Review #810: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Cast
Adriana Caselotti (Snow White), Lucille La Verne (Evil Queen / Witch), Harry Stockwell (The Prince), Roy Atwell (Doc), Pinto Colvig (Grumpy and Sleepy), Otis Harlan (Happy), Scotty Mattraw (Bashful), Billy Gilbert (Sneezy), Eddie Collins (Dopey), Moroni Olsen (The Magic Mirror), and Stuart Buchanan (Humbert the Huntsman) Directed by William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson (#178 - Peter Pan, #373 - Cinderella, and #683 - Alice in Wonderland) Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, and Ben Sharpsteen.
Review
In a year dominated by stories varying from joy to outright tragedy all throughout the world, one can only either let things get to them, or find an outlet to at least provide some sort of comfort. With that in mind, it's time for a new review, incidentally on the first day of summer, which I hope is some sort of entertainment for you. I hope you enjoy.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was both the first full-length cel animated feature film alongside the first full-length film by Walt Disney and his animators, which was distributed by RKO Pictures. This wasn't the first ever animated movie (there were eight before this one, with the earliest being made in 1917, though it is now lost), but it was the first American animated movie, premiering on December 21, 1937. At the time, this movie was referred to as "Disney's Folly", with people doubting that a man (and his animators) known for cartoon shorts could make a successful film. Obviously this movie was a massive success, but the history the surrounds it is quite interesting, and this movie quite obviously was the impetus for animated films that followed this one. The influence and grace that the movie had is what makes this a great movie; from animation to music, it set a standard that is still held true today.
For me, it had been years since I had seen this film (predating even this show), but even years later the movie still resonated with me. It's a universal kind of movie that works for any age, appealing with a unique kind of charm. I especially like when Snow White is comforted by the animals, with a showcase of the numerous kinds of animals from rabbits to the turtle, with the scenes afterward being wonderful. The movie is an adaptation of the tale by The Brothers Grimm, which prior to (and after) this film had been turned into a play and film (including one I touched on in 1916 - #768), with each adaption being its own kind of twist on the story. With regards to this film, it manages to be enjoyable on the animation, musical & story aspects, balancing itself nicely. It's a movie that moves quickly, running less than 90 minutes, but it does have time for songs, such as Heigh-Ho", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "Whistle While You Work", with a soundtrack (the first of its kind in America) being released the following year. The dwarfs are a key highlight, with their chemistry between each other and Snow White being fun, especially Grumpy. The Evil Queen is a fine villain, with the right voice by La Verne to give the film its edge. It really is hard to say more about a movie as universal as Snow White, but I can say that if one hasn't seen it, they definitely should, with no hesitation. This isn't me being on the Disney bandwagon (seriously, does everything have a bandwagon now?), it really is a movie one should see, for its influence and charm for all.
Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.
