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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Books Disney Films are Based On


(This picture was taken by us on our last family vacation to Disneyland.)

It has taken me almost two months to get this all sorted out, but here is a list of Disney films and the books that they are based on.

Why did I do this? Because I wanted to start reading the books which inspired so many of the movies that I love! (I'm a big fan of Disney movies - esp. the classics! My fan-dome kind of runs from 1937 - 1968 and from there on I'm much more picky!) I figured I'd share the list I intend to read from. You'll be seeing reviews of the following movies and books pop up from time to time around these parts!

Note that the movies are frequently LOOSELY based on the books listed here. Sometimes it seems as if the books and movies merely share the names of key characters. But even if there was a slight resemblance that I could verify online somewhere, I listed it!

I didn't list the Disney shorts - just the full length feature films. If you know of something I missed, please let me know and I'll update the list accordingly.

Are you surprised by any particular title or movie that you see here? I know I was (more than a few times!)

1930's:

1937 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Fairy Tale by the Brothers Grimm

1940's:

1940 - Pinocchio - based on Pinocchio: The Story of A Puppet, by Carlo Collodi
1941 - The Reluctant Dragon - based on The Reluctant Dragon, by Kenneth Grahame
1941 - Dumbo - based on Dumbo the Flying Elephant by Helen Aberson
1942 - Bambi - based on Bambi: A Life in the Woods, by Felix Salten
1946 - Song of the South - based on the The Tales of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris
1949 - So Dear to My Heart - based on Midnight and Jeremiah, by Sterling North
1949 - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - based on The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, and The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving

1950's:

1950 - Cinderella - based on Cinderella, by Charles Perrault
1950 - Treasure Island - based on Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
1951 - Alice in Wonderland - based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, by Lewis Carroll
1953 - Peter Pan - based on Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
1953 - The Sword and the Rose - based on the book When Knighthood Was in Flower, by Charles Major
1954 - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, based on Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne
1954 - Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue, based on Rob Roy, by Sir Walter Scott
1955 - Lady and the Tramp - based on short story "Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog" by Ward Greene. Ward Greene wrote a novelization of the book that released 2 years before the movie so that the public would be familiar with the story.
1956 - Westward Ho, The Wagons! - based on Children Of The Covered Wagon, by Mary Jane Carr
1957 - Johnny Tremain - based on Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
1957 - Perri - based on Perri, by Felix Salten
1957 - Old Yeller - based on Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson
1958 - The Light in the Forest - based on Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
1959 - Sleeping Beauty - based on Sleeping Beauty, by Charles Perrault
1959 - Darby O'Gill and the Little People - based on the Darby O'Gill, by Herminie Templeton Kavanagh
1959 - The Big Fisherman - based on The Big Fisherman, by Lloyd C. Douglas
1959 - The Shaggy Dog - based on The Hound of Florence, by Felix Salten

1960's:

1960 - Pollyanna - based on Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter
1960 - Toby Tyler - based on Toby Tyler: Ten Weeks with a Circus, by James Otis Kaler
1960 - Kidnapped - based on Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson
1960 - Swiss Family Robinson - based on The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss
1961 - One Hundred and One Dalmations - Based on 101 Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith
1961 - The Parent Trap - based on Lisa and Lottie (Das Doppelte Lottchen, by Erich Kastner
1961 - Babes in Toyland - based upon Victor Herbert's 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland
1961 - The Absent Minded Professor - based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity," by Samuel W. Taylor
1961 - Grayfriars Bobby - based on Greyfriars Bobby, by Eleanor Atkinson
1962 -Big Red - Based on Big Red, by Jim Kjelgaard
1962 - In Search of the Castaways - based on In Search of the Castaways: The Children of Captain Grant, by Jules Verne
1963 - Summer Magic - based on Mother Carey's Chickens, by Kate Douglas Wiggin
1963 - Savage Sam - based on Savage Sam, by Fred Gibson
1963 - The Sword in the Stone - based on The Sword in the Stone, by T.H. White
1963 - The Incredible Journey - based on The Incredible Journey, by Shila Burnford
1964 - Mary Poppins - based on Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers
1964 - The Three Lives of Thomasina - based on Thomasina the Cat Who Thought She Was God, by Paul Gallico
1964 - The Moon-Spinners - based on The Moon Spinners, by Mary Stewart
1964 - Emil and the Detectives - based on Emil and the Detectives, by Erich Kastner
1965 - That Darn Cat - based on Undercover Cat, by Gordon and Mildred Gordon
1966 - Follow Me, Boys! - based on God and My Country, by MacKinlay Kantor
1966 - The Ugly Dachshund - based on The Ugly Dachshund, by Gladys Bronwyn Stern
1966 - The Fighting Prince of Donegal, based on the novel Red Hugh: Prince of Donegal, by Robert T. Reilley
1967 - The Jungle Book - based on The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling
1967 - The Gnome-Mobile - based on The Gnome Mobile, by Upton Sinclair
1967 - The Happiest Millionaire - based on the play which was based on the book My Philadelphia Father, by Cordela Drexel Biddle
1968 - Blackbeard's Ghost - based on Blackbeard's Ghost, by Ben Stahl
1968 - The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band - based on Nebraska, by Laura Bower Van Nuys
1968 - The Love Bug - based on Car, Boy, Girl, by Gordon Buford
1969 - Rascal - based on Rascal, by Sterling North

1970's:

1971 - Bedknobs and Broomsticks - based on The Magic Bed-Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons and Bonfires and Broomsticks, by Mary Norton
1971 - The Million Dollar Duck - based on Mr. Webfoot Waddle, by Ted Key
1972 - The Biscuit Eater - based on the short story, The Biscuit Eater, by James H. Street
1972 - Snowball Express - based on Château Bon Vivant, by Frankie O'Rear
1973 - Robin Hood - based on legend
1973 - Charley and the Angel - based on The Golden Evenings of Summer, by Will Stanton
1974 - The Island at the Top of the World - based on The lost ones, by Ian Cameron
1975 - Escape to Witch Mountain - based on Escape to Witch Mountain, by Alexander Key
1975 - The Apple Dumpling Gang - based on The Apple Dumpling Gang, by Jack Bickham
1975 - One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing - based on Great Dinosaur Robbery, by David Forrest
1976 - Freaky Friday - based on Freaky Friday, by Mary Rodgers
1976 - No Deposit, No Return - based on story "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry
1976 - The Shaggy D.A. - based on The Hound of Florence, by Felix Salten
197? - Perri - based on Perri, by Felix Salten
1977 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - based on the books by A.A. Milne
1977 - The Rescuers - inspired by The Rescuers and Miss Bianca, by Margery Sharp
1977 - Pete's Dragon - based on unpublished short story by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field
1977- Candleshoe - based on Christmas at Candleshoe, by Michael Innes
1978 - Return from Witch Mountain - sequel to Escape and based on book by same tile, by Alexander Key
1979 - The Black Hole - inspired by Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne
1979 - The North Avenue Irregulars - based on The North Avenue Irregulars, by Albert Fay Hill
1979 - Unidentified Flying Oddball - inspired by by A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain

1980's:

1980 - The Watcher in the Woods - based on The Watcher in the Woods by Florence Engel Randall
1980 - Popeye - adapted from E.C. Segar's Popeye comic strip
1981 - Condorman - inspired by The Game of X, by Robert Scheckley
1981 - The Fox and the Hound - based on The Fox and the Hound by Daniel P. Mannix
1983 - Never Cry Wolf - based on Never Cry Wolf, by Farley Mowat
1983 - Something Wicked This Way Comes - based on Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
1985 - The Black Couldron - based on Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander
1985 - Return to Oz - based on Ozma of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
1985 - The Journey of Natty Gann - there is a book by Ann Matthews the same year, but I can't determine if it was a novelization of the movie or not. I suspect so.
1986 - The Great Mouse Detective - based on Basil of Baker Street, by Eve Titus
1987 - The Brave Little Toaster - based on the novella, The Brave Little Toaster, by Thomas M Disch
1988 - Oliver & Company - based on Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens
1989 - The Little Mermaid - based on same by Hans Christian Anderson

1990's:

1991 - White Fang - based on White Fang, by Jack London
1991 - Shipwrecked - based on "Haakon Haakonsen," published in 1873 by Norwegian novelist O. V. Falck-Ytter
1991 - Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken - based on A girl and Five Brave Horses, by Sonora Carver
1991 - The Rocketeer - based on Rocketeer comic strip created by Dave Stevens
1991 - Beauty and the Beast - based on version of Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Baumont
1992 - Aladdin -based on story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
1993 - Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey - There is a book by Sheila Burnford called, "The Incredible Journey" but it looks to have been published after the movie. I can't really tell.
1993 - The Three Musketeers - based on The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas
1993 - A Far Off Place - based on A Far-Off Place and A Story Like the Wind, by Laurens van der Post
1993 - The Adventures of Huck Finn - based on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
1994 - The Lion King - interestingly enough, it is based on the Bible Stories of Joseph and Moses and on William Shakespear's Hamlet
1994 - Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book
1995 - A Kid in King Arthur's Court - based on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain
1995 - Tom and Huck - based on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
1996 - James and the Giant Peach - based on James and the Giant Peach, by R. Dahl
1996 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo
1997 - Mr. Magoo - based on Mr. Magoo comic strip
1998 - Mulan - based on a poem, Musical Records of Old and New, which appeared in the 6th century
1999 - Tarzan - based on Tarzan of the Apes series by Edgar Rice Burroughs

2000's:

2000 - The Kid - One person credit the story as being based on Running from Safety: An Adventure of the Spirit, by Richard Bach but I can't find anything online to verify whether this is actually true. Certainly the premise sounds similar!
2001 - The Princess Diaries - based on The Princess Diaries, by Meg Cabot
2002 - Snow Dogs - based on Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod, by Gary Paulsen
2002 - The Rookie - possibly based on The Rookie: The Incredible True Story of a Man Who Never Gave Up on His Dream but the book and the movie came out about the same time and some have said that the book and movie are different. Hard for me to say.
2002 - Tuck Everlasting - based on Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
2002 - Treasure Planet - based on Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
2003 - Piglet's Big Movie - based on A.A. Milne works
2003 - Holes - based on Holes, by Louis Sachar
2003 - The Young Black Stallion - based on The Young Black Stallion: A Wild and Untamable Spirit!, by Walter and his son, Steve, Farley
2004 - Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen - based on Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, by Dyan Sheldon
2004 - Around the World in 80 Days - based on Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne
2005 - Pooh's Heffalump Movie - based on books by A.A. Milne
2005 - The Greatest Game Ever Played - based on The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Mark Frost
2005 - Chicken Little - based on fable Chicken Little
2005 - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch - based on Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
2006 - Glory Road - based on Glory Road, by Don Haskins
2007 - Bridge to Terabithia - based on Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
2007 - Meet the Robinsons - based on A Day with Wilbur Robinson, by William Joyce
2008 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - based on Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis
2008 - Tinker Bell - based loosely on Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
2009 - Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure - based loosely on Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
2009 - A Christmas Carol - based on A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
2009 - The Princess and the Frog - based on The Frog Princess, by E.D. Baker
2010 - Burton's Alice in Wonderland - based ever so loosely on Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
2010 - Tangled - based on German fairytale, Repunzel, by the Brothers Grimm
2011 - Winnie the Pooh - based on books by A.A. Milne
2012 - The Secret World of Arrietty - based on The Borrowers, by Mary Norton
2012 - John Carter - some sources say that this is based on A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (author of Tarzan). (See the John Carter of Mars Collection). Another source says it is based on the character of Barsoom, also created by Burroughs. See Barsoom Series Collection)
2012 - Let it Shine - is described as "generously borrowing from the French classic Cyrano de Bergerac", by Edmond Rostand.
2012 - Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings, based loosely on Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie.
2013 - Frozen - based on The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Anderson

27 comments:

Liz said...

Well, you managed to surprise me with this list. I'm a Disney fan and had no idea that so many of their movies were based on books. It's a very interesting list, and my curiosity is now piqued. Maybe I'll be adding a few of these to my to-be-read pile for fun?

Anonymous said...

Wow, Carrie! You really worked hard on this list. What a wealth of work!

OK, I have kind of an obscure question and I hope that you can help me answer it. Here goes---

When I was a kid I found a copy of Toby Tyler that had belonged to my uncle. I read it through many times and loved it! The book has since disappeared.

So, a couple of years ago I ordered Toby Tyler by James Otis Kaler because I thought my son would adore it, too. He did not and it was not the same book I remembered! The language was very archaic in it and that is not how I remember it. Is it possible that Disney re-issued the book when the movie came out in more modern language. I can still remember the cover art and it looked like it could tie in to the movie. My uncle would have been 9 when the movie came out so I think he got the book then.

OK, this question has been bugging me and now I thought I'd bug you with it, too! Thanks for any insight!

Cassandra said...

Interesting list.

If you're not aware, Voyage of the Dawn Treader is not a Disney Production. They dropped it in 2008 and 20th Century Fox picked it up with Walden Media. I remember when this happened because I was panicked that the movie wouldn't come out. :)

I don't usually quote wikis, but this is a good summary of what happened: "Due to Prince Caspian (Disney movie) grossing less than expected, Disney wanted a $100 million budget. However, Walden Media wanted a $140 million budget. On December 24, 2008, Disney chose not to go through with the much anticipated movie. On January 28, 2009, Fox 2000 decided to pick up the franchise, joining Walden Media for the production."

http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Dawn_Treader_(film)

Carrie said...

Mary Bailey- I know what you are talking about! There IS a version of the book that at least LOOKS like tie-in to the movie and I know that because my mom had it. Was it a hard back glossy looking book with Kevin Corcoran on the front? (My mom also had a matching copy of Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews on the front.)

Unfortunately, I was too young to read that copy when we had it. (Not sure what happened to it?) So I can't be certain of how the story read.

I've picked up several copies of the original book and love it (thankfully that's a story that is easy to find - at least around here.)

I did a quick search online and I didn't find anything that indicates there was a tie-in version, but that's not to say that that version wasn't one.

Carrie said...

Cassandra - yes! Thanks! I had forgotten about that and one list that I looked at still at Voyage on it. I'll take that off.

Cassandra said...

I hope they make movies out of the rest of the Narnia books! IMDB shows The Silver Chair scheduled for 2011 release, but there are NO details. :(

Just a couple other thoughts on this very long list! Did Disney do anything original? I'm scrolling through your list and it looks like everything is a book adaptation. Has Disney written anything of their own to produce as a movie or do they only adapt other people's writings? I'm just curious about this because I've noticed lately that a couple American films I've seen were ripped off of older Japanese titles! They weren't original at all when Hollywood produced them (Hachi comes to mind, as well as Shall We Dance).

Also, Lion King is based loosely on Joseph and Moses? Seriously? I haven't seen the movie in years but I can't think of any resemblance. How funny.

Carrie said...

Cassandra - Yeah. Jonathan questioned me on that also. ;D But several "sources" said the same thing so I typed it! And I can KIND of see it but then again, Disney loosely bases these things.

Yes. Disney wrote a lot of original films - mostly coming in in the 1980's and progressively more so in the 90's and 2000's (think primarily Pixar) and those are the movie you do NOT see listed here. Other than the Pixar films, the other original films that they produced I don't recall liking very much. I think they do a better job when there is a story to go on.

Cassandra said...

I just realized I worded my comment badly. I was scrolling through your list of book adaptations so duh nothing is original. ;) I just can't think of any Disney movies other than what you listed so wasn't sure if there were other Disney movies without cross checking some other list.

I like most of what Pixar has done, though I think Pixar is geared more for adults. I've been surprised that some of the Disney movies are not child friendly either! My mom asked me if I would recommend the new Alice in Wonderland movie for her to show to my 8 year old niece. In my opinion, no! :)

Thanks for putting together this list. I actually had no idea that Disney had released so many titles. When I think Disney, I usually just think Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, etc. The "classics."

Janet said...

What a great and thorough post! There are LOTS of surprises here for me...

Ticia said...

FYI: Young Black Stallion Walter and Steve FARLEY not Furley

On many of those you could say "based ever so loosely," that's what always cracked me up about Disney movies.

Looking forward to seeing what you have to say about all this.

Ronnica said...

Wow...that's quite the list!

Heidi said...

What an amazing list, Carrie. That must have taken you forever to put together!

Carrie said...

Ticia - thanks. I corrected that.

Heidi - It did! I think I started in June and whittled away at it until just last week!

Annette W. said...

WOW. Where in the world did you find time to compile that list! It's awesome! Thank you!

Yes, it's good that you used the term LOOSELY...

Is The Princess Bride Disney? I'll have to check my VHS tape. :) That's a book I want to read.

Annette W. said...

Nope...MGM did The Princess Bride. Sorry.

Carrie said...

Annette W - but PB is a good book, all the same!

Anonymous said...

Carrie, I just found the book on ebay. It is a glossy hardback and has a drawing of the movie Toby Tyler selling candy apples with his monkey. Gosh, that sentence sounds funny :-)

Anyway, the book is called Walt Disney's Toby Tyler and makes no mention of the original author. So maybe it was an adaptation of the story. I'm going to sleuth some more!

Amy @ Hope Is the Word said...

Wow! What a list!

I BELIEVE (I definitely could be wrong!) that Incredible Journey was a book before Homeward Bound was a movie. In fact, there might have even been another movie called Incredible Journey before HB came out. This is all from my VERY shaky memory, keep in mind. ;-)

Heather VanTimmeren said...

What a list! I'll be looking forward to your thoughts and comparisons and, no doubt, adding to my read-aloud list!

justpeachy36 said...

I really appreciate the work that went into producing such s big list. The research must have been a doozy!

Thanks for such a great post.

Stumbeline said...

Incredible list. Thanks, Carrie! It makes me wish someone would have a Disney movie marathon. I'll have to add at least a few of these to my reading list.

Was The Wolves of Willoughby Chase a Disney movie?

Stephanie Kay said...

My goodness! That's quite a list!! Thanks for all your hard work.

I introduced my kids to The Apple Dumpling Gang and it's sequel last week. They thought it was funny. My boys especially liked the antics of Don Knots and Tim Conway. I had no idea there was a book!

Joel is currently reading the 1st book in the Prydain series out loud with Will. We are all enjoying the adventure and may need to watch the movie when we finish.

Brimful Curiosities said...

Geez, thanks for compiling this list. Must have taken an eternity.

Brimful Curiosities said...

There's another Tinker Bell movie out this month, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, that you might want to add to the list.

Unknown said...

What an awesome list! Being that I am a Disney World fanatic, I may have to start working on these books as well. It would certainly add another layer to our trips!

Anonymous said...

The Absent-Minded Professor is not based off of a book according to disney polls and quizzes

Diary of an Autodidact said...

This is an incredible reference. It must have taken some time...

Just a couple of corrections:

1. The Incredible Journey is correctly listed for the 1963 version, but not for the 1993 version. The book predated both movies, published in 1961.

2. For clarity, The Jungle Book is based on both The Jungle Book and the Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. The Mowgli stories are scattered through both books, with other, stand alone, stories included as well. Some editions have just the Mowgli stories, and others have the first book only, while still others have both books.

Again, I am thoroughly impressed with this list. Two thumbs up.

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