MovieChat Forums > Sleeping Beauty (1959) Discussion > surprised to hear the word 'hell' in a D...

surprised to hear the word 'hell' in a Disney film

posted 10 years ago by alanjobe
14 replies | jump to latest

At least that far back. Was there any controversy over that when it was released?

[–] dimsung_09 10 years ago

My favorite line from the movie,

"...and all the powers of HELL!!!!!"

There will never be another Disney villain that could even come close to rivaling Maleficent.

[–] watcher101 10 years ago

As a kid, I never even noticed it, but I agree that it was referring to Hell as in the place, not hell as in the foul word.

As for Hunchback of Notre Dame, it;s the same thing. they also say damn twice. When Frollo and Quasi are going over the alphabet, D stood for damnation and E stood for Eternal Damnation (according to Frollo's teachings), but again this was not meant in the swearing sense. Speaking religiously, when someone or something was "damned", it's the worst form of being condemned, because it's beyond salvation and is going straight to Hell. So in that sense, it's not considered a swear word. Just like a female dog is called a bitch, and a child born out of wedlock is a bastard. That's what they are. When these words are used out of there literal sense as an insult, THAT'S when they're considered swear words.

[–] usersince03 9 years ago

I have to admit I never noticed the word hell in the film, I know in Freaky Friday (2003 version) the character Ryan says 'what the hell just happened'.

[–] paula-gein 9 years ago

The "A Night on Bald Mountain" segment of Fantasia is basically a giant Satanic Mass. Complete with bare-breasted harpies.

It rubs the butter on it's skin, y'all.

[–] johnsokw 8 years ago

My mom was very strict about cursing. We got whipped if we said darn. We didn't even say butt until I was 10? 11? and yet we could say hell if we were discussing Lucifer's place. Indeed it was commonly mentioned in our church. Back then you didn't even have to say fundamentalist. They wouldn't have understood what that meant. Like saying a kennel was a canine kennel. You just didn't say "What the hell!" or "Hell, it's raining." My point is as long as Disney used it this way, the Church leagues probably would not complain.

[–] johnsokw 8 years ago

It's been said before. Disney and his creators did not set out to make kids' movies. He wanted everyone in the family to see it. he wouldn't have let George Bruns adapt Tchaikovsky's music if he wanted a kids movie. Don't you think he would have picked something closer to the level of Teddybear's Picknick or Row Row Row your Boat? Also kids just don't sit that long in a movie, and one certainly isn't going to recoup the expenses in animation by targeting kids.
We take color animation for granted, but in 1959 TV was black and white, Disney films must have been eye poppers for most folks of any age.