We will start our analysis with Cinderella and the fairytale version by the Grimm Brothers. Firstly, we will take a look at the differing roles Cinderella’s family play.
The biggest difference between the stepsisters in each versions is the fact that in the movie they are ugly, and in the Grimm version, they are beautiful. They are portrayed as delicate and pretty, while in the movie it is clear they are not supposed to be pretty. They have squeaky voices, scrunched up faces and lanky bodies. Why make this difference? Perhaps Disney wanted to show that the only way you can get a prince is if you are beautiful. Or perhaps, Disney was trying to draw a parallel between ugliness and cruelty. In the original, the beautiful stepsisters have a greater role in making Cinderella’s life miserable. For example, they constantly throw lentils into the ashes so she has to pick them out individually and clean them. In this version, it is ok to be cruel yet pretty at the same time. However, in the Disney version, the stepsisters merely mock Cinderella and deride her with their words, and, as mentioned earlier, they are ugly. I strongly believe that Disney is trying to say that you cannot be pretty and mean at the same time. They altered the looks of the stepsisters to visually show that ugliness and cruelty go hand in hand. What is this telling the youth? That kids who are ugly are mean? Or that people who are pretty are automatically assumed to be nice and gracious?
Stepsisters seen in the Disney movie: 
Disney v. Original Fairytales 