Backstories for Disney characters, heroes or villains, could be fairly thin. The idea was to reach the point of the story rather than develop thorough backgrounds. Once Upon a Time, as of the nature of television, had far more time to develop, expand, and discover the lives of these characters, and take them in different directions. Most of Disney's iterations were held to two hours, and a majority of that time was worrying about whatever the main plot was. The television series, over seven seasons, could expand on these characters and stories in ways that Disney's counterparts never got the opportunity.
The Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is fairly vain. She wants to be the most beautiful woman in the land, and when her mirror reveals that is not the case, the Evil Queen sets up a scheme to remove Snow White from the equation. In Once Upon A Time, Regina Mills is a far more complex person, with motivations far more severe than physical beauty. While Disney never offers any real explanations about Peter Pan's backstory, the truth about how Peter Pan ended up in Neverland is explored more heavily in Once Upon a Time, as is Captain Hook's role as a villain.
10 Peter Pan Has a Heartbreaking Connection to Rumple
In Disney's Peter Pan, Peter is a joyous young soul, happily bringing Wendy and her brothers to a world of never-ending childhood joy. There are no responsibilities, and the Lost Boys are all about having fun and causing chaos. Peter's backstory is never a real plot, and he is mainly present to represent the idea of a child who never grew up.
Once Upon a Time expands on the character, revealing that Peter Pan had been an adult before transforming back into a teenager, abandoning his young son Rumple in the process, and becoming the leader of Neverland. Although this iteration of Peter Pan is far more villainous, it offers a more in-depth approach to a character whose background was never thoroughly explored by Disney's counterpart.
9 The Evil Queen's Vengeance Is About More Than Physical Beauty
Rather than hating Snow White for her beauty, Regina transforms into the Evil Queen when the love of her life, Daniel, is killed. Regina holds young Snow White responsible for Daniel's death because Snow had told Regina's mother about Regina's plans to leave the King and run away with Daniel. For years following, Regina ended up in a loveless marriage, growing to hate Snow White more every day, until she finally turned against her. Snow and Regina have a difficult relationship, but it also makes their relationship, as they grow to become friends and family, even more interesting.
8 Snow White Is Not a Damsel in Distress
Once Upon a Time's version of Snow White is not the pacifist Disney Princess that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves introduced. This iteration is a sword-wielding archery warrior. Snow White is a fugitive from the Evil Queen, but she never keeps herself entirely hidden away. She still gets involved in scavenging food for herself, fights her own battles, and has a strong voice and thoughts about how to lead the Enchanted Forest. Even though Prince Charming still needs to wake Snow up from the sleeping curse, Snow White is not a woman waiting around to be saved.
7 Prince Charming Has a Plot Twist in His Past
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, there is not much to Charming, other than that he is the prince who will wake up Snow White. In Once Upon a Time, the series reveals that Charming had a brother, James, who was an estranged twin meant to lead the Kingdom. When James' arrogance gets him killed, David must take over as the King, without letting anyone know that a change had been made.
6 Regina's Relationship with Her Mother
Regina's relationship with her mother perfectly intertwines into her hatred for Snow White and how Regina eventually transforms into the Evil Queen. Cora had been desperate to control Regina's life. Cora had set up Snow White's horse to go rogue, which would lead to Regina meeting the King. Cora was against Regina marrying Daniel. Cora did not care much for Regina's happiness, and in return, Regina bounced between wanting a relationship with her mother, and wanting to be as far from Cora as possible.
5 Little Red Is More Than a Scared Child
Initially, Little Red Riding Hood portrays the story of a young girl who ends up realizing that her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf. In Once Upon A Time, Little Red is the wolf. Unfortunately, while Little Red's role becomes more reduced with each season until she has left the series entirely, her background as the wolf is far more exciting, and delivers a larger sense of mystery to the story.
4 Rumple's Curse Is Never-Ending
Rumple acts as more fairy tale and Disney characters than anyone else. In addition to being Rumpelstiltskin, a child-stealing magician who turned straw to gold, he was also the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, the Crocodile from Peter Pan, and Carl from Up. Giving Rumple so many backstories allows each character to have more history to them. However, plenty of the plot line focuses on Rumple's role as the Beast, and his relationship with Belle. Rumple's reasons for being the Beast are far darker than the Disney counterpart's rudeness.
Being cursed to be the Dark One brings about his selfish behavior and desire for power, and part of his curse lies in his personality and character flaws instead of physical appearance, leading to Rumple needing to undergo his own redemption arc.
3 Captain Hook Is More Than a One-Note Villain
In Peter Pan, Captain Hook's role is to be the comedic relief villain. He wants to kill Peter Pan, and that is mainly the beginning and the end of his character's journey. There is not much else going for him. In Once Upon A Time, the series explains how Hook ended up in Neverland, and how Hook transformed from a sailor into a villain. His relationship with Rumple's wife ended in despair for Rumple and Hook, while it led to Milah's death. Once Upon A Time allows Hook to undergo a transformation into an antihero until the series deems him a redeemed man.
2 Belle Ending Up with Rumple Is More Political
In Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Belle ends up in the Beast's clutches to exchange herself for her father. In Once Upon A Time, Belle chooses to go with Rumple in exchange for him granting protection. This is more of a political strategy move, due to Rumple's curse does not end with a physical appearance as a beast. Still, while Belle's story may have struggled when it became entirely about trying to force redemption on Rumple, giving her a more politically inclined backstory gave more explanation for how she ended up with him.
1 Snow White and Prince Charming Have a More Compelling Relationship
In Disney's version, neither Snow White or Prince Charming are exciting characters. Both are fairly dull; they are more known for being an iconic couple because of their place in Disney's history than because of anything either said or did. However, Once Upon A Time develops a far more complex dynamic for its version of the characters. Snow and Charming have tons of personality, and their road to getting together has far more twists and turns than in Disney's film.