Before there was magic, there was fear.

Before there were princesses, there were warnings.

Centuries before Walt Disney reimagined Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, these stories were dark, brutal, and haunting. In this episode of Main Street Stories with Eric, we explore how Walt transformed the world’s oldest tales, ones filled with betrayal, pain, and tragedy, into timeless stories of courage, kindness, and hope.

From the Brothers Grimm to Hans Christian Andersen to the animators of today, this is the story of how Disney took the shadows of the past and turned them into light.

Because sometimes, the only way to find “happily ever after” is to walk through the dark first.