This post explores the classic folktale "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," its many adaptations (including a Reader's Theater script-story version), Paul Dukas's classical masterpiece based upon it, and Walt Disney's innovative masterpiece Fantasia (1940)—along with strategies for teaching these various adaptations in a classroom setting. You will see that "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is perfect for a lesson integrating literature, folklore, poetry, music, and art.
Mickey Mouse in his sorcerer’s hat–instantly recognizable and iconic–originated in a segment called “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” from Walt Disney's 1940 film Fantasia. I love the music and the animation, but the story–well, it seemed a bit simplistic: A lazy apprentice attempts to "magic" his way out of work.
That is, until I started doing research on famous fairy tales. Turns out, there’s a whole lot more story to "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" than I originally knew. In fact, it’s whole a sorcerer's apprentice archetype that stretches across cultures, with so many variations that there’s a whole book exploring them all! Who knew? There must be something appealing about this little tale!
The Original Folktale: The most famous version of the story is the European folktale, which went on to inspire the famous poetic, musical, and artistic adaptations. This folktale actually has two different variants–one where the apprentice is a lazy clod, who bewitches broomsticks to do his work for him, and another where a goodhearted apprentice learns his master is practicing evil sorcery and decides to overthrow him. The second version adds much more dimension to the sorcerer and his apprentice and ends with a "Wizard’s Duel" of sorts (similar to The Sword in the Stone), where the sorcerer and his apprentice battle each other by transforming into various animals. This newfound depth to the story was too much for me to resist, so I had to adapt it into a script-story! The result is a combination of the two European variants of the story–a best of both worlds situation, full of enchanted broomsticks and magical animal transformations.
Enchanting Adaptations: But the story doesn't stop there. While many folktales have been adapted over the centuries, none has a richer (and varied) list of adaptations than "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." I knew I had to explore this tradition as well. Whenever I create a script-story, I include instructions for how teachers can use the script to teach certain English/Language Arts standards. Now, I know what you're thinking. Like me, you might be rolling your eyes a bit when you hear the word "standards," but there is one that is actually...(dare I say it?) cool.
- “Analyze the representation of a subject in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.”
Examining how a story changes through presentation as a book, a movie, a play, a song, a painting is actually fun—especially with "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” lends itself to this standard perfectly. The story's been everything from a poem to a piece of classical music to a Walt Disney animated short. Below is a list of its various adaptations, and how your students can analyze them.
- First, it was a folktale. Students can read the script-story and experience the original folktale. Here is a link to the Reader's Theater script-story.
- Secondly, it was a 1797 poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (the author of Faust). Students can read the 14-stanza poem. It’s nice and pretty short, and it rhymes! I love how the poem captures the apprentice's inner thoughts (and eventually panic) as he deals with the consequences of his foolish actions.
- Thirdly, it was adapted into an 1897 piece of classical music ( or “symphonic poem”) by Paul Dukas. This is one of my all-time favorite pieces of classical music. Students can listen to the music and imagine what is happening at certain points when the music’s mood changes.
- Fourthly, the music was adapted into “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” in Fantasia (1940). You can't beat classic Disney animation, and this is one of their best animated shorts. Students can analyze how Walt Disney synthesizes the poem and the music into an animated short.
Let’s recap this progression: A prose folktale became poetry, which became music, which became an animated musical segment by a master of animation and a creative genius. Allowing students to analyze this progression shows them how literature can inspire art, music, and pop culture.
How Can You Teach This Lesson? Instructions for walking your students through this progression are included in the script's teacher guide. All of the adaptations are available for free online (even the Fantasia segment is available in two sections on YouTube). You can buy the DVD here as well.
If your state standards are anything like mine, this activity would be a great way to first experience a classic story and then examine its various adaptations. To find out more about our adaptation of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," click here.
Related Posts:
- Walt Disney: Creative Genius
- Ten Reason Why Disney Movies Are Modern Mythology
- What Any Teacher Can Learn from Old-School EPCOT
