Before Cinderella lost her slipper and before Aladdin met the Genie, Walt Disney did his most crazy and insane project ever - a feature animated movie, the first of its kind. The title of the film is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Parents and kids loved this film decades ago and, a generation later, families can now enjoy this beautiful classic in Blu-Ray.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a musical with catchy, and beautiful singing done by Adriana Caselotti, (Snow White), Lucille La Verne (Queen) and others. There is also a sense of adventure, and a magical romance, between Snow White and the Prince.
The story begins when the Queen discovers that she is not the fairest of them all, and that Snow White is. Out of jealousy, she orders the death of Snow White. However, Snow White gets away. She comes upon 7 dwarfs which she befriends. The Queen angrily learns about her failed death, and decides to poison the young princess!
Since this is the Blu-Ray/Digital HD Edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it is packed with extra features including a tour of the animation studios in the 1930s, actual interviews with Walt Disney, cool facts, (Did you know Snow White was originally designed to have gold hair? Who knew!) and so much more. My favorite part concentrates on how Walt Disney hired over 300 artists, how he spent so much money on making it perfect, and just how much speculation and hate he got for attempting to make (and being very successful as a result) a 90 minute animated film.
Even though this film was made almost a century ago, the quality of the animation is as good as films made today. Hand-drawn animation has a quality of from the human touch that CGI can never achieve. In terms of the soundtrack, Walt Disney had a knack for making his animated films not only have background music, but he created it in such as way that the music becomes an integral part of the story. For example, when Snow White and the Prince first meet, they sing a song together and it represents almost, "Instant love," better than words ever could. This story is based on a classic European fairy tale, and Walt Disney hired a few people who specifically made European-styled drawings, to make the film feel like the original fairy tale, which was perfect for the film. The voice-over sound quality is also top notch, amazingly so since again, it was made almost 100 years ago. I would easily compare it to the voice over acting and quality of the late 90s. This film was ambitious in terms of being the first animated feature film, but also was first feature film to have a female lead.
My favorite scene is the meeting of The Prince and Snow White. In the scene, Snow White is cleaning outside and she explains to her bird friends what a wishing well is. A prince overhears her fantastic singing and is love-struck when he meets her. This scene is one of my favorites because the music is beautiful, the animation is spectacular and this scene specifically illustrates my point about European artists designing the backgrounds. It really looks like a European castle of some sort.
This film was designed for all ages and I still agree. I recommend it for ages 6 to 13 specifically. Younger kids will enjoy the bright colors, dancing and singing. Older kids can appreciate how difficult it was to make this film and the storyline itself. Adults who have happy memories of seeing this film years ago will also enjoy it. Overall, it's a great film for the family. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars because of the spectacular animation, exciting story (typical of films made by Walt Disney) and clear voice acting. The Blu-ray/Digital HD Edition of Snow White is available in stores and online on January 19.
One of the hardships I encounter as a KIDS FIRST! Film Critic is trying to objectively review older films. The difficulty is mostly because they are often better than many films today. Even more difficult is reviewing a film objectively that was a part of my childhood. It's so easy for nostalgia to cloud my view. So, before I watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I told myself to review it without passion or prejudice, and tackle it like I would any other film. Then I started watching it and everything I had prepped myself for went out the window. I got caught up in the songs, the vintage style of animated filmmaking and the general feeling of classic, feel-good Disney. Then I realized that the nostalgia that befell me WAS the appeal of the movie. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is timeless because it transcends generations. Watching it now as I did ten years ago, took me back 10 years. It felt nice to return to an innocent state for 80 minutes.
The film hasn't lost anything. The songs are still just as catchy, the story is still just as cute and the animation still puts a smile on your face. It's interesting watching the first Disney animated feature today, because we're all so taken with the animation and maturity of Pixar. Even the Disney Renaissance films which are now 20 years old aren't as cute or innocent as Snow White is. Fortunately, that's not a bad thing; it's actually quite refreshing. It's feel-good and puts a smile on your face. The simplicity of it all is a great contrast to the complex animated features of today and it's quite affecting. It transports you to a different state of mind that allows you to let go and enjoy.
So many times parodied and adapted, watching where it all started gives you a great appreciation for all the other adaptations, and reminds you of which is best. I actually contend that Snow White is the best of the classic Disney princesses. It has the best collection of songs with "Heigh-Ho," "Some Day My Prince Will Come," and "I'm Wishing/One Song." The band of dwarfs are still an entertaining, eclectic group of characters than compliment the more one-dimensional princess. I watched it with my younger sister and she was in love with it from start to finish. I was in love with it, all over again, from start to finish. I recommend this classic film for ages 3 to 18 as well as adults and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Reviewed by Willie J., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16.
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs is a Disney favorite of mine since I was a young child many years ago. It is such an enchanting story of friendship, love and good prevailing over evil. I enjoyed watching this again on Digital HD. This is truly an enchanting classic that young and old will enjoy and I recommend for both adults and children. The music and the characters really make this film! I found myself singing along with such songs as "Hi Ho, Hi Ho off to work I go." It has a message that good wins over evil and is entertainment at its finest. I also was delighted to see deleted scenes included in the Bonus Features. I give this one 5 out of 5 stars and recommend for ages 6 to 18. Reviewed by Denise B., KIDS FIRST! Juror
Forever enchanting and inspiring, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs embodies The Walt Disney Signature Collection's legacy of animation. In this epic story of love and friendship, the kind and beautiful princess SNOW WHITE wins the hearts of the Seven Dwarfs and triumphs over the evil plans of a wicked Queen. Share the movie called "The Greatest Animated Film Of All Time," in High Definition Blu-ray and for the first time ever on Digital HD, with special features for the entire family!
Special Features include: In Walt's Words - For The First Time Ever, Hear Walt Talk About Snow White; Iconography - Explore How This Film Influences Pop Culture, Art And Fashion at Disney Animation: Designing Disney's First Princess - Modern-Day; Disney Artists Discuss The Design Of Snow White and how it influences the look of some of your favorite Disney characters; The Fairest Facts Of Them All - Disney Channel Star Sofia Carson Reveals Seven Intriguing Facts About Snow White; Alternate Sequence - Never Before Seen Storyboard Sequence Where The Prince Meets Snow White; And Much More!
