The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

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The Disney Changes to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Many movies lose the originality and details possessed by the literature the movie is based on. A prime example of this is “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” written by Washington Irving compared to the cartoon produced by Disney in 1949. By changing “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” into a children’s Halloween story, Disney was able to sell more movies than if they had left the story in its original state. The story became more acceptable to a general audience by removing racial discrimination, avoiding religious association, and by simplifying the story.

Many adjustments were made to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the first was about the racial discrimination that was present in the …show more content…
In Irving’s copy of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Ichabod “picked up many bright shillings by instructing the young folks in psalmody” (Irving 8) Ichabod’s instruction of young people in Disney’s movie is that he teaches and leads the young ladies in song. However, he did not sing a psalm once. By avoiding the smallest idea of psalms, Disney did not associate the movie with any religion and could sell more copies to a larger audience. In addition to not using psalms, Disney also did not include how Ichabod’s disappearance “caused much speculation at the church on the following Sunday” (Irving 30). Disney left out the minute detail that, in turn, kept the movie from being strongly associated with the Christian church. Thus, Disney did not irritate other religions by only including the Christian church, but rather allowed all people to relate to the movie. The viewer's connection to the movie allowed for more sales than if the movie had strictly followed the original …show more content…
One of the components not included was the break-up between Ichabod and Katrina at the end of the party. By avoiding the drama that occurred between Ichabod and Katrina, Disney created an animated story that is easily comprehended by younger audiences. Along with the break-up, Disney also left out detailed description, such as the “blue jay, that noisy coxcomb, in his gay light blue coat and white underclothes, screaming and chattering, nodding and bobbing and bowing, and pretending to be on good terms with every songster of the grove” (Irving 19). The original text description is abundantly deep and eloquent compared to the Disney movie. The difference in the movie’s portrayal represents how Disney simplified the story so that younger audiences could understand, and thus, sell more movies. Within the movie, Disney said that the Van Tassel family was hosting a Halloween frolic, unlike Irving’s story that included a “merry-making or quilting-frolic” (Irving 17). Disney’s choice to associate the party with Halloween is what creates a seasonal movie that audiences love and will watch annually. This annual ritual by families is what helped Disney to then sell more copies of the movie by slightly tweaking the setting of the story.

Disney’s changes to “The
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