In The Enchanted Screen , Jack Zipes looks at the long, illustrious life of fairy tales on film. Decades before Walt Disney made his mark on the genre, Zipes argues that fairy tales were central to the birth of cinema as a medium'”they offered cheap, copyright-free material that could easily engage audiences not only though their familiarity but also through their dazzling special effects. In this book, Zipes examines the special relationship between fairy tales and cinema, examining how and why so many films have adapted fairy tale narratives, whether directly or indirectly.Though Disney did not invent the fairy-tale film ' it was the great Georges Méliès ' Disney did eventually monopolize the fairy-tale film, and therefore is central to this history of fairy-tale films. Zipes does not dismiss the Disney fairy-tale films or attempt to demonize them. Rather, he seeks to analyze why the Disney approach to fariy-tale films became so dominant, and at what cost.Of course, the story of fairy tales on film stretches far beyond Disney, and therefore this book encompasses a broad range of films'”English and non-English, animation, live-action, puppetry, woodcut, montage (Jim Henson), cartoon, and digital. Zipes guides us through this vast array of films by tracing the adaptations of major fairy tales'”Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Snow White, Peter Pan, and many more'”from their earliest cinematic appearances to today.Essential reading for fairy tale fans and cinema buffs alike, The Enchanted Screen is lavishly illustrated with film stills throughout and features an extensive filmography and bibliography for future viewing and reading suggestions.