Blog #8

The classic Grimm fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" is a dark and hauntingly human tale about a brother and sister who must work together to defeat the evil found in the woods and return home. Over the years this famous story has been adapted many times into many forms of literature, film, and television. One of these adaptions is the 1987 MGM film. This more traditional adaption contains many strong similarities to the original fairy tale, but it also has many major differences.

A lot of the important themes from the original story are still present in the film. For example, Hansel and Gretel are still young siblings who are extremely close and care for each other very much. Hansel and Gretel also remain the main protagonists of the story and outwit the witch with their clever schemes instead of relying on magic or adults to save them. The siblings also come from a very poor family that struggles to find enough food to eat, just like the original story. These themes were all important to keep because they show a realistic depiction of life in that time period and illustrate to children that they have the power to defeat challenges in life.

Most of the changes made to plot were for purposes of entertainment and to make the story lighter for young audiences. For example, one of the biggest changes was that Hansel and Gretel got lost in the woods by accident, instead of being abandoned by their parents on purpose. In the movie the parents both love the children and are distraught when they find out the children are missing. Another change was that the other children kidnapped by the witch were rescued in the end instead of being presumed dead or eaten. Overall, the movie version was just more complicated and involved a lot of complex plot points that were never mentioned in the original like the baker, the witch's magical staff, and all of the songs. These changes were all made by the movie makers in order to make the film longer, more interesting, lighter, and more child friendly.

Sources: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi6htvG9N3lAhVDn-AKHeJJAPkQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fit.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FHansel_e_Gretel_(film_1987)&psig=AOvVaw1v1zjmY21TWEvhoQlQ0Y6_&ust=1573415686833599

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