In 1928, Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in his first appearance titled, “Plane Crazy.” The cartoon failed at a test screening so Disney was obligated to distribute “Steamboat Willie” as the the one that started it all. A Decade Later during “The Great Depression,” Disney hired animators to work on an ambitious pet project. He wanted to challenge himself and many of his employees to make the impossible possible, develop the first non-black & white animated feature film known as, “Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.” I don’t wanna go into full detail, because there’s already several documentaries about the making of Snow White. If you have a DVD/Blu-Ray copy, you can view how it all began.
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937. (same year J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit) It received critical acclaim from critics and movie goers alike. In additional to positive reception, it made a lot of money at the box office. Snow White encouraged Disney to build his empire making animated/live action movies, merchandise and a theme park we all know in love called, “Disneyland.” His legacy continues to expand inspiring countless animators crafting unique stories.
Disney Plus is available right now spanning many movies, shows and original content growing. As a loyal Star Wars & Marvel fan owned by Disney, I’d like to share what’s good or bad about Snow White as the one that started a multi-billion dollar company.
Today’s review doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. Let’s face it, we already know the story countless times in many adaptations, parodies and memes.
Beautiful & Ugly Elements
Beautiful: Walt Disney did a fantastic job organizing the film. He worked his butt off perfecting an ambitious project without breaking a sweat.
Animation at the time was a groundbreaking achievement polished with every detail, character models, environment among many other things. Before highly advanced cutting edge technology, Disney had to studied a person’s movement to translate action into paper. It deserves Bonus Points pioneering cartoons we all know in love.
Songs were catchy including “Whistle While You Work,” “Heigh-Ho,” “I’m Wishing” and last but not least, “Someday My Prince Will Come.”
Chemistry between Snow & The Seven Dwarfs served as the main highlight of the movie.
Humor has some good moments. If you have kids, Dopey will make em’ laugh.
If you thought Cinderella had an evil stepmother, Snow White is not so different.
Each dwarf has a specific personality reflecting who’s who.
Even though Snow White is the main character, Grumpy is actually the main protagonist, because he changes the most in terms of Character Development. Grumpy goes from a sourpuss woman hater to a jerk with redeeming qualities. I would’ve like to see Grumpy & Snow White as a couple. Why couldn’t he be the one who brought her back to life? It makes sense, Grumpy is secretly in love with Snow White.
Doc’s catchphrase is “Jiminy Cricket.” Guess who’s Pinocchio’s buddy?
The Tone is lighthearted, but it becomes heartbreaking as we know Snow White ate a poison apple.
Animals follow Snow White around. An afterthought for Disney to create “Bambi.” It didn’t appeal to me.
Ugly: I know it’s based on a fairy tale, but Snow White doesn’t know The Prince personally. Towards the end, The Prince brings Snow White to life with a kiss. If this was real life or needs to obey the laws of true love, this would never happen. Snow White & The Prince have only two scenes, not enough to expand their chemistry. It later becomes a trend when two people are paired automatically. Disney has a habit for early romances. A trope I strongly dislike. In real life, two people have to know each other for a week or two before a relationship is fully established.
Whatever happened to The Queen’s assassin hired to kill Snow White? There’s no explanation about his fate.
Optional Con 1: Is it me or does Snow White sounds like Olive Oyl (from Popeye) or Minnie Mouse?
Optional Con 2: I didn’t cry when the dwarfs cried over Snow White’s death. Only movies that made me cry were “Logan,” “Interstellar,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” & “Now Is Good.”
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BEAUTY!
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs remains a a game changer in the film industry. Despite my two main gripes, I think it’s a masterpiece continuing to inspire many animators telling us movie goers their unique stories. If you want to introduce your kids to the first animated movie, I highly recommend it. Don’t forget to try out Disney Plus.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 