Kevin Yee's efforts to define what a fairytale is fell short of the mark. He boiled it down to: "we know one when we see one".

It seems to me that the article - just as Disney animated features do - jumbles together animal tales, fairy tales,legends, and tall tales, all of which Disney has drawn from. Can you think of a Disney animated film with animal characters who talk, miraculous happenings and fantastic transformations, adventures ascribed to a local figure, and preposterous feats of strength and bravery? "Cinderella", "Mulan", and just about every other animated feature come to mind.

Each of these forms of the folktale do share a common past in oral tradition and the concerns of ordinary people.

Hi there,

I don't disagree with any of your comments! That said,

Mulan and Cinderella *do* draw from oral tradition (thus making them "folk" fairy tales rather than "literary" fairy tales), but not all the Disney movies do this. Peter Pan or Dumbo, for example, come from one literary source (as does Mary Poppins, Bambi, and others).

I'm not sure why you think my definition fell short of the mark. I think we *do* know a fairy tale when we see one. I tried to give some reasons beyond that - such as an affectational reaction and the narrative parameters of short, gripping prose - but really the idea was to *limit* what a fairy tale is rather than make anything a possible fairy tale.

On the third hand [grin], there's nothing like a healthy debate. I respect your opinion and would welcome others!