In 2009 Walt Disney published the movie "The Princess and the Frog", a story set in 1920s New Orleans. The particular thing of the movie was the return of Disney to traditional 2-D hand-drawn animation. But what kind of story is it? It would seem that this should be a remake of the old fairy tale "The Frog Prince".
But aside from classical components like the frog, magical moments, and the princess there are still a lot of changes in the content, characters and settings in the story. This leads to the question if "The Princess and a the Frog" is nevertheless a fairy tale with all these changes relating to the original story? To find out this essay will have a focus on the structural form of fairy tales.
To begin with, the essay considers a theoretical part about the origin and definition of fairy tales. It explores some characteristics and gives an overview about the genres the fairy tale belongs to. Afterwards it takes a closer look on the concept for structural analysis. In "Morphology of the Folktale" Vladimir Propp analysed fairy tales referring to their structure.
In continuation, segueing into the individual analysis of "The Princess and the Frog", the essay will study Disney’s story and Propp’s theory connectedly. It aims to find out what they have in common and to which extend they are quite different.
In the conclusion I will sum up and evaluate the key results gained by the former studies. It will additionally come back to the opening question if Disney’s story is still a fairy tale according to Propp’s analysis.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE FAIRY TALE - ORIGINS AND DEFINITION
3. PROPP’S CONCEPT FROM THE “MORPHOLOGY OF THE FOLKTALE”
4. ANALYSIS OF DISNEY’S THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
5. CONCLUSION
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this study is to examine whether the Disney film "The Princess and the Frog" adheres to the structural principles of traditional fairy tales as defined by Vladimir Propp in his seminal work, "Morphology of the Folktale." By applying Propp’s 31 narrative functions and character roles to the modern animated film, the paper explores the extent to which contemporary adaptations maintain the structural integrity of the genre while incorporating modern plot complexities.
- Theoretical exploration of the origins and characteristics of fairy tales.
- In-depth analysis of Vladimir Propp’s structural approach to folktales.
- Application of Propp’s 31 narrative functions to the plot of "The Princess and the Frog."
- Examination of character roles (dramatis personae) within the Disney narrative.
- Evaluation of the development and evolution of fairy tale structures in contemporary media.
Excerpt from the Book
4. Analysis of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog
The following paragraphs deal with the individual functions of the dramatis personae in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. The analysis examines if they occur at all and in the order suggested by Propp’s Morphology, because “the series of function represents the morphological foundation of fairy tales in general.” In this manner it can be proved if Disney’s story is a fairy tale as defined by Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale.
At first every story begins with an initial situation where the members of the family or the future hero is introduced to the reader. We have this situation in Disney’s story, too. You get to know Tiana, her mother Eudora and Tiana’s best friend Charlotte LaBouff. Eudora is telling the original story of the Frog Princess to the two girls. The initial situation is not a function, but it is however an important morphological element. It is important to note that we have a second initial situation in Disney’s story where the character prince Naveen and his servant Lawrence are introduced.
Afterwards the morphological analysis begins with the following three functions: (1)“One of the members of a family absents himself from home”, (2)“An interdiction is addressed to the hero” and (3)“The interdiction is violated”. As mentioned in the last chapter one role can be distributed among various characters. The character of the hero is temporary split between Naveen and Tiana. Looking at the story the first three functions fits precisely to prince Naveen. He is absent from his home, a country far away. His parents stopped giving him money and try to force him to work. Naveen tries to violate this interdiction by keeping on his party life.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the research context, the specific focus on Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," and outlines the methodological approach using Propp’s structural theories.
2. THE FAIRY TALE - ORIGINS AND DEFINITION: This section provides a theoretical background on the definition, characteristics, and sub-genres of fairy tales within the broader field of folk literature.
3. PROPP’S CONCEPT FROM THE “MORPHOLOGY OF THE FOLKTALE”: This chapter details Vladimir Propp's formalist method, focusing on his identification of 31 recurring narrative functions and character roles in Russian folktales.
4. ANALYSIS OF DISNEY’S THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG: This section applies Propp's structural framework to the plot and characters of the Disney movie to identify similarities and differences in narrative structure.
5. CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the study's findings, arguing that despite deviations from Propp’s strict model, the movie retains essential elements of the fairy tale genre.
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY: This chapter lists the academic sources and primary texts consulted for this research paper.
Keywords
Fairy Tale, Morphology, Vladimir Propp, Disney, The Princess and the Frog, Structural Analysis, Folktale, Dramatis Personae, Narrative Functions, Folklore, Literature, Adaptation, Formalism, Character Roles, Myth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing the 2009 Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog" to determine if it maintains the structural characteristics of a traditional fairy tale as defined by Vladimir Propp.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
The study covers the definition of fairy tales, the historical development of folk narratives, Propp's structuralist theory, and the application of narrative functions to modern film adaptations.
What is the central research question?
The research seeks to answer whether "The Princess and the Frog" can still be classified as a traditional fairy tale, given the changes in its content and structure compared to original oral tales.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author uses Vladimir Propp’s syntagmatic structural analysis, specifically his framework of 31 narrative functions and seven dramatis personae.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body compares Disney's plot points against Propp’s 31 functions, identifies character roles, and highlights where the movie deviates from or adheres to the classical pattern.
Which keywords define this academic work?
Key terms include Fairy Tale, Morphology, Vladimir Propp, Structural Analysis, and Disney.
Why did the author choose to split the 'hero' role between two characters?
The author observes that the narrative functions in Disney's version are distributed, noting that the hero role is temporarily shared between Naveen and Tiana, which contrasts with traditional monological hero patterns.
How does the movie deviate from Propp's 31 functions?
The paper notes that while the beginning of the movie aligns with the first pattern of narration, significant differences occur from function 19 onwards, likely due to the need for a more complex plot in a feature-length film.
Does the conclusion state that Disney's film is a fairy tale?
Yes, the author concludes that despite major structural differences in the latter half of the story, the film retains the basic elements of a fairy tale and represents the ongoing evolution of the genre.
- Quote paper
- Kirsten Burmeister (Author), 2015, Mophology of the fairy tale. Disney's literary original "The Princess and the Frog" analysed on the basis of Propp's „Morphology of the folktale“, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/335550
