Hansel and Gretel

Grimm...

We are all familiar with the Grim version of Hansel and Gretel. The siblings are abandoned by their family on the forest twice, but the second time they are unable to find their way back. Soon they stumble upon a cottage made of cake. The children begin to eat the house and soon meet the old witch who lives inside. After the witch welcomes the siblings, she snatches Hansel and begins to fatten him up so that he can eat them. When this day finally comes, Gretel out smarts the witch and pushes her into the oven, saving herself and her brother- all the while still grabbing treasures for their family. The siblings run away and are taken across a river on a duck so that they can eventually find their home. When they get there, their stepmother is dead and the father welcomes his children and the gifts they brought from the witch's house.

MGM...

This tale is familiar to the Grimms' although the mother loves her children and sends them to look for berries in the forest without malicious intentions. When they reach the witch's home, it is made of candy and gingerbread. The witch captures the children with magic and the father is searching for his children. Gretel defeats the witch and saves her brother and the previous children captured by the witch to be turned into guards for her home. The family is reunited and all live peacefully.

Differences v. Similarities... 
Obviously, the core of the fairy tale is the same in both- the family, the witch, and the plot in general. Both tales rely on religion and family orientation to take the childrens' victory form them and give them to a male figure- God or their father. Differences include the mother and step-mother and their intentions. The duck is nowhere to be found in the MGM version, but the Grimm version also lacks the magic included by MGM. Hansel and Gretel must also find their way out of the forest twice after being purposely left in the forest in the Grimm version, where MGM creates a more family friendly version where the children become lost on their own.