First up in our Disney retrospective, a true trailblazer, the very first feature length animated film. For its time, this thing was a massive undertaking and many people believed it would be a colossal waste of effort and money. Well guess what? They said the same thing about Disneyland and Walt laughed all the way to the bank. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was met with both critical and financial acclaim. In fact, it sits at number 10 on the list of highest grossing films of all time, adjusted for inflation. But does it stand the test of time?
That’s hard to say. Watching the film now, it’s nearly impossible to view from an objective standpoint. One has to remember that the tropes and clichés of today were yesterday’s innovations and fresh ideas. Singing to animals, Prince Charming, the cackling old witch, we’ve grown accustomed to these characteristics as being inseparable from the fairy tale genre but in 1937, not so much, especially since these images were brought to life through the new techniques of animation.
On that note, let’s talk about animation. In the early days of the art form, people were still pretty blown away by the novelty of animation; to them it was as if they were seeing paintings come to life. People wanted to spend time looking at the intricately drawn environments and characters. As a result, storyline often takes a back seat to colorful spectacles (sound familiar?). This really shows in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As we watched the film, we noticed a lot time is spent on sequences that go on a bit too long. Snow White and the animals cleaning the cottage and the Dwarfs washing up for dinner come to mind.
However, this time isn’t completely wasted. We do have seven unique dwarves to meet, each with their own personalities and mannerisms (Doc getting his words all mixed up, those epic sneezes, pretty much everything Dopey does). By taking its time during these sequences, the film treats us to
plenty of great little character moments.
Can you say that of animated films today???
Snow White. Hmmmm. So remember when I said how difficult it is to view this film from an objective standpoint? This goes double for Snow. Yes, she is a waif of a character. I can’t tell you a thing about her after the film ends other than she likes cleaning, cooking, singing, and handsome strangers. No bueno. BUT. This is a fairy tale after all and should not looked at with such an eye for scrutiny.
The intentions of the film are as innocent as Snow herself and I don’t think she would consider herself to be a role model for today’s society anyway.
I like to think of her more as a symbol than a character. Her very name, Snow White, is symbolic of purity and innocence. One can interpret this from a Freudian perspective but for our purposes let’s leave sex out of the conversation. When I say purity, I’m talking about her spirit. She is entirely without malice or cruelty. She is untouched by the evil of the world but she is also naïve and careless. When the Huntsman raises the knife to kill her, it’s only his conscience that saves her. She does not try to escape and only flees when he urges her to do so. This happens again and again throughout the film. Things happen to her but she never seems to make anything happen herself. So? So this reinforces my interpretation of her as a symbol. She has no agency because that is not her function within the tale. Her very presence brings out the goodness of others, as demonstrated by the dwarves and so they see fit to protect her from those who may wish to do her harm. Which brings us to……..
It is kind of interesting to note that she uses a physically hideous form as a means of fooling Snow into trusting her. After all, the Queen’s whole motivation revolves around being “the fairest of them all”. She’s obsessed with being beautiful, so much so that she has a magic mirror to reassure her of this.
If Snow is the personification of purity then the Queen is the personification of vanity. So then why use ugliness as a disguise? I think this says more about Snow than it does about the Queen. I actually mentioned this to my wife while we watched the movie: this scenario is slightly reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast’s prologue. An old woman arrives at the door offering a gift in exchange for a brief respite from the elements, just swap the apple for a rose. Snow is startled by her at first but she does welcome her inside the cottage. Unlike the Prince, the woman’s appearance is of no concern to Snow. Sadly, her charity proves to be her undoing.
I like to think of her more as a symbol than a character. Her very name, Snow White, is symbolic of purity and innocence. One can interpret this from a Freudian perspective but for our purposes let’s leave sex out of the conversation. When I say purity, I’m talking about her spirit. She is entirely without malice or cruelty. She is untouched by the evil of the world but she is also naïve and careless. When the Huntsman raises the knife to kill her, it’s only his conscience that saves her. She does not try to escape and only flees when he urges her to do so. This happens again and again throughout the film. Things happen to her but she never seems to make anything happen herself. So? So this reinforces my interpretation of her as a symbol. She has no agency because that is not her function within the tale. Her very presence brings out the goodness of others, as demonstrated by the dwarves and so they see fit to protect her from those who may wish to do her harm. Which brings us to……..
VILLIAN: Let’s talk about some nightmare fuel, huh? The Evil Queen (sometimes referred to as Queen Grimhilde) has been striking fear into the hearts of kids and kids at heart for literally decades. Seriously, I’ve heard people speak of her in the same breath with the likes of Freddy Krueger and Chucky in terms of scare factor. So what’s up with that? I think she’s pretty formidable in both her Queen form and her Hag disguise but I assume it’s the latter that freaks most people out right? Those bulging eyeballs ((shudder)).
It is kind of interesting to note that she uses a physically hideous form as a means of fooling Snow into trusting her. After all, the Queen’s whole motivation revolves around being “the fairest of them all”. She’s obsessed with being beautiful, so much so that she has a magic mirror to reassure her of this.
If Snow is the personification of purity then the Queen is the personification of vanity. So then why use ugliness as a disguise? I think this says more about Snow than it does about the Queen. I actually mentioned this to my wife while we watched the movie: this scenario is slightly reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast’s prologue. An old woman arrives at the door offering a gift in exchange for a brief respite from the elements, just swap the apple for a rose. Snow is startled by her at first but she does welcome her inside the cottage. Unlike the Prince, the woman’s appearance is of no concern to Snow. Sadly, her charity proves to be her undoing.
The poisoned apple scene is probably the standout scene for me in this movie. Side note: You’ll see this as recurring thing with me, my favorite parts of Disney movies usually involve the villains lol. As I mentioned previously, this movie doesn’t really move at a brisk pace so the suspense that this moment provides is amplified to the max.
The animals see through the Witch’s disguise and rush to get the dwarfs home in time to stop her. These shots of the dwarfs frantically scrambling to reach her juxtaposed with the witch offering her the tantalizing red apple achieve a powerful sense of urgency not felt anywhere else in the film. I love this moment because we don’t actually see Snow bite the apple or collapse. All we see is that evil witch grinning and wringing her hands like a maniac while we hear poor Snow’s voice off screen, “Oh… I feel strange…” and then an agonizing moment of silence, pan down, and her hand tumbles into frame releasing cursed apple. Forcing us to watch the evil Queen in her moment of triumph is just cruel and makes us hate her so much more for what she’s done to Snow.
The animals see through the Witch’s disguise and rush to get the dwarfs home in time to stop her. These shots of the dwarfs frantically scrambling to reach her juxtaposed with the witch offering her the tantalizing red apple achieve a powerful sense of urgency not felt anywhere else in the film. I love this moment because we don’t actually see Snow bite the apple or collapse. All we see is that evil witch grinning and wringing her hands like a maniac while we hear poor Snow’s voice off screen, “Oh… I feel strange…” and then an agonizing moment of silence, pan down, and her hand tumbles into frame releasing cursed apple. Forcing us to watch the evil Queen in her moment of triumph is just cruel and makes us hate her so much more for what she’s done to Snow.
Her victory is short lived however as she is unceremoniously blasted off the edge of a cliff by a thunder bolt after the dwarves lead her on a short chase. This deus ex machina ending is a bit of a letdown and not a very satisfying ending to one of the most wicked Disney villains of all time. Oh well. At least we have the satisfaction of knowing that her carcass is going to be devoured by those two creepy vultures who follow her down into the abyss. What’s that? Don’t remember that part? Watch it again, trust me.
MUSIC: The music of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is not a bad first effort. There are a couple of standout tunes including that very first “HIEGH HOOOOOOOOOOOO” from Doc. I found myself easily bouncing along to the beat as the dwarfs marched home from a long day’s work. Good stuff! Another one that has become a Disney Princess anthem of sorts is Snow White’s “Some Day my Prince Will Come”. If you don’t mind that warbling falsetto, it fits very nicely with fairy tale aesthetic of the film. It’s not a complex song but nothing really is in this movie so, no harm done. In that same vein is “Whistle While You Work” and “With a Smile and a Song”. Cute but nothing special.
STANDOUT MOMENTS: As I mentioned previously, the poison apple scene is legendary. Snow dancing with Dopey (and Sneezy lol) is a delight and so is Grumpy’s curmudgeonly grimace melting away after he gets a kiss from Snow. The witch’s transformation is fantastic and still impressive by today’s visual standards.
Another very stylistic sequence is the flight through the forest when Snow is running for her life and all the trees go Evil Dead on her. Scary stuff. And of course the fairy tale ending, when Prince Charming revives the sleeping Snow White with a kiss and he carries her off into the sunset. Yes, we will see this over and over again but since this is the first, it is kind of a novelty and should be noted. Besides, there is a much more famous sleeping princess yet to come…
CLOSING THOUGHTS/SCORES: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is about as fairy tale as fairy tales get. Like its title character, the film just wants to make us smile and enjoy ourselves. The dwarfs are still a pleasure to watch in every scene, the evil Queen adds a touch of darkness to an otherwise sticky sweet narrative, it’s not exactly captivating but at least it’s entertaining and in this case, that’s good enough.
OVERALL: 7/10
VILLAIN: 9/10
MUSIC: 6.5/10
Today's Shorts:
Steamboat Willie (1928)
Don Donald (1937)
Goofy and Wilbur (1939)
The shorts I've selected for our first entry in the Disney Retrospective require a brief explanation. First off, our shorts playlist is going to consist primarily of Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto with a few Silly Symphonies and other randoms sprinkled in here and there. As such, I felt that we should begin our retrospective by introducing the big three (Pluto will come later). You would think that I would choose the character's first appearances but I've decided not to do that. Each of these characters went through some growing pains before they really hit their stride so I have chosen what I consider to be the debuts of these characters more or less as we know them today.
Mickey was easy. If you've read my preface, you'll know I look at Steamboat Willie as "the big bang" of Disney Animation so I picked this one over Plane Crazy, which is Mickey's first ever cartoon. Donald Duck and Goofy made their debuts as supporting characters in the Mickey cartoons. I wanted to start them off on a stronger note so I selected the cartoons in which they got their start as solo characters. Don Donald even introduces us to an early version of Daisy Duck. I think these cartoons are a great way to meet these characters and the perfect way to prepare us for the road ahead!
MUSIC: The music of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is not a bad first effort. There are a couple of standout tunes including that very first “HIEGH HOOOOOOOOOOOO” from Doc. I found myself easily bouncing along to the beat as the dwarfs marched home from a long day’s work. Good stuff! Another one that has become a Disney Princess anthem of sorts is Snow White’s “Some Day my Prince Will Come”. If you don’t mind that warbling falsetto, it fits very nicely with fairy tale aesthetic of the film. It’s not a complex song but nothing really is in this movie so, no harm done. In that same vein is “Whistle While You Work” and “With a Smile and a Song”. Cute but nothing special.
Another very stylistic sequence is the flight through the forest when Snow is running for her life and all the trees go Evil Dead on her. Scary stuff. And of course the fairy tale ending, when Prince Charming revives the sleeping Snow White with a kiss and he carries her off into the sunset. Yes, we will see this over and over again but since this is the first, it is kind of a novelty and should be noted. Besides, there is a much more famous sleeping princess yet to come…
CLOSING THOUGHTS/SCORES: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is about as fairy tale as fairy tales get. Like its title character, the film just wants to make us smile and enjoy ourselves. The dwarfs are still a pleasure to watch in every scene, the evil Queen adds a touch of darkness to an otherwise sticky sweet narrative, it’s not exactly captivating but at least it’s entertaining and in this case, that’s good enough.
OVERALL: 7/10
VILLAIN: 9/10
MUSIC: 6.5/10
Today's Shorts:
Steamboat Willie (1928)
Don Donald (1937)
Goofy and Wilbur (1939)
The shorts I've selected for our first entry in the Disney Retrospective require a brief explanation. First off, our shorts playlist is going to consist primarily of Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto with a few Silly Symphonies and other randoms sprinkled in here and there. As such, I felt that we should begin our retrospective by introducing the big three (Pluto will come later). You would think that I would choose the character's first appearances but I've decided not to do that. Each of these characters went through some growing pains before they really hit their stride so I have chosen what I consider to be the debuts of these characters more or less as we know them today.
Mickey was easy. If you've read my preface, you'll know I look at Steamboat Willie as "the big bang" of Disney Animation so I picked this one over Plane Crazy, which is Mickey's first ever cartoon. Donald Duck and Goofy made their debuts as supporting characters in the Mickey cartoons. I wanted to start them off on a stronger note so I selected the cartoons in which they got their start as solo characters. Don Donald even introduces us to an early version of Daisy Duck. I think these cartoons are a great way to meet these characters and the perfect way to prepare us for the road ahead!
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