Disney's Global Adaptation of Classic Fairy Tales from a Semantic Perspective--The Concept of "Beauty" in Snow White

Abstract

As a classic representative of world fairy tale literature, the semantic study of Grimm's Fairy Tales has always been one of the important topics in the field of fairy tale research. As one of the most frequent classic characterizations in fairy tales, the semantic complexity of the concept of "beauty" in the text is usually overlooked. This study tries to analyze the Grimm's fairy tale Snow White and the Disney adaptation film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the main textual sample of this study. Disney diminished the historical and original cultural elements. Instead, it amplified visual images and commercial value to enhance its intellectual property's spread, acceptance, and influence. This study takes a semantic perspective, uses sense analysis and semantic field theory to deconstruct the multilayered meanings of the word "beauty". Discovering what connotations Disney's adaptations of characters changed and how Disney achieves its global commercial goals and cultural globalization.