Why The Original 1977 'Star Wars' Was A Disney Film
Image Source: WPTV
When Lucasfilm was sold in 2012, many fans feared that the massive conglomerate of Disney would try to fit Star Wars into a certain type of mold that many associate with the company. For too many people out there, Disney films have a particular type of ethos, a way of doing things, a formula that many considered just not right for the franchise of that galaxy far, far away. However, if one were to examine things more closely, one would find that, whether on purpose or by accident, George Lucas himself created what is essentially a Disney film back in 1977.
For many years, George Lucas has said that Star Wars is a fairy tale for 12-year-olds. In many ways, it was a reinvention of the modern myth and the hero’s journey. In terms of how this relates to Disney, it is essential to remember that Walt Disney created his business empire by retelling many classic fairy tale stories. From Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to Cinderella, and even today with the stories of Rapunzel and the Snow Queen, fairy tales have been the backbone of the Disney franchise.
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During the 70s and early 80s, Disney was in a bit of a slump. With the death of Walt, they had lost their visionary leader, and the company was at bit of a loss for direction. Their films were not doing as well, and many began to wonder if the unique type of experimental filmmaking Disney used to do was slowly dying or becoming stale. They just weren’t making the connections with audiences that they achieved in previous years.
Meanwhile, George Lucas was tapping into something, a sort of escapism that many needed at that time. The Vietnam War had ended, Nixon was ousted after Watergate, and audiences needed an escape from reality. He was able to take these elements and mold them into an escapist fantasy fairy tale that captivated the modern audience. Many at the time it was the same type of escapist fantasy experience that Walt Disney Studios used to provide (once upon a time). George Lucas had revived the modern fairy tale that Walt might have made years ago, had he still been alive.
The Modern ‘Disney’ Fairy Tale
Image Source: WPTV
If Star Wars is a fairy tale, then Luke Skywalker is the protagonist hero in every way. Like Disney heroines like Belle and Ariel, or even heroes like Aladdin, Luke wants more than he has in life. This would be a massive trope in many Disney films in the 90s, where the main character would yearn for more than what their average life had to offer them. Luke yearns for a sense of adventure, and to be something more than just a farm boy. He goes on an adventure with a wizard mentor and fights a knight in black. One could even equate the droids R2D2 and C-3PO to the lovable sidekick characters in many classic fairy tales. Now while Star Wars is a bit more action-heavy than many Disney films, there are many classic storytelling tropes like roguish bad-but-good boys (Han), and a princess that needs rescuing, although Leia subverts that trope by rescuing the main hero.
When the 90s arrived and Disney started telling these types of tales again, one has to wonder if they looked at Star Wars as a reminder of what sort of universal storytelling they used to accomplish. Now of course, all fiction storytelling is universal, so Star Wars being a modern fairytale is something as old as time. But Disney was one of the pioneers of bringing fairytales to general audiences on screen, and in some ways, Lucas, a person who went to Disneyland on its opening day, must have taken a lesson from this. Star Wars might have remade the modern fairy tale for the 20th century, but perhaps its creator was inspired by the company that brought fairy tales back into the mainstream all those years ago.
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