At the height of the Depression, Walt Disney staked his entire life’s savings on a single idea: that a full-length animated feature would be able to capture the public’s attention. Originally budgeted at a half million dollars, which at the time was already an astronomical sum, the feature, released December 21, 1937, eventually cost $1.4 million dollars.
Years earlier, in his newsboy days, Walt Disney had seen a silent screen version of Snow White that featured the actress Marguerite Clark. Memories of the film stayed with him for years. When it came time to make a feature cartoon, the fairy tale by the brothers Grimm was his first choice for a subject. There are many reasons for the success of the film, but primary among them is the quality of the animation, which, almost seventy years later, is still stunning. Other reasons include the fully-fleshed-out supporting cast as well as the memorable music.
Few of Disney’s villains can match the evil of Snow White’s wicked stepmother. Jealous because her magic mirror has proclaimed Snow White as the fairest in the land, the stepmother wants her killed. Knowing she is in danger, Snow White flees and, lost in the forest, is taken in by seven dwarfs.
The decision to give each of the dwarves a distinctive personality was one of the biggest reasons for the movie’s success. Their scenes are among the film’s highlights. The scenes with the stepmother are as close to evil as Disney will ever get.
When the film was released in England, censors initially found it too scary for children. Viewers under 16 had to be accompanied by an adult.
Supervising director was David Hand. Animators included Grim Natwick, Gustaf Tenggren, Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Frank Thomas and Charles Philippi. Background artists for the incredibly lush and detailed cartoon included Samuel Armstrong, Claude Coats, and Maurice Noble.
Vocal talent included Adriana Caselotti (Snow White), Harry Stockwell, Lucille LaVerne, Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig (also known as the voice of Goofy), and Stuart Buchanan. Music was by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, and Paul Smith. In 1939, Snow White received a special Academy Award consisting of one full-sized Oscar and seven smaller ones. The film was theatrically reissued eight times. Although eventually outpaced by Gone With the Wind (1939), Snow White was for some time the most financially successful film ever made.
Merchandise was phenomenal in scope and quality. There were records, sheet music, figures, dolls and hundreds of other items. Characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs also appear in the following issues of Four Color Comics: #19, 49, 227 and 382.
