Most people are already fans of Disney, but some are taking a little bit more time becoming fans of “Once Upon a Time.” This is a mistake because this show can broaden their perspective on fairy tales. Some people are of the opinion that fairy tales must have a happy ending. Other people are of the opinion that fairy tales need only to teach a lesson, and this may not require having a happy ending. Here you will see why the show "Once Upon a Time" (whose episodes always end with a new problem) is as good as, if not better than the famous and classic Disney movies (which always have a happy ending). "Once Upon a Time" is just as good of a fairy tale as Disney movie fairy tales because it makes characters relatable, it teaches lessons in a real way, and it has believable endings.
"Once Upon a Time" combines and changes the lives and stories of many different characters in a way that makes the characters more relatable to everyday people. Disney movies have unrelatable villains. Cruella DeVille and Ursula are evil just to be evil. Viewers are given no reason for this, leaving them to think maybe the writers just needed a villain. Villains with no reason to be evil lack both complexity and relatability. They serve only to further the character development of the hero. “Once Upon a Time” draws viewers, because it allows them to relate to the “villains” as well as the “heroes.” Many real people can be heroes and villains in the same day and sometimes at the same time. For this reason, they will relate better to characters that have imperfections and sometimes do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
One prime example of a lovable villain would be Regina (the evil queen). She is loved and hated by many, because of her real problems in dealing with pain and more importantly, love. Most ordinary people can relate to feelings of love and many people do crazy things for love all the time. The writers of OUAT understand this, so they motivate their characters by the single most universal emotion of love. Since love is so universal, virtually anyone can relate to a character that does something (whether good or bad) in order to protect the ones that they love.
"Once Upon a Time" is successful not only because of the relatability of characters but also because it teaches lessons without glazing over things that are hard to deal with. The show is very hopeful at points and yet we still experience the pain. Cora killed Regina’s true love right in front of her, Little Red Riding Hood ate her boyfriend, and Peter Pan is seriously evil. Classic Disney fairy tales are known for making cartoons that have darkness in them, however this darkness is never talked about deeply, and viewers are left only to marvel at the happy ending. Simba loses his father, but he goes on to meet some fun and crazy friends and take back the kingdom from his evil Uncle Scar. Cinderella grows up with an evil stepmother, but shortly after one night at a ball, she marries the prince and lives happily ever after. Ariel is miserable under the sea and makes a deal with an evil sea witch, but in the end, her father saves her and she is able to spend the rest of her days on land with the handsome Prince Eric. Disney fairy tales make everyone happy but they are not realistic. OUAT, however, gives viewers the darkness that is required to make them think and really wonder how there can still be a happy ending with all that is wrong.
Fairy tales that are truly scary and relatable teach people how to deal with real life. In order to really learn a lesson, people need to first, fully experience the bad. If we don’t find anything wrong with the bad, than why fight for good? People need to feel the guilt and pain before they can fully appreciate the true love of doing the right thing and being the hero. This is why Once is so successful, it not only teaches you a lesson, it forces you to feel the lesson where you most need it, your heart.
