For nearly a century, Walt Disney Animation Studios built its identity on reimagining beloved literary tales and children's classics. But who chose these stories, and why? Through what process were they brought from book to screen? This essay explores the evolving relationship between Disney animated films and their literary sources, tracing how adaptation strategies shifted across decades to align with changing audiences, different corporate goals and new cultural landscapes. Through in-depth analysis of six iconic films - Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Sword in the Stone, The Little Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Frozen - this work reveals the extent to which adapting classics has shaped and continually refreshed Disney narrative models. A research made all the more timely in this decade, as the Studio seems to have moved away from literary adaptations to relentlessly revisit and remake its own legacy.

Giulia Cavazza is a Phd graduate who also works as story editor for audiovisual production companies. Her academic research is focused on the topics of screenwriting and screen adaptation, with a special interest in animated movies. She has already published, with Armando Fumagalli and Paolo Braga, a book titled The Dark Side. Bad guys, antagonisti e antieroi del cinema e della serialità contemporanei, while this essay is the outcome of the research carried out as part of her doctoral dissertation. On the industry side, she has been working as story editor for different production companies, such as Lux Vide (the first seasons of Doc and Blanca) and Movimenti, both on live action and animated tv series.