Cynical Storyteller's List of Favourite Fairy Tale Retellings and Adaptations
An (inconclusive) list of personal favourites.
Back in November 2022, I put out a list of retellings and adaptations — across various forms of media — of around forty European fairy tales. Looking back, it was an ambitious idea but ultimately a flawed one. One obvious problem was that there are so many versions of fairy tales out there, with more being released each year, that keeping track of them all is almost impossible. And even if I did try, the resulting post would be so long it would be a nightmare to navigate.
Another problem was the format itself. By listing adaptations only for the popular European fairy tales, I left out plenty of great retellings either because they were not based on well-known stories or because they weren’t European at all. And as I’ve been exposed over the years to more and more retellings (of widely varying qualities), my interest has shifted to highlighting those that I not only enjoy but genuinely think are worth your time.
So I decided to overhaul the list. This time around, I’m focusing solely on my personal favourite fairy tale retellings and adaptations — or at least the ones I think are good and worth recommending. Of course, this is all subjective, and my tastes won’t align with everyone else’s, but I’d like to think it’ll still serve as a good starting point for fans and newcomers alike.
This list covers retellings and adaptations of folk and fairy tales from around the world, though given that mainstream media seems to favour the popular European ones (I’m referring here, of course, to the Disney live-action remakes), those will inevitably make up the bulk of it. I have tried, nonetheless, to include a variety of mediums, genres, and storytelling approaches, as well as the stories being adapted. Even if there won’t be many titles based on non-European stories, at least there will be plenty of ones based on lesser-known stories.
Everyone has their own idea of what counts as a fairy tale, and this list reflects mine. That means some stories that you (or someone else) might consider to be fairy tales — like Alice in Wonderland, Swan Lake, and Peter and the Wolf — won’t be included here. If you’re curious about my reasoning, I go into detail in my essay on folk and fairy tales, specifically in the section “What is a Fairy Tale?”. Also, when I say “retellings and adaptations,” I don’t just mean straightforward versions of the originals — I mean adaptations that substantially change the stories. Whether it’s from Disney or Angela Carter, this list is about reworkings rather than simple retellings.
This new list is organised by medium, as the Entry Shortcuts section makes clear. This format, I believe, makes it easier to accommodate works that adapt multiple stories at once, which was one of the hurdles of the old list. However, like the old list, this one won’t include stage or video game adaptations, on the grounds that they aren’t fixed forms of media like books, films, and TV shows, but also because they aren’t my area of expertise. Sometimes, I’ll list an entire series or anthology; other times, I’ll highlight specific stories or episodes from them — most of the time, I’ll do both. Wherever necessary, I’ve included additional notes for certain entries.
If a particular fairy tale adaptation isn’t on the list, it’s probably for one of two reasons: 1. I haven’t seen or read it yet, or 2. I have seen or read it, but I didn’t like it. Like I said, this list reflects my own personal tastes. Also, don’t expect every section to be evenly filled out. For example, the sections on comic books and internet works are quite short compared to others. Some, like the one on fairy tale novels, include titles that may seem atypical to what you’d find on similar lists. This is partly due to my limited time, but mostly because I’ve lost interest in that kind of novel. Too many of them have become formulaic or overloaded with identity politics. That said, I’ll still check out the occasional one if it piques my interest and I have the time. So expect this list to be dominated by film and television adaptations.
My hope with this list is that it introduces readers to retellings and adaptations they haven’t encountered before, especially ones that are obscure or largely unknown outside their country of origin (this is especially true of the Märchenfilme). And it goes without saying, but this list will be updated regularly whenever I come across a new personal favourite.
Also, as of this post’s publication, the old list will be privatised. Someday, I might actually document every fairy tale retelling and adaptation in existence, but this post (or this Substack page, for that matter) is not the place for that.
For now, enjoy this (much more) manageable list.
Entry Shortcuts
Märchenfilme (German Fairy Tale Films)
Comic Books and Graphic Novels
Films (Disney)
Aladdin (directors Ron Musker and Jon Clements, 1992)
Beauty and the Beast (directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, 1991)
Cinderella (directors Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and Wilfred Jackson, 1950)
Cinderella (director Robert Iscove, 1997) (Remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella)
Cinderella (director Kenneth Branagh, 2015)
The Little Mermaid (directors Ron Musker and Jon Clements, 1989)
Once Upon a Mattress (director Kathleen Marshall, 2005)
Pinocchio (directors Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, and Wilfred Jackson, 1940)
Sleeping Beauty (director Clyde Geronimi, 1959)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (directors William Cottrell, David Hand, and Wilfred Jackson, 1937)
Tangled (directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, 2010)
Märchenfilme (German Fairy Tale Films)
DEFA
Dornröschen (Briar Rose) (director Walter Beck, 1971)
Froschkönig (The Frog King) (director Walter Beck, 1988)
Die Geschichte von der Gänseprinzessin und ihrem treuen Pferd Falada (The Story of the Goose Princess and Her Loyal Horse Falada) (director Konrad Petzold, 1989)
Gevatter Tod (Godfather Death) (director Wolfgang Hübner, 1980)
König Drosselbart (King Thrushbeard) (director Walter Beck, 1965)
Der Meisterdieb (The Master Thief) (director Wolfgang Hübner, 1978)
Rapunzel oder der Zauber der Tränen (Rapunzel or the Magic of Tears) (director Ursula Schmenger, 1988) (Based on “Rapunzel” and “Maid Maleen”)
Sechs auf einen Streich
Aschenputtel (Cinderella) (director Uwe Janson, 2011)
Dornröschen (Briar Rose) (director Oliver Dieckmann, 2009)
Vom Fischer und seiner Frau (The Fisherman and his Wife) (director Christian Theede, 2013)
Frau Holle (Mother Holle) (director Bodo Fürneisen, 2008)
Die Gänsemagd (The Goose Girl) (director Sibylle Tafel, 2009)
Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) (director Uwe Janson, 2012)
Des Kaisers neue Kleider (The Emperor’s New Clothes) (director Hannu Salonen, 2010)
Die kleine Meerjungfrau (The Little Mermaid) (director Irina Popow, 2013)
König Drosselbart (King Thrushbeard) (director Sibylle Tafel, 2008)
Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern (The Little Match Girl) (director Uwe Janson, 2013)
Rotkäppchen (Little Red Cap) (director Sibylle Tafel, 2012)
Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot (Snow White and Rose Red) (director Sebastian Grobler, 2012)
Die Sterntaler (The Star Thalers) (director Maria von Heland, 2011)
Märchenperlen
Aschenputtel (Cinderella) (director Susanne Zanke, 2010)
Der Eisenhans (Iron Hans) (director Manuel Siebenmann, 2011)
Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) (director Anne Wild, 2006)
Rotkäppchen (Little Red Cap) (director Klaus Gietinger, 2005)
Schneewittchen und der Zauber der Zwerge (Snow White and the Magic of the Dwarfs) (director Ngo The Chau, 2019) (Do not watch the English dub!)
Die Schöne und das Biest (Beauty and the Beast) (director Marc-Andreas Bochert, 2012)
Die sechs Schwäne (The Six Swans) (director Karola Hattop, 2012)
Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren (The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs) (director Hans-Günther Bücking, 2009)
Films (General)
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (director Lotte Reiniger, 1926)
Belle (director Mamoru Hosoda, 2021)
La Belle et La Bête (Beauty and the Beast) (director Jean Cocteau, 1946)
Beauty and the Beast (director Fielder Cook, 1976)
Ever After (director Andy Tennant, 1998)
The Girl Without Hands (director Sébastien Laudenbach, 2016)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, 2022)
Jak se budí princezny (How to Wake a Princess) (director Václav Vorlícek, 1978) (Based on “Sleeping Beauty”)
The Little Humpbacked Horse (directors Ivan I. Ivanov-Vano and Boris Butakov, 1947; remake 1975)
Ponyo (director Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
Sedmero krkavců (The Seven Ravens) (director Alice Nellis, 2015) (Based on the variant by Božena Němcová)
Shrek (directors Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, 2001)
Shrek 2 (directors Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon, 2004)
Sípková Ruzenka (Sleeping Beauty) (director Stanislav Párnicky, 1991)
The Snow Queen (director Lev Atamanov, 1957)
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (director Isao Takahata, 2013)
Short Films
Aschenputtel (Cinderella) (director Lotte Reiniger, 1922)
The Emperor’s New Clothes (director Michael Sporn, 1991)
The Little Matchgirl (director Roger Allers, 2006) (Disney)
Little Red Riding Hood (director David Kaplan, 1997) (Based on the French folk tale “The Story of Grandmother”)
Le petit soldat (The Little Soldier) (director Paul Grimault, 1948) (Based on “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”)
Rusalochka (The Little Mermaid) (director Ivan Aksenchuk, 1968)
The Scarlet Flower (director Lev Atamanov, 1952)
Three Little Pigs (director Burt Gillett, 1933) (Disney)
Thumbelina (director Lotte Reiniger, 1954)
TV Shows
Animated Tales of the World (creator Christopher Grace, 2000-2004)
“Cap’n O.G. Readmore’s Puss in Boots” from ABC Weekend Specials (director Rick Reinert, 1988)
Cindy - Cinderella ‘80 (director Roberto Malenotti, 1984)
Faerie Tale Theatre (creator Shelley Duvall, 1982-87) (Personal recommendations: “Sleeping Beauty”, “Hansel and Gretel”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers”, “Cinderella”, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, “Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp”, “The Dancing Princesses”)
The Fairytaler (director Jørgen Lerdam, 2002) (Personal recommendations: “The Little Mermaid”, “The Traveling Companion”, “The Flying Trunk”, “What the Old Man Does is Right”, “Thumbelina”, “Jack the Fool”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “Sausage Peg Soup”)
Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics (director Hiroshi Saito, Original: 1987-88; English Dub: 1989-91) (Personal recommendations: “Hansel and Gretel”, “Little Red Riding Hood”,“Snow White and Rose Red”, “Snow White”, “The Six Who Went Far in the World”, “Bluebeard”, “Jorinde and Joringel”, “Briar Rose”, “Old Sultan”, “The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes”, “The Old Woman in the Woods”, “The Coat of Many Colours”, “The Brave Little Tailor”)
“Cinderella” and “The Town Musicians of Bremen” from The Grimm Variations (Wit Studio, 2024)
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child) (directors Bruce W. Smith, Edward Bell, and Anthony Bell, 1995-2000) (Personal recommendations: “Rumpelstiltskin”, “The Valiant Little Tailor”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Snow White”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “Thumbelina”, “Puss in Boots”)
Hungarian Folk Tales (directors Marcell Jankovics et al, 1980-2012)
Jim Henson’s The StoryTeller (creator Jim Henson, 1987) (Personal recommendations: “The Soldier and Death”, “The Three Ravens”, “The Heartless Giant”)
Season 1 of Once Upon a Time (creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, 2011-12)
Revolting Rhymes (directors Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer, 2016)
Simsala Grimm (André Sikojev, Stefan Beiten, and Claus Clausen: Season 1: 1999-2000; Season 2: 2010) (Season 2 is especially recommended over Season 1.)
Novels
Beauty and the Basement (Olivia Snowe, 2014)
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast (Robin McKinley, 1978)
The Beggar Prince: A King Thrushbeard Retelling (Kate Stradling, 2023)
Breadcrumbs (Anne Ursu, 2011) (Based on “The Snow Queen”)
The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale (Ben Miller, 2020) (Mostly a retelling of “Sleeping Beauty”)
East (Edith Pattou, 2003) (Based on “East of the Sun and West of the Moon”)
Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine, 1997)
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (Chris Colfer, 2012)
Letters from Rapunzel (Sara Lewis Holmes, 2007) (Not a retelling of “Rapunzel,” but it uses the story to allude to the novel’s events.)
The Scarecrow King: A Romantic Retelling of the King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale (Jill Myles, 2013)
Sleeping Beauty: The One Who Took the Really Long Nap (Wendy Mass, 2006)
Snow & Rose (Emily Winfield Martin, 2017) (Based on “Snow White and Rose Red”)
A Tale Dark & Grimm (Adam Gidwitz, 2010)
Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride (Barbara Ensor, 2008)
The Wild Swans (Jackie Morris, 2015)
Anthologies
Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales (Emily Jenkins, 2017)
The Fairy’s Return and Other Princess Tales (Gail Carson Levine, 2009; stories originally published 1999-2002)
Fairy Tales: Traditional Stories Retold for Gay Men (Peter Cashorali, 1997) (Personal recommendations: “The Man Who Was Lovers With a Pigeon”, “The Ugly Duckling”, “Penny Loafers”)
Hilary McKay’s Fairy Tales (Hilary McKay, 2017; republished as Straw into Gold: Fairy Tales Re-spun) (Personal recommendations: “The Tower and the Bird or Rapunzel”, “Straw into Gold or Rumpelstiltskin”, “The Fountain in the Market Square or The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, “Chickenpox and Crystal or Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” , “What I Did in the Holidays and Why Hansel’s Jacket Is So Tight (by Gretel, aged 10) or Hansel and Gretel”)
“Ayama and the Thorn Wood” and “The Too-Clever Fox” from The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Leigh Bardugo, 2017)
New World Fairy Tales (Cassandra Parkin, 2012)
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories (1994) and Once Upon a More Enlightened Time (1995) by James Finn Garner
The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold (Francesca Lia Block, 2001)
“Boar & Apples” from Toad Words and Other Stories (T. Kingfisher, 2014)
Comic Books and Graphic Novels
Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales (edited by Kel McDonald): “Tatterhood” by Kate Shanahan and Shaggy Shanahan from Europe Edition, 2012 (republished as The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories); Africa Edition, 2014 (republished as The Girl who Married a Skull and Other African Stories); Asia Edition, 2016 (republished as Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories)
Fairy Tale Comics (edited by Chris Duffy, 2013) (Personal recommendations: “Rabbit Will Not Help” by Joseph Lambert, “Rapunzel” by Raina Telgemeier, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” by Graham Annable, “Bremen Town” by Karl Kerschl, “Give Me the Shudders” by David Mazzucchelli, “Azzolino’s Story Without End” by Craig Thompson.)
The Magic Fish (Trung Le Nguyen, 2020) (Contains retellings of “Allerleirauh”, “Tấm and Cám”, and “The Little Mermaid”)
Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Cecil Castellucci and Gabriele Bagnoli, 2019)
Super Billy Goats Gruff (Far Out Fairy Tales) (Sean Tulien, 2016)
Internet Works
The Girl Without a Phone (directors Robert Randall et al, 2017-) (Available on the YAPTV YouTube channel)
Megan Kearney’s Beauty and the Beast (Megan Kearney, 2012-2019) (Link to webcomic: https://batb.thecomicseries.com)
Puss in Boots (Little Fox Readers) (writer Bryan Langdo, 2020) (Available on the Little Fox YouTube channel)
Rapunzel (Little Fox Readers) (writer Jenny Moore, 2023) (Available on the Little Fox YouTube channel)