Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

My mother kept an old clipping for years describing SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS when it opened at Radio City Music Hall and received a rave review from newspaper columnist Westbrook Pegler.

He usually wrote about politics but on this occasion he took time to devote an entire review to Disney's new film. He called it a "masterpiece" and said that when the projectionist slipped those reels of film on the projector, the audience at the Music Hall witnessed one of the greatest motion pictures ever made.

Coming from him, that was high praise indeed. And seeing the film now, restored for its video bow, we can appreciate his words. There are faults, to be sure, but basically it has to be admired for the innovative techniques it used in the art of animation. There are memorable sequences thanks to daring use of the multiplane camera: Snow White's flight through the woods, the Queen and her Magic Mirror, the Queen in the thunderous transformation scene as the camera seems to whirl around her, the Dwarfs in the mine and their march over the bridge as they sing "Heigh-Ho", the dwarfs chasing the witch in the thunderstorm. Even the rippling effects of the water in the wishing well scene.

And, of course, there are the genuinely comic moments that made even the great Charlie Chaplin applaud in admiration. Dopey's antics are always a delight, as are Doc's and Grumpy's. All of the dwarfs are given inventive and funny things to do.

The music is a standout: Someday My Prince Will Come, Heigh-Ho, I'm Wishing, The Yodel Song, etc. The young in heart will always love this classic. It belongs in the top tier of Disney's crown jewels, along with Pinocchio, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.

Summing up: an inspired work of art on every level that will remain a timeless classic.

This was Walt Disney's first animated full-length movie. I've read where it took somewhere between two to five years to make, and the artwork still stands up to today's standards. It still looks good, especially with today's DVD technology and great-looking television sets. This film, along with Bambi, exhibit some fantastic watercolor-type artwork with the latter being ever more spectacular than this one.

The story is "cute" because of the seven dwarfs. The evil character - the queen - doesn't have that big a role so most of the time it's just a sweet, enjoyable film with nice characters. It's one of the those movies that makes you feel good as you are watching it.

To be honest, some of the scenes lag a bit and Snow White's operatic voice is a bit much for me, but those are the only complaints I could find in this classic film, one of the best ever from Disney.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

**** (out of 4)

The beautiful and charming Snow White comes under attack by a man who has been hired by the evil Queen to kill her. She ends up taking shelter in the forest with seven dwarfs but soon the Queen has more plans to destroy her.

There's no question that this is a legendary film and a very important one to history as it was the first feature-length film from Walt Disney Studios. The film was a tremendous hit when it was first released and it really broke new ground in regards to what people would be willing to sit through. After all, it was a mystery if people in 1937 would be willing to sit through a feature-length cartoon and whether or not they'd be able to show emotions towards animated characters.

As for the film itself, it's certainly a great one from Disney's original Golden Age. There's no question that the most impressive thing is how great the actual animation is. I've seen plenty of cartoons from this era and the quality is usually good but there's no question that the amount of detail was just taken to a new level here. Just take a look at how much detail is in the forest scenes. Look at the detail to the seven dwarfs. Look at the terrific detail in the Queen's potions.

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS features a memorable and lovable lead character, a great villain and seven great comic relief characters. I also liked the fact that the darkness of the Grimm's Fairy Tale was also left in and this certainly makes the film more adult in a way. Disney would make a major breakthrough with this film and it remains refreshing all these years later.

The lampoons, the snark, the mockery, the chorus of disapproval. Snow White Rebooted (not its official title) of 2025 has had such opprobrium heaped upon it, no doubt well deserved, that I found myself suddenly curious to see the 1937 original. I'd never wanted to before. Never saw it as a kid. Maybe I was just curious to see how far we have fallen as a species since those more innocent times.

Were they more innocent though? 1937. Before Pearl Harbor. Between the world wars. The dawn of Disney. The origin point. The first animated feature length movie, isn't it? But this was, basically, the same generation that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, the same US of A, right? Maybe just as Reds and Blues today regard each other as different species, maybe there was a duality of sorts even then? The human heart is a mystery, is it not?

Anyways, I was tickled by all the 1930s booty twerking going on (very innocent twerking), and it was a pleasant surprise to discover this film has operetta stylings, with coloratura trilling by Snow White, crooning by the prince, and a post-prandial party full of yodelling dwarves. All the forest creatures have the cutesy Bambi look, but I don't mind telling you, when the princess got scared in the forest so did I, and when she fell down weeping my heart ached for her. I also don't mind telling you that I did wish the movie would move along just a bit faster. Just five minutes. A bit more witchy Queen, a bit less tiptoeing dwarves, that would have suited me.

The Evil Queen is a marvellous meanie, and the princess Snow White is so adorably, queasily wholesome, so pure it makes you want to vomit (or possibly to ennoble yourself and become her protector?) that I felt some appreciation of why Alvy said he preferred Snow White's nemesis (in rom-com Annie Hall, 1979).

Seeing this chaste, landmark (birthmark!) fantasy, this jewel of cinema, one can better comprehend the shamelessness, the utter hubris of Disney's foolish decision to, ahem, 'update' the story for today. As I'm sure you know, Snow White 2025 was pilloried and lampooned, almost to oblivion, months before it even opened. What a saga it has been. A gift for social media snarks, but one can't blame them. To decide to remake an immortal classic is the kind of decision that could only come from the sort of people who are today busy crushing all the dreams in Hollywood's dream factory. Let them all be sacked and float away down river, eke out there remaining days in the wilderness; no fairytale cottage, just a one-room cave for the lot of them.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Virtue, not virtue-signalling. Pure of heart, not pure thru filters. Delight your children and the child within.

Where would the animation world be without the humongous success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? If the movie failed back in 1937, there would be no Disney Company today, no Lion King, and no Disneyland. Disney's Folly, as critics first called it, would probably have scared any other industry from attempting such an ambitious and innovative project. Pixar may not have ever had the chance to put out their groundbreaking features, and even the Disney- and fairy tale-bashing Shrek may never have been made if Snow White didn't set the course for the world of the animated feature.

There must have been tremendous pressure on everyone involved in the making of Snow White, but they did not disappoint. The end result includes a timeless story, classic songs, and beautiful imagery that will live on for future generations to enjoy. In fact, this was only the second movie that captured my nieces' full attention spans (The Lion King being the first).

In my opinion, the story was great but not perfect. It's not as exciting or filled with as much witty remarks as today's animated features, but as soon as the dwarfs are introduced, the movie takes on an endearing lighter side. For the record, my favorite dwarf is Doc, because I can relate to him being a strong leader with some very humanistic follies, such as always getting tongue-tied (I do that myself all too often). All the songs stand out in their own way. `Some Day My Prince Will Come' is a classic, fairy-tale ballad. `Heigh-Ho,' `Dig, Dig, Dig,' and `Whistle While You Work' are great songs to pick up your spirits when you have to go to work, do chores, or do homework. And my favorite, `The Silly Song,' is just a great, catchy, and funny song. As for the imagery, it's just breathtaking, especially considering how early it was introduced. The colors are rich and lively, and the multi-plane camera does add some great depth to the movie.

As you can tell, for an animation and Disney fan like myself, Snow White is a perfect milestone in the movie world. Even compared to the animation and storytelling styles of today, Snow White still stands the test of time. Kudos to everyone involved in this picture as their work will live on forever.

My IMDb Rating: 10/10. My Yahoo! Grade: A+ (Oscar-Worthy)