Which Disney Films Should Have Had Storybook Openings?

[carolinakid]

These are the films I would have loved to have seen have the traditional storybook opening:

Bambi
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
101 Dalmatians
The Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast
Tangled*
Frozen*
(* I would have loved had their books been actually titled Rapunzel and The Snow Queen)

Live action:
Mary Poppins
Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Marce82]

Interesting topic idea!

I do agree on some of them. I think Storybook Openings should be mainly for fairytales or films set "long ago, in a faraway land"...
So:
- Little Mermaid (Definitely... starting with the seagulls in the fog is a little meh of an opening)
- Tangled (specially since one of the videogames had a prologue made with animated paint illustraions... that would have been awesome for the film)
- Frozen

Some I disagree with:

- 101 Dalmatians: setting was mid-20th century...
- Alice is set in victorian times... which is only like 70 years before the films release. Plus, the book opening/closing with the dream reveal... it already feels like the a bookend)
- Same for Peter Pan... the setting is only 40 years prior to the release of the film... and the book/play were actually contemporary to the time of writing.
- BATB.... I LOVE the stained glass opening... it's a clever twist on the storybook, but still fits.

All my opinions of course

[Disney Duster]

I agree completely with Marce82 except for The Little Mermaid. I love the gray opening turning to a sea of color.

[carolinakid]

Great answers!

I guess my rationale was that it would be neat if films based on books would begin with the book opening and the story beginning.

I’m a big fan of the book The Hundred And One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith, so that’s why I chose that.

During the opening of Pinocchio where we see the storybook, in the upper left corner are copies of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, so I thought it would be great if those 2 great pieces of literature began with their books opening.

I love the stained glass opening of Beauty and the Beast also, but there’s no reason a lovely storybook couldn’t open and then the original 1991 opening with the Beast’s Castle and the stained glass narration take over .

I would have chosen The Princess and the Frog too IF Disney had done a more faithful adaptation of the original European (as opposed to set in America) fairy tale of The Frog Prince.

Mulan and Aladdin storybook openings would have worked too, I believe.

[blackcauldron85]

Technically TP&tF is also based on the book "The Frog Princess" by E. D. Baker, so a storybook beginning would still make sense!

[Farerb]

A storybook prologue for The Princess and the Frog would make more sense to me than one for Tangled or Frozen.

[Warm Regards]

Unpopular thought but Pixar's Brave having a storybook opening (or a twist on it, like Merida's mother narrating the story of the evil king while we're show various tapestries) would have tied to a lot of the fantasy elements. Plus by introducing the evil king+ tapestry themes from the start it would make the mother/daughter story more believable as to why it's happening. (Precedent and history repeating itself.)

There is a deleted scene (short?) about the the 4 brothers/Mor'du that basically does this.

Probably wouldn't have excused the fact that the mom turns into a bear unless they changed the scope of the humor, though.

[carolinakid]

A storybook prologue for The Princess and the Frog would make more sense to me than one for Tangled or Frozen.

But Farerb, isn’t Rapunzel a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale in the vein of Snow White and Cinderella? May I ask why you think it wouldn’t make sense? I respect all opinions, but I’m curious on this one...

[Farerb]

But Farerb, isn’t Rapunzel a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale in the vein of Snow White and Cinderella? May I ask why you think it wouldn’t make sense? I respect all opinions, but I’m curious on this one...

It would make sense on a Rapunzel adaptation that is similar to the way Snow White and Cinderella were adapted.
Firstly, when I think of a book opening, I'm thinking about illustrations coming to life, Tangled is a CGI film. I also find the humor to be too irreverent and both Rapunzel and Eugene are too modern and less classic. Do you think a fairytale movie should end with this joke:

Flynn: After years, and years of asking, and asking, and asking. I finally said yes.

Rapunzel: Eugene

Flynn: All right, I asked her.

And this is the last shot of the film:

[singerguy04]

I like the storybook openings, but I'm also pretty happy with the films that have flipped that on their head too. Using another media to begin the story (like BatB, Pocahontas, or in a way Hercules). I think it sets up the mood that you're about the hear a story, like a "lets gather around the campfire" moment. I agree that TLM, TPatF, Tangled, and both Frozens could've benefited from that.

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm not sure I'd want TLM or B&TB changed at all. I don't think a narrated opening would be great with TLM, you'd take a lot away from the reveal of Ursula later, imo; that's the reason why even though I actually really like the cut alternative, longer take of "Fathoms Below," I can understand the reason behind why they cut it down. Perhaps instead of a fish falling from the ship at the beginning, they could've had a book fall to the bottom of the ocean instead just before the title appears over top of it? IDK, I like the way the fish escaping the humans ties into what comes later, Triton's fear and hatred of humans, etc. And B&tB's stained glass images are gorgeous--good point by singerguy04 that Hercules' opening is a bit of a twist on the old storybook openings, never really thought about that before!--but I admit it would be nice to have "books" for them that were as pretty as the ones for Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and The Sword in the Stone's--only for merchandise reasons really.

I think Tangled and Peter Pan would've been good fits with storybooks--Tangled already has a narrated opening. The TV series actually does what the film should do, having an opening and closing narration using a book full of Rapunzel's (Claire Keane's) artwork that is holy crap beautiful!

I adore Dalmatians' opening, I wouldn't want it to be any different. Bambi...eh, I think its story is so based in nature that pulling out to a book would sort of take you out? Perhaps a very brief book opening might've worked with Frozen, if the narrator simply starts the story with a very short line about the wive's tale of the "Frozen Heart" where that song plays a la "The Legend of the Sword" at the beginning of TSitS. Then again, like singerguy04 mentioned with Alice, it could have ended up as a case of re-starting the story too many times.

@Warm Regards: That's true about Brave. That's another one that I wish retained its original title, The Bear and the Bow, just like I preferred The Frog Princess for TP&TF (although "The Princess and the Frog" isn't as bad as these other cases where they're just adjectives... I only wish they'd kept the pretty and simplistic purple logo for TP&TF that they started with is all. ), The Snow Queen for Frozen, and Rapunzel for Tangled. Perhaps they could've used Elinor's narration over tapestry images of Mordu and everything...cut to Merida not paying attention. That opening would be similar to FernGully, with Magi narrating the tale of Hexxus using the beautiful cave artwork only to cut to Crysta ignoring her.

[carolinakid]

Great response. The only thing I would say is ...Bambi was a best selling book and if you look up the original release poster of Bambi from 1942, you’ll see a copy of the book cover in the lower corner of the poster. So even though it’s primarily a nature tale (although the first release of Bambi was promoted as a romance/love story) a book opening wouldn’t have been that farfetched.


Having said that, 20 or so years ago, when the Disney catalog included some great collectibles and adult clothing and not just kids’ junk, I purchased authentic replicas of the Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty storybooks as well as the Evil Queen’s Book of Spells. Except for some items from the Walt Disney Classics Collection of fine sculptures, these 4 book recreations are my most prized Disney collectibles. I have no idea what I’m gonna do with them when I’m gone. I wish I personally knew some Disney fans. I guess if my boyfriend survives me (he’s 5 years younger than I) he can put them on eBay and maybe make a little something...

[Disney Duster]

Beauty and the Beast should be all the castle and stained glass windows. A book that merges into stained glass windows doesn't flow.

Aladdin was a story told by a woman trying not to be killed, that should stay as is. Mulan was a legend, not a book, it should stay as is, or maybe Chinese scrolls.

Carolinakid, what's inside your storybook and spell book replicas? The actual pages of those books?

[Farerb]

I like that they managed to find creative ways to open the films during the Disney Renaissance. I like the book openings but using them too much could have been too repetitive and boring, like how every Disney film nowadays just opens with a boring prologue but also making sure to establish who's the narrator cause Disney thinks kids are dumb and wouldn't be able to understand. Seriously where are the muses when you need them??

[Sotiris]

Mulan was a legend, not a book, it should stay as is, or maybe Chinese scrolls.

The original prologue had the film open with shadow puppets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjs7gvok6OM

[Disney Duster]

Personally I didn't like that, but thanks for showing me.

[carolinakid]

Duster,
When you open the books there’s the first page you see when the books open on the screen. For the Book of Spells it’s the page of the antidote which mentions Love’s First Kiss. The rest of the book is hollowed out with a “secret” compartment about an inch deep. I’ve never put anything in them, but I assume one could put cash, jewelry, papers or photos, etc.
I love them so much, Duster. I googled them and while mine are no longer available; as I said, it has to be over 20 years since I got them, other collectible versions have come out from other companies. I would guess the Cinderella storybook is your favorite! I can’t pick one!

[Disney Duster]

Thank you for telling me, carolinakid! Now that you described them, I know what they are because not only have I seen them (except the spell book! That sounds cool! But when I looked it up, I found one that said "Poisons" and had the Poison Apple recipe as the first page. That it?), I own the Cinderella one, and yes, that is my favorite! I always thought it was the prettiest Disney storybook.

[singerguy04]

The Disney Store (right before closing/the pandemic) had a number of replica notebooks, is that what you're talking about? I have the Sleeping Beauty one and I adore it!

[carolinakid]

No, this isn’t a notebook; it’s more the kind of book you can put on a shelf in which you can hide things. I’d love to get the notebooks, though. Back in the day, at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney (pre-Disney Springs) they had notepads in which the paper was in the shape of Cinderella’s, Aurora’s and Belle’s gowns. They are so beautiful and unique I never even took the plastic wrapping off them, so they’re in mint condition. I wish now I had bought another set to actually write notes on!