Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil depicts several well-known fairy tales in its adaption of the book of the same name. The movie follows best friends Sophie and Agatha (Sofia Wylie and Sophia Anne Caruso) after they are whisked away to study heroism and villainy at the legendary School for Good and its neighbor, the School for Evil. The girls are immediately placed in different schools and begin training to be like the characters from the stories they've read about.
The movie examines classic fairy tale tropes and critiques the binary idea of "good and evil." Of course, it would be impossible for The School for Good and Evil characters to make those points without making references to the fairy tales in question. Characters and artifacts from those stories are sprinkled into the plot, sometimes hidden in the details and sometimes spoken of outright. In fact, there are so many references to the fairy tales whose iconic characters are said to have once been pupils at the schools, some of them might have been missed on the first watch.
Cinderella
Cinderella is perhaps the most obvious fairy tale reference in The School for Good and Evil. Her story seems like one of Sophie’s favorites, and many details of Cinderella’s story are mirrored in Sophie’s life. Like Cinderella, Sophie lost her kind mother at a young age and dislikes her cruel stepmother. Of course, unlike in the Disney movie, Cinderella’s original fairy tale has many sinister details. In the Brothers Grimm version, Cinderella wishes on a wishing tree (just like Sophie) to attend a royal ball and her wish is granted, complete with a transformation into a beautiful princess. Though she doesn’t become evil, her step-sisters are punished harshly for their treatment of her.
Peter Pan
Hort, one of Sophie's classmates at the School For Evil, announces that his father is Captain Hook, the villain of Peter Pan. In the novel by J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan severs Captain Hook’s hand and feeds it to a crocodile, Captain Hook becomes consumed with a desire for revenge and devotes the rest of his life to terrorizing Peter Pan and the other inhabitants of Neverland aboard his ship, The Jolly Roger.
King Arthur
Tedros’s father is the legendary King Arthur, who was said to have lived in 5th-century Celtic Britain. King Arthur appears in many movies, stories, and poems that have been translated many times over the centuries. Many of those translations tell the story of how King Arthur falls in love with and marries the beautiful Guinevere, only for her to betray him with his friend and trusted knight, Lancelot, just like Agatha tells Sophie. A constant in all Arthurian legends, however, is his legendary Round Table, as is his sword that Tedros uses at school, Excalibur, which Arthur received from the Lady of the Lake as a sign that he was Britain’s true king.
Prince Charming
The awkward Gregor has an ironic lineage, his father, simply known as “Prince Charming” doesn’t have a story of his own. Instead, this stereotypical prince serves as the nameless hero in many fairytales. Though Gregor doesn't get a happy ending in The School For Good and Evil, Prince Charming is always there to ensure one for his princess. No matter which story he shows up in, he always embodies the traits necessary for the trials he will face as he rescues his princess, he is brave, noble, and, of course, charming. Whether he is breaking a curse with true love’s kiss, slaying a dragon, or riding a white steed, Prince Charming is always the epitome of a perfect hero. Gregor’s failure at The School For Good highlights the differences between reality and that unattainable ideal.
Snow White
The infamous poisoned apple from Snow White can be seen on display in the council room where the deans and heaster of the schools debate Sophie and Tedros’ relationship. Though the Disney princess's story ends when Snow White’s curse is broken, and she rides into her happy ending, the Brothers Grimm doesn’t stop there. In the original version of her story, Snow White orders the evil queen to be forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes, which was referenced by Rafal at the end of the movie.
Jack and the Beanstalk
Agatha lists Jack and the Beanstalk as one of the stories she can’t believe originated as a student at the School for Good. Jack’s bizarre story tells of magic beans growing into a huge beanstalk that leads into the clouds. Climbing the beanstalk, Jack finds himself in the home of a giant, and after stealing a magical goose that lays golden eggs, he races back down and has his mother chop the beanstalk down. With the giant dead, Jack and his family live happily ever after.
Hercules
Hercules is a key player in Greek mythology. The son of Zeus, the god of the sky, Hercules was a hero who accomplished many quests, including the 12 dangerous “labors of Hercules.” Though not a traditional folk tale, he is listed by the heaster as a former student when the girls confront him about their placements.
El Cid
Less of an actual fairytale, El Cid is the moniker of a real-life figure named Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, whose legacy has taken on a life of its own. He was a formidable Spanish warrior in the 11th century, and, according to the heaster’s list, also attended the School For Good. After his death, he became one of Spain’s national heroes and inspired an epic poem that further perpetuated his legacy as well as fictionalized it.
Sleeping Beauty
A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference, a spinning wheel can be seen in the council room where the adults discuss School for Evil student, Sophie, and School for Good student, Tedros’, relationship. This spinning wheel is likely the would-be murder weapon from Sleeping Beauty, which was part of the curse cast by an evil fairy as punishment for the king and queen’s failure to invite her to the feast celebrating their child’s birth. Luckily for the princess, a good fairy alters the spell and when she eventually pricks her finger, she only falls into a deep sleep.
Sinbad
Another School for Good graduate cited to Agatha by the heaster is Sinbad the Sailor, one of the heroes from The Thousand and One Nights. Sinbad’s adventures at sea often involve him getting into some sort of treacherous situation along with his crew. Using his resourcefulness, charm, and belief in his own good fortunes, he always manages to make it out alive, usually with a treasure in tow.
Hansel and Gretel
Rafal mentions some of the "happy endings” that the School For Good has produced in the 200 years since he’s assumed complete control, including “pushing old women into stoves.” This is a reference to the ending of Hansel and Gretel, a story about two children who get lured into a witch’s cottage after getting lost in the woods. The witch entices them with candy and intends to cook them into a meal for herself. At the last minute, Hansel and Gretel trick the witch into leaning into her own oven, and they close the door on her, killing her and ensuring their own safety.
The Little Mermaid
In the lesser-known original version of “the Little Mermaid,” when the mermaid trades her voice to the sea witch in exchange for legs, the witch cuts her tongue out, which is the reference Rafal makes to the story. However, that’s not where the horrors end, the original little mermaid endured a sharp pain like knives in her feet every time she takes a step on land. When the mermaid is unable to fulfill the witch’s conditions of the bargain due to the prince loving her only as a sister, she is left with the choice of killing the prince and returning to the sea or dying in the ocean’s waves.
Considering the movie’s cliffhanger ending and the book being part of a series, it’s likely that there will be a sequel in the works. With so many fairy tales and legends throughout the world, there’s no telling what other stories might show up in the next movie. Though there is no official word on a sequel, The School For Good and Evil will have a lot of options for fairy tale references and inspirations to add to the story.
