Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - A Movie Review

If you stay hopeful, someday your dreams will come true.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated Disney film to ever hit theaters in 1937. A young princess flees the kingdom upon learning that the queen, her step-mother, ordered to kill her. She finds solace with seven little men who promise to keep her safe. But the queen finds out and plots her revenge to continue to be the fairest in the land.

I was a total fanatic about Snow White when I was a kid. The story is rich, the characters have depth, and the animation is spectacular. Walt Disney’s wife actually believed that the film would not be a success! Decades later, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs continues to accord its title as the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Did you know that Snow White is the youngest Disney princess? Snow White is a bubbly, accepting, and kind-hearted princess. A detail that I didn’t focus on was how she takes control. These traits need to be talked about more other than how sweet and caring she is. I loved the friendship that she developed with the dwarfs.

Filmmakers spent countless hours thinking up numerous names for the dwarfs. What I like most about the dwarfs is that they have distinguishable personalities - that go along with their names - and acquire hidden depths. The dwarfs deliver the best comedic scenes. I feel like the film gave more attention to the dwarfs than Snow White.

Grumpy has the most development out of any character. Overtime, Grumpy has become my favorite. And who could forget Dopey’s antics? Each dwarf has a moment where they stand out.

The voice actors for Snow White deserve all the recognition. Adrianna Caselotti had a singing voice like no other. It’s too bad that she could not appear in more films due to a strict contract with Disney. In her role as both the queen and the witch, Lucille La Verne took out her false teeth to attain the raspy voice of the witch.

Roy Atwell, Pinto Colvig, Otis Harlan, Scotty Mattraw, Billy Gilbert, and Eddie Collins were excellent in their performances as the dwarfs. For the role of Sneezy, Gilbert auditioned with a big sneeze. While Dopey did not speak, Eddie Collins performed as a physical model for Dopey as an example to the animators.

The prince was supposed to be involved more, but unfortunately, filmmakers had a difficult time animating him into scenes, thus shortening his appearance. Harry Stockwell was magnificent in his performance, specifically with his singing voice.

Disney conquered a breakthrough of stunning colors, backgrounds, and animation. There are noticeable blips in the hand-drawn works of art but that’s all a part of history on how far animation has come.

It took time to develop the animation for every sequence. Animators planned out sequences in a timely manner, rehearsed them, and were incredibly patient. As startling as it was, the forest is an outstanding sequence full of terrors.

I used to rock out to the dwarfs’ song ‘Heigh-Ho’. Other songs to recognize are ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’, ‘I’m Wishing’, and ‘Whistle While you Work.’ Even the background music is fun to listen to.

Snow White is an equal mixture of catchy songs, a great story, and breathtaking animation. Walt Disney brought to life the first-ever Disney film. Audiences over generations have adored Snow White. His patience, commitment, and teamwork with his crew reflect a memorable journey.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will always be one of my favorite Disney films. It can never be forgotten. Snow White is a film for all audiences to enjoy.