Before its release in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was going to bomb. Everyone knew it. The press titled it “Disney’s Folly.” Feature-length animation had never been done (at least not in America), and Walt’s only prior works had been shorts. It took 4 years, a bank loan, and went overbudget. It was surely a failure. Yet, Snow White became the highest grossing film of all time, a beloved classic, and arguably the most influential animated film of all time.
It was indeed influential, to filmmakers, animators, but most importantly, to Walt Disney and the company he built. This may have been the first film in the Animated Disney Canon, but it’s amazing how many of the tropes we, as a society, associate with the Disney brand that are already in place. There’s obviously the Princess, the Prince who saves her, the evil queen, comic relief sidekicks, the songs about what the characters want, the villain falling to her death, true love’s kiss, and far too many more to list. Seriously, if I try to list all the famous Disney tropes these movies employ, it’s going to get boring here (I also don’t believe in reviewing movies off a checklist, since a film should succeed or fail based on its own merits, instead of pre-determined ones).
It should go without saying that films are products of their time. What is considered groundbreaking at one point in time is standard later, something complex one year is simple the next. Not surprisingly, this could be considered true for the first feature length animated film from the 1930s. Today, many might find the animation lacking when compared to more recent Disney and Pixar favorites, such as Moana and Toy Story. But, as with other films of their time, to dismiss it for failing to be as advanced as the films from the last 20 years would be criminally unfair. The animators behind Snow White improved and pioneered several filmmaking techniques that would stay in use for decades to come, and eventually lead the way for Disney Renaissance and the 3D animation used today. The multiplane machine debuted with this film, adding layers to the settings the likes of which had never been seen. Live actors and dancers modeled for the animators, who used their movements and poses for drawings. As a result, every frame looks gorgeous. Each shot could be its own painting in a gallery, or someone’s home. I could keep going, but I’ll run out of ways to call the film stunning. The film may have aged, but it has aged well.
Characters and story, however, make or break a film. As the earliest feature in the Disney Canon, it makes sense that the art would be complex, and the characters simple. And the people who inhabit the world of Snow White are simple. Everyone has personalities, of course: The Queen is vain and a sociopath, the Dwarfs have their personality trait in their names, the Prince is a creep, etc. The characters have things that they want: The Queen wants to be the most beautiful woman of all, the Dwarfs want to mine diamonds and keep Snow safe, the Prince wants to sneak up on unsuspecting women, etc. Sure, none of these are the most complex characters, but they are likeable, they make sense, and it’s easy to keep track of them.
Then we get to the main character herself. Snow White is pleasant, she sings, she cleans, she’s apparently an animal psychic. But she’s bland as, well, snow. Everyone speaks of her like she’s the most incredibly, wonderfully, stunningly beautiful girl in the world, to the point where they are willing to kill her, risk their lives for her, or kill for her. There is a common trend among Disney films that the people root for the villains over the heroes, and Snow White set that standard early. The problem, at least for people who come to this film as adults, is that Snow doesn’t really want anything. In the basic sense, she wants to survive her stepmother’s killing spree and clean the dwarves’ living space, but she doesn’t have any goals, nothing she’s going after that the Queen gets in the way of. Part of this is that the standards of storytelling were just different 83 years ago, particularly with movies. Film was still a relatively new medium, talkies even newer. Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of OZ were still 2 years away, and Walt was most likely focused on seeing if they could even make the movie rather than make sure it was seamless. This being based on an already existing Grimm Fairy Tale helps further the story book aspect as well. The point is, that while this version of Snow White is easily the most iconic, with the blue, red, and yellow dress, curled hair, and high voice, when this movie comes up, the first character someone thinks of is probably the Queen, or possibly one of the Dwarfs, or even the Mirror on the Wall, not the main character. A major part of this is that, although they are stepmother and stepdaughter, the Queen and Snow White never share a single scene together until the end, when the Queen has become the Witch and is unrecognizable. Walt Disney and the filmmakers were content to let storybook text set everything up at the beginning, but a scene between them at the beginning could’ve fleshed both characters out.
Completely trustworthyFortunately, the characters around her make up for it. The dwarfs ostensibly each have one personality trait, and each one is funny, but several of them have more going on than it seems at first. Doc is the group’s leader, at least in spirit. He frequently makes decisions for the rest of the group, such as allowing Snow to stay with them, argues with the others, especially Grumpy, when they disagree, and is generally the most well-spoken. He also gets flustered surprisingly easily under stress. Also, though he makes decisions for the group, he often makes someone else carry them out, such as when he gets Dopey to check what’s upstairs. Grumpy, of course, isn’t usually in a good mood, though he brings up a good point about Snow potentially being a dangerous guest. However, he grows to care for her enough to attack the Queen at the end and cry at Snow’s funeral. Dopey is smarter than he lets on, despite his muteness. When he goofs off, be it at work or home, he seems to know exactly what he’s doing, trying to make his brothers laugh. When Snow White kisses each of them on the head, Dopey tries to sneak in a kiss on the mouth. He’s not dumb, he’s really a class clown. The others are largely described by their names: Bashful is shy, Sleepy is narcoleptic, Happy’s never heard of anxiety, and Sneezy needs to be put in a bubble.
I’ve somehow gone this long without mentioning the music, so here it goes. Several of the songs here everyone knows as Disney staples. I had a Snow White VHS as a kid, but I’m pretty sure I came out of the womb knowing “Heigh Ho,” “Whistle While you Work,” and “Someday, my Prince will Come.” The songs are catchy, memorable, and odds are you’ll be humming one of them after the end. It helps that the songs are quite simple melodically. It’s that quality that has likely kept them in the public consciousness for the past eight decades. However, “I’m Wishing” and “One Song” are forgettable, and “The Silly Song,” though it serves its purpose in story, can be skipped on the soundtrack. Adriana Caselotti acquits herself well, and while her high voice may be grating for some, it perfectly fits the sweet, naïve, and kind character here.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has a lot still going for it. As a work of art it remains a stunning example of what film animation can be. The characters are iconic, and the music is mostly great. Yet, it is more of a fairy tale than a film narrative, and as such the story is simple and may alienate those introduced when older. I would say show it to kids early. It’s a perfect introduction to the magic of Disney.
