There are many similarities and differences between the MGM movie of “Hansel and Gretel” and the Grimm fairy tale. Both versions include the basic plot; Hansel and Gretel are required to leave home, they attempt to leave a bread/cookie trail in the woods but it gets eaten by birds, they get lost and find a house made of cookies and candies, the witch tries to eat them, and they kill her. Other similarities include Hansel, Gretel, and their parents being very poor, so poor that they could barely afford a loaf of bread to eat. As well as after defeating the witch, they brought treasures home to support their family.
There were no differences in the overall plot, but in the smaller, less important details. For example, in the movie, Hansel and Gretel’s mother was their biological mother, instead of her being their stepmother, similar to the Grimm tale. There was more background explaining why they were poor. The movie displayed the father at work selling firewood and being cheated out of money by the baker. This shows that he was a “nice guy” who was constantly pushed around, someone who can’t defend them self. The circumstances behind Hansel and Gretel getting lost in the woods in the movie was more sugarcoated in the Grimm tale. The stepmother convinced the father to leave them in the woods and he eventually gave in while in the movie, the mother was upset with the children who allowed the donkey to eat the fresh custard she just made, so she instructed them to gather berries for dinner and not to return until the baskets were full. The directors most likely did this to make the mother appear more humane. She did not hate her children, she was just upset and she did not want them to leave forever, just until she was able to get her emotions in order because it is only human to respond in that manner. One other main difference is that in the movie, Hansel and Gretel also had the opportunity to save other children the witch kidnapped, essentially amplifying their “hero” status.
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