright’s Pan. Disney has even further expanded the universe with Return to Never Land, a sequel to the original film, and six feature-length movies taking place in Pixie Hollow, the home of Tinkerbell.

6

The Parent Trap Starred a Young Lindsay Lohan in a Dual Role

Based on Lottie and Lisa by Erich Kästner

Hailing from German author Erich Kästner, Das doppelte Lottchen, also known as Lottie and Lisa and The Parent Trap, inspired not one but two Disney adaptations. Though the 1961 film proved to be massively successful for Disney, even being nominated for two Academy Awards, it’s the 1998 version that usually comes to mind when picturing the classic switch-up story.

Responsible for launching the career of decade-defining actress Lindsay Lohan, the film sees two twin girls separated at birth by their parents’ divorce meeting accidentally at Summer Camp for the first time. Once the girls get past the initial awkwardness of their identical features, they’re able to bond and make the shocking discovery that they are in fact, twins. The rest of the film follows the girls switching places at the end of the Summer to force their parents to meet again once they realize they’ve got the wrong daughter. Hilarious antics aside, the film contains a real sense of heart and showcases Lohan’s raw talent as she effortlessly maneuvers between playing the two girls.

5

The Rescuers Remains a Severely Underrated Part of the Disney Library

Based on The Rescuers by Margery Sharp

Luring audiences in with a brief and somewhat cryptic summary, The Rescuers, first published in 1959, introduces readers to the Prisoners’ Aid Society of Mice. These daring creatures are tasked with accompanying prisoners, but their directive is altered when word gets out about a Norwegian poet being held in a bleak prison known as the Black Castle. Disney’s often overlooked animated film from 1977 differs significantly from the novel’s darker undertones, but still keeps its roots in the disturbing, making for a compelling middle entry.

Arguably, the choice of having Miss Bianca and Bernard (who fill similar roles in the book as they do in the film) rescue an orphan girl kidnapped by a greedy treasure seeker cultivates a more unsettling tone than in the novel. Perhaps this unrelenting commitment to telling a harrowing story is to blame for The Rescuers’ lack of popularity and recognition within the Disney community. Though not as reputable, The Rescuers isn’t lacking in quality by any means and should be given a second viewing by Disney fans, especially if they haven’t visited it in a while.

4

A Wrinkle in Time Isn’t Afraid to Be Unique

Based on A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Another Disney film not known for its cinematic acclaim, A Wrinkle in Time still has so much to offer with its captivating visuals and star-studded cast. The book is a certified science fiction masterpiece within the children’s literary community, winning the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. Chronicling the suddenly upended life of 13-year-old Meg Murray when her father vanishes, the precocious protagonist travels to realms thought to only exist in dreams.

The book gorgeously combines influences of fantasy, science fiction, and mythology while the film harnesses a unique spectacle through eye-catching cinematography. The film also makes a deliberate choice to utilize its star power not just for marketability but as a thoughtful development of text to screen. With interdimensional beings, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who wielding such power in the book, it only makes sense that esteemed actresses Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling would step into these roles.

3

The Princess Diaries Tells a Fun Rags to Riches Story

Based on The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Pure early 2000s energy radiates off of this film while still possessing a regal and refined quality. The same can be said for the book which was written by renowned young adult novelist Meg Cabot. Watching the shy and nerdy Mia Thermopolis tread between her life as an ordinary teenager and sudden heir to the Genovian throne is both hilarious and heartwarming.

Mia’s personality was already well established on the page but Anne Hathaway’s lively performance invigorates the character. Julie Andrews’s sophistication and composure provide contrast and illustrate the stakes of the story causing audiences to ask if Mia will really be able to properly assume her royal duties. In addition to the more fantastical elements, both the film and novel feature a variety of comfort clichés within the coming-of-age canon as Mia deals with queen bees, friendship troubles, and other school stresses.

2

Treasure Planet Injects Sci-Fi Influence Into a Classic Adventure Story

Based on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Transforming Robert Louis Stevenson’s historical adventure novel into a sci-fi swashbuckler might not seem like it would work on paper, but Treasure Planet proves that some outlandish ideas stick the landing. A passion project for Ron Clements and Jon Musker first pitched in the 80s, Disney’s executives finally greenlit the film only for it to tank at the box office opening with just over $12 million. It’s considered a miracle that Treasure Planet was even made and its approval can most likely be attributed to Musker and Clements directing several hits for Disney including The Little Mermaid and Hercules.

Treasure Planet is another prime example that quality is not always measured by financial acclaim. The film’s creativity, specifically in the adaptation of staples of American literature, is evident throughout. Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver’s relationship is especially pivotal to the film, representing one of the starkest diversions from the novel. Surprisingly, it’s this relationship that sustains the film throughout and allows for more thoughtful development from these characters in ways not previously seen.

1

Freaky Friday Explores Mother-Daughter Relationships With a Hilarious Switch-Up

Based on Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

Another example of the grip that Lindsay Lohan had on early 2000s young-adult comedies, Freaky Friday, sees the young actress paired with industry veteran Jamie Lee Curtis. The two’s undeniable chemistry is at the heart of the film and undoubtedly contributes to its perpetual charm, setting it apart from other adaptations of the 1972 novel.

Even with the film solidifying a legacy among many millennials and older Gen Zers, the novel by Mary Rodgers often goes underappreciated, explaining the top spot position. Both stories align pretty similarly with the differences revolving around age, with Anna (Annabel in the book) being 15 in the film while only 13 in the book. The core message of learning to appreciate and understand each other as mother and daughter is as central in the film as it is in the book, designating both versions of the story as eternally pertinent.