Rapunzel Rapunzel Let Down Your Hair

Have you ever seen the Rapunzel cartoon by HBO's "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales For Every Child" series? Maybe, maybe not. Most people are familiar with Walt Disney's Verison of the Rapunzel tale called "Tangled". But what are the similarities between these two tales, and what makes them so different?

Starting off with their differences, a big one is that in HBO's Rapunzel the entire cast was black. And in the Disney version, all the characters were white. Another difference is that the villain in this story was a "hoodoo witch" who stole Rapunzel and wanted her to also be a witch. But in the Disney version, the villain stole Rapunzel because her magical hair kept her young. The last big difference is that in the HBO Rapunzel, she met her lover in her garden before she got locked in her tower. In the Walt Disney version, her lover climbed in her tower and met her, but it was a very alarming interaction.

Some similarities are that in both tales, Rapunzel's lover wasn't a prince. But he was in the Grimm brothers version. Another similarity that these two tales share is that Rapunzel has a way with animals. She connects to them unlike most of the other characters. But to be fair this happens in a lot of fairy tales. The last similarity/difference worth mentioning is that Rapunzel's lover has two sidekicks. In the HBO version, they're his loyal best friends. But in the Disney version, he betrays them and they become villains in the film.

Thanks for reading this week's blog! Happy Holidays!
link to HBO Rapunzel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWT6vNz5SDM