Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Remember way back at the beginning of 2024 when I said it was my intention to do a watch through of Disney movies and write my thoughts, maybe some history, and experiences revisiting these animated classics? Yeah…I ignored it too until there were about three days left in the year. New Year’s Resolutions…am I right?

In all seriousness, I didn’t exactly give a timeline for when I would complete this, so I’m right on track with this first post.

Snow White premiered on December 21, 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles. Leading up to its release, this film was being referred to as Disney’s folly because no one outside of the Walt Disney Studios believed movie going audiences would sit through a feature length cartoon when they were used to the seven to ten minute shorts that preceded live action films. Boy oh boy, were they ever wrong.

At the time of its release, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs went on to become the highest grossing movie ever. This record held until Gone With the Wind was released in 1939, which is also a year that is referred to as the greatest year for movies of all time. Go check out the list of films that were released that year if you don’t believe me!

The Academy Awards did not yet have any categories for animated films, but knew that this achievement in movie making needed to be recognized. On February 23, 1939, Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Academy Award for Snow White by all the children of the world via Shirley Temple. This award is frequently on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in the awards lobby and features a full size Oscar with seven miniature Oscars to cleverly represent the cast of the film. It really is something to see and the awards lobby is free to peruse if you are in the Presidio and are short on time, go check it out!

To be honest, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has never been my favorite…anything really. It’s not my favorite animated movie, movie soundtrack, Snow White is not my favorite princess, and it’s never been my favorite fairytale. As a film lover, however, I know how important this movie is and cannot deny how amazing an achievement it is. Snow White just isn’t my go to Disney movie. In actuality, I more often requested to watch 1939’s Gulliver’s Travels from rival Fleischer Studios when I was little – that Gabby cracked me up.

Re-watching Snow White reminded me how beautiful this film is and I do love how creepy it is. Audiences at the time, however, may have categorized this film as horror with how freaked out some were by the transformation of the Evil Queen into the wicked hag looking to end the life of the beautiful Snow White. I love the changes to the story that Walt and his team made to make it more concise and add a lot more tension. In the original Grimm telling, the Evil Queen attempted to kill Snow White twice before she brought the poisoned apple. I also very much appreciate that the Disney version of the magic mirror rhymes…he does not in the fairytale.

One thing that was hard for me to watch, and this is more a sign of the times we live in now, is that the dwarfs were only willing to let Snow White stay with them if she would basically be a live in maid/mother. Their initial reaction was not to help her out of the goodness of their hearts, but what she would do for them in return. I wonder if this viewpoint is what contributed to the modern day Disney Studios look at this film and decide they would reimagine it as a live-action film to be released in March of 2025. In any case, I will be interested to see this new telling of the classic tale.