Abstract:
This dissertation discusses classic fairy tales and the way they are adapted to
the audience of the 21st century. It focuses on 3D animations and video games, two
common and popular mediums amongst the youth, and aims to see what changes
to a classic story or settings need to be made in order for children or teenagers to be
able to relate and be engaged in the story and its protagonists. In the first place, this
thesis showcases the very first fairy tales and how they came to be known as such,
their genesis, role in the 17th century society as well as their evolution from the to
the current times. It then proceeds to demonstrate two ways of adapting a fairy tale
for the modern viewer — the first one being inserting a fairy tale or its characters into
a modern setting, with elements of the viewers’ real daily life, such as modern
clothes, towns, society. Said way is backed up with the case studies of two animated
films in particular: The Weinstein’s Company’s Hoodwinked! and Disney’s Chicken
Little . The second analysis shows adaptations of fairy tales in their original fantasy
setting, and modernising them through giving the characters meta-knowledge,
breaking the fourth wall or becoming self-aware, playing on the popular tropes. This
is demonstrated by Dreamwork’s S hrek. To expand on modern mediums, it also
shows how fairy tales can be adapted in video games — usually with dark twists —
showcasing their use in the Witcher 3, as well as American McGee’s games.
