Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, join the beautiful princess Snow White. Watch as she escapes her jealous stepmother, the queen, and befriends a lovable group of dwarfs. But when she falls under the queen’s wicked spell, only true loves kiss can save her.

Review of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream …”

“Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go …”

What can be said about this iconic Walt Disney cartoon that hasn’t already been said?  Only a few things:

• The beautiful, flowing human movements are due to rotoscoping.  That is, human actors were filmed in costume, projected onto glass, and the animators drew their actual movements.
• The voices of Sleepy and Grump were provided by Pinto Colvig. He’s the original Bozo the Clown, who also provided the voices of Goofy and Bluto, among many others.
• The voice of Sneezy was provided by film clown Billy Gilbert.

Editorial review of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs courtesy of Amazon.com

One of the brightest nuggets from Disney’s golden age, this 1937 film is almost dizzying in its meticulous construction of an enchanted world, with scores of major and minor characters (including fauna and fowl), each with a distinct identity. When you watch Snow White’s intricate, graceful movements of fingers, arms, and head all in one shot, it is not the technical brilliance of Disney’s artists that leaps out at you, but the very spirit of her engaging, girl-woman character.

When the wicked queen’s poisoned apple turns from killer green to rose red, the effect of knowing something so beautiful can be so terrible is absolutely elemental, so pure it forces one to surrender to the horror of it. Based on the Grimm fairy tale, Snow White is probably the best family film ever to deal, in mythic terms, with the psychological foundation for growing up. It’s a crowning achievement and should not be missed. –Tom Keogh

Updated February 10, 2022