Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Over the weekend, I re-watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This was probably the fourth time I’ve seen this movie in my life, but the second time I’ve watched it as part of my journey of watching Disney movies in order. This was the very first full-length animated movie Disney made. It is based on an old Brothers Grimm fairytale first published in 1812, which I never knew growing up.

By the way, for those who are new to Disney movies and don’t know, Walt Disney was a genius. Instead of always trying to reinvent the wheel and write new stories, he often got the rights to old books and brought those stories back to life via live action or 2D animation. At the time, 2D animation was brand new, and it took an incredible amount of time and effort to bring Snow White and other early animated movies to the big screen.

Brief non-spoiler Plot Summary:

Snow White is an orphaned princess whose stepmother becomes jealous of her beauty when she realizes that it is Snow White who is the most beautiful in the land, rather than herself. Well, Queeny doesn’t like it at all, and let’s just say she’s willing to do anything, and I do mean anything, to be the most beautiful in the land. For an animated movie, there is a lot of action in Snow White. The other main characters are the Seven Dwarves, whom I certainly hope you’ve heard of before. Snow White is an angel-like character who is very naïve and willing to trust just about anyone. Quick note for parents: Kids may get spooked by the evil stepmother and her use of dark magic. My kids like me to fast-forward the parts featuring her. This is not a light-hearted movie, though it does have a lot of comic relief. There is violence, death, and attempted murders, but in my opinion, Disney did a great job of portraying these things in a way that is not gruesome or gratuitous. In other words, it’s not gory, but kids could get a little scared at parts. Heck, even I get a little scared at certain scenes!

My overall review (CONTAINS SPOILERS):

I love this movie, and I honestly think Walt Disney and his start-up production company could have done anything differently at the time to make Snow White much better. As someone who is an amateur 2D animator and a big fan of 2D animation, this hits on all cylinders in my opinion. For just a moment, forget what you think about the plot. The artwork, animation, colors, and visual beauty of the movie alone are worth every dime paid and the time spent watching this amazing classic. Sure, the prince who saves Snow White could have had more depth. Sure, there could have been more scenes developing the evil Queen, since all we get are a few scenes showing us the tip of her depravity. The huntsman she deploys to kill Snow White has very little screen time, and we know almost nothing about him. If you aren’t paying close attention for the first 10 minutes of the movie, you’ll miss a lot as it moves quickly. The very beginning shows part of the story on the pages of a book, so you do need to read some! Here, I think a narrator would have been great; perhaps Walt himself.

This film moves fast, as it should for an 83-minute run time, and that was a very, very long run time for an animated anything in the 1930s. By the way, if you haven’t watched a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of this movie, please do yourself a favor and do that afterward. You’ll get a whole new appreciation for what Walt Disney and his team had to go through to make this monumental picture come to life. This incredible movie was four years in the making, and Walt almost lost it all trying to get this to screen for the world to see (a story in and of itself).

Back to the review. I love the plot, love the story, and love all the characters (minus the Queen, ha). The Seven Dwarves just do not get enough screen time in my opinion. I left the movie wishing they had their own spin-off, frankly. It’s obvious that the Disney staff put a lot of effort and time into creating these awesome characters and their personalities. Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey are the good guys here, flawed but very lovable. My personal favorite is probably Dopey, with his evergreen comic relief, though Doc is a close second with his inability to put words together just right. Grumpy seems to be the only cautious one of the bunch, but of course, a little too cautious and grumpy.

When Snow White escapes into the woods, she stumbles upon the dwarves’ dwelling, and it reminds me of Goldilocks finding the three bears’ house. She mistakes the small dwelling for a place where children live and has a good laugh at the size of the small beds before falling asleep.

Hilarity ensues when the dwarves discover “who’s been sleeping in their beds”. Long story short, they fall in love with Snow White, and the feeling is mutual. They become her de facto protectors and try to warn her of the Queen’s evil ways. But, naive Snow White shows just how naive she is when the evil queen uses a spell to turn herself into an old hag, finds Snow White, and talks her into eating a poison apple. Most of this sequence, I’m thinking, “wake up McFly! The dwarves told you not to talk to anyone!” Oh well, Snow White is put into a death sleep of sorts, and the dwarves put her into a clear glass coffin. Time passes by, and her Prince Charming comes, kisses her, she awakens, and they live happily ever after.

So there you go, the most classic of classic stories. A beautiful princess, an evil Queen-witch, goofy yet lovable dwarves, and a prince who saves the day. What else could you ask for? For some, this makes for a cringeworthy plot. For the rest of us hopeless romantics, it is a story of good versus evil, where good triumphs. I give this movie so many 9’s. It’s not perfect, and to be honest, I’m not sure if there is a perfect movie. I give it a 9 for plot, a 9 for story, and maybe even a 10 for color and animation since this movie was so innovative in the world of animation.

Bottom line: It’s been over 85 years, people. Get out there and rent, stream, or buy this movie! Walt Disney put a lot of effort into this movie, and it was the gateway to all the great animated movies that would come out over the following almost 90 years. I highly (and I can’t say it enough), highly recommend this movie. Enjoy!

Where to watch:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs may be available on Disney+, Amazon Prime or other streaming platforms. Here are links to buy Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs if you’re interested in buying on Blu-ray and DVD.

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