The Brothers Grimm and the adaptation by MGM of the classic Hansel and Gretel have many differences and similarities, but they aren' very drastic..  The biggest difference is probably the mother/stepmother.  In the MGM version the mother is the children's birth mother. When the mom sends them out to get berries for dinner she feels awful because they could've lost their way or been attacked by the evils of the forest. The Grimm version is the opposite. The stepmother wants to get rid fo the kids because there isn't much food. The husband is a baby in both version who complies with everything the demanding stepmom says. I personally think the stepmother adds another dimension to the story and makes it more interesting because there is a disconnect in the family.In the movie the witch is also different because at first she is nice and acts like she wants to be their friend. Hansel even calls her Grandma. Its the opposite in the Grimm version.  In the MGM version Hansel and Gretel go in the forest once and get lost  while in the other version Hansel uses bread crumbs and pebbles.  Hansel is very protective in both versions when it comes to Gretel. In the end of both versions Gretel saves her brother by throwing the witch into the oven. for the most part the main plot stayed the same. We still get all of the same motifs and lessons from both versions.