Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937

[7.5/10] The essential goal of any movie is to keep the viewer engrossed in what they’re experiencing. There’s a million ways to do that, and different genres accomplish that in different ways. Comedies might do it with amusing situations, dramas with heart-rending moments, and horror films with terrifying sequences. But whatever the flavor of the movie, they all share that central incentive -- to keep you invested and entertained on their own terms.

I tend to think of that in terms of story and character. It’s easier for me to become engrossed with a film when I’m intrigued by what’s going to happen next and when I care about how a particular player will grow and change over the course of the movie. That’s not the only way to do it though, as Snow White proves.

Whatever the film lacks in a propulsive story or three-dimensional characters, it makes up for in the sheer amount of personality and wonder Disney and company pack into every single frame. From the sheer imagery, to the animation, to the expressiveness of everyone and everything in the world of the film, it cannot help but command your attention and ultimately your care. As basic as the fairytale is, and as simple as its major figures are, you will be transfixed by the presentation from start to finish through everything else the movie does so well.

The visuals are the star of the show. One of the most impressive things about Snow White is how effortlessly it walks the line between realism and exaggeration. This is a story involving magic and fairytale creatures, with loony sequences and all-too-helpful woodland creatures and frightening transformations. But every element of the movie comes with its own gravity and weight to each step and setting and gesture. There’s too much caricature here to mistake anything happening as real, but the attention to detail in each background and movement creates a subtle believability that breeds investment in every moment.

That’s particularly true for the character designs. Snow White herself is a paper doll brought to life. The roto-scoping gives her and Prince Charming an almost ethereal quality, gliding about this world angelically with almost impossible smooth movements. The dwarfs, by contrast, are made out of rubber and jelly, their bodies bouncing and bounding back toward equilibrium with each landing and collision. Somewhere in between are the now-iconic woodland creatures, who are anthropomorphized enough to emote and convey urgency and humor, but who gallop or flit around with an impressive grace and gravity. As a sheer effort to breathe life into ink and paint, Snow White is a tour de force.

But the peak of this approach is the evil queen. In her more “fair” guise, she has the same realistic bent of Snow White matched with sharper gestures and a more dramatic wardrobe that make her into an imposing figure. In her withered peddler disguise, she still makes her way through this animated world with a certain realism to her movements, but also takes on a more exaggerated air which makes her and her ploy seem all the more grotesque and unnerving. More than any other character, the villainous queen has to be perfectly calibrated to evoke the desired response, and the movie nails it every time.

It’s also adept at just forging striking images, apart from any particular character. The castle on a faraway hill may look spooky in a black sky or inviting in golden hues. The tasteful suggestion of the poisoned apple rolling out of Snow White’s suddenly limp arm or a pair of malevolent vultures flying into the mist to feast on their freshly fallen prey shows skillful editing and composition. Closing sequences of pouring rain and flashing lightning convey the desperation and terror when the film reaches a boiling point. In brief, each scene is art, wholly separate from the larger story being told.

It’s also a surprisingly scary film. The old queen’s transformation from human to hag is rife with subtle body horror. Her spell to create the poison apple includes ghastly incantations and deathly images. Snow White’s run through the forest uses impressionistic effects to convey her fear of each gnarled tree and upturned driftwood. Even the famed magic mirror has a certain spookiness to him, a disembodied face wavering over mist and smoke. As goofy as the film can be in places, it also doesn’t hesitate to chill the audience when it can.

That’s certainly counterbalanced by a healthy dose of comic relief. There’s not much point to the dwarfs getting washed up for supper, or a cottage-wide dance party, or a woodland critter-assisted clean up brigade. But these sequences work as pure fun, with the dwarfs nigh-literally bouncing off one another with comic abandon to endear the audience to them and lighten the mood of a subtly dark tale.

That tale is a simple one, of a queen’s jealousy and a young woman’s hope for true love. There’s not many twists or turns to it, and the film fills up plenty of its runtime with fluff about spring cleaning or naifs mistaken for intruders. Even beyond the dwarfs defined by their adjectival names, every character is one-dimensional, with some basic characteristic or want and little to them beyond it. Eighty years hence, the title character in particular seems impossibly good and a little annoying with her tremulous, high-pitched voice. Hell, the only person in Snow White with anything even approaching an arc is Grumpy, who goes from amusingly crabby and resentful of Snow White to affectionate and even protective of her. In most films, I’d slate those things as insurmountable flaws.

But despite those nominal sins, there is such character and detail packed into each sequence and setting. From the superlative steps and motion in the dance sequence, to the swirling of background and foreground around Snow White in a tense moment, every minute of the film reflects the distinctive figures who inhabit it. You can feel the care and attention the Disney studio’s animators put into every part of this production. There’s so much life and color throughout, that even when the movie lingers in its cul-de-sacs or sillier interludes, you cannot help but be enchanted by it.

There are many routes to winning over your audience. It can mean crafting a narrative, and major players within it, who capture our imaginations. But it can also mean simply crafting delightful scenes and memorable sequences, filled to the brim with distinctive visuals and character all their own, that keep us enthralled and amazed from beginning to end.

Although the narrative might not have aged too well, the film has gained a particular charm from a visual and sometimes even directorial perspective, especially in the few moments when the animators let loose their frustrations in brief bursts of macabre and expressionistic artistry. I'm not an expert in the field, but I've always found it fascinating how early animation used to be all about creativity and visual absurdities to highlight everything that cinema of the time couldn't achieve. That's why you're treated to minutes of animals dancing and doing domestic chores rather than focusing on the narrative. Slapstick gags and mellifluous songs abound, yet without pushing my tolerance level too far. I had completely forgotten about all those bits meant to teach children basic hygienic norms, which is quite absurd considering that might be the whole point of the film.

Despite Snow White and the Prince being paper thin, mostly dull characters, the dwarfs singlehandedly steal the show, dominating the scene in 90% of cases. The Evil Queen rules before and during her transformation, but she eventually becomes a somewhat ridiculous caricature. The middle part of the film could have been significantly trimmed in favor of more introductory scenes. The castle is briefly presented as deserted, without the slightest interaction between the characters before the story starts (it’s all delegated to the opening narration).

Setting aside its undeniable historical significance, it’s now an enjoyable but ultimately skippable film, unless you have a particular taste for vintage aesthetic.

Disney Classics Marathon :pound_symbol:1

I have recently decided to rewatch all the Disney Classics, some which I have seen very often over the years, some of which I haven’t watched it ages. Obviously "Snow White" comes at the very beginning.

It is hard to judge this film solely as that, just a film, because of what an incredible achievement it has been. Without "Snow White" animation probably wouldn’t be where it is today. It was the first feature length animated movie, really kickstarted what would become the most terrifying... I mean successful company in the movie industry (shaped like a Mouse as big as Godzilla) and an overall game changer for movie making history.

And it still deserves a lot of buzz. Just from a technical standpoint the movie is beautiful. The animation simply flows, the textures are gorgeous and drawings and coloration are beautiful. The music, though while not a personal favorite of mine, memorable and fitting (Heigh Ho is one of the first songs I ever sang along to).

As Disney’s first animated feature it also sets out for many tropes Disney would become famous for, though granted, some can be traced back to the original fairytale. The two most comical tropes in hindsight are probably "Disney Loves Dead Parents" (check) and the overall "Disneyfication" or "Disneyfied Version" of a much darker tale (and Boy do we love to make fun of this these days).

Made famous by the Brothers Grimm (although similarities can be traced back to the ancient tale of Chione made famous in Ovid‘s Metamorphosis) the original fairytale is much darker and more disturbing, like a lot of them actually are. Disney took basic plot elements and made them more "kid friendly" to sell the movie to a wider audience. Some aspects were cut out completely, like the first two murder attempts the Queen pulls before eventually settling for a poisoned apple, though I assume those were just cut because of budget reasons and limitations to what they could animate at the time. That being said, the movie still has some terrifying scenes in it. The Queen’s transformation into the hag caused me to have nightmares as a kid.

The ending is also slightly changed to a "true love‘s kiss" version and Queen is actually killed instead of her actually more disturbing fate in the fairytale. Way to go Disney? It’s weird.

I will never deny how much I appreciate this film and what it has done for me personally. As far as visually media goes, I‘ll take animation over live action any day because it gives filmmakers endless possibilities for creativity and storytelling.

Judging this just as a movie, I‘m actually not sure what to feel about it. It wasn’t one of my go to movies as a child (thanks to aforementioned witch transformation) and I barely ever watch it as an adult. I don’t share some of the modern criticism the Movie gets, because I‘m fully aware that it is in its very core, still a fairytale with the purpose to teach morals to children, not to tell the most engaging story with A+ character development attached to it. Still, my brain is wired to watch movies with a more modern approach. I appreciate the film‘s beauty and child-like sense of wonder, but I must also admit that it just doesn’t capture me as much as I would like to. There are scenes I enjoy, but as a whole it doesn’t really hold my interest for too long.

Still, we owe that movie a lot and for that I am grateful.

Favorite Scene: Ironically, the Queen’s transformation

Favorite Character: Grumpy, for being relatable af

Favorite Song: "Heigh Ho" for childhood attachment alone

6.5 out 10 Magical Stars or Mickeys

Disney set themselves a tough act to follow with their first-ever animated feature. An ambitious blend of wacky, stylized cartoon action and smooth, roto-scoped realism, Snow White still serves as a lovely slice of bright, cheery, kid-geared fantasy. Just seeing the whole thing through to the finish line was a significant achievement, amidst all the mainstream doubts and staggering financial risks. But it also stands tall on its own merits, from the bold, unforgettable character designs to the lasting, catchy musical interludes. I'm not sure the studio has ever matched this soundtrack, actually, both in terms of staying power and sheer sing-along-ability.

A few unsightly seams might show - clumsy little tricks to avoid the difficult camera angles and puzzling plot machinations to trim troublesome characters (which explains why the charming prince disappears for most of the film) - but animators were literally flying by the seat of their pants here, experimenting on-stage to test the viability of their chosen medium. I could nitpick about a whole lot of small items, but in a broad sense, it's the rare film that can still easily captivate a willing audience after eighty-plus years in the can. That alone is an incredible testament to the dedication, tenacity and enduring skill of the whole team, and the quality of the finished product. Not perfect - in fact, this team would drastically improve the formula in subsequent efforts - but quite a first step.