Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs - 1937

Our next film happens to be Walt Disney's first animated feature film.  1937's "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs" brings us that familiar tale of a young lady who is wished dead by an evil stepmother.  She finds refuge in the forest home of seven dwarfs who protect her at all costs.

The film's vocal cast includes Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne, Moroni Olsen, Roy Atwell, Harry Stockwell, Zeke Clements, Eddie Collins, Pinto Colvig, Billy Gilbert, and Otis Harlan.

Once upon a time....how all fairy stories begin...there lived a lovely little Princess named Snow White....

Inside the castle, the Queen summons the Magic Mirror.  "Slave in the magic mirror, come from the farthest space, through wind and darkness I summon thee.  Speak!  Let me see thy face."

"What wouldst thou know, my Queen?" asks the mirror.  "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" comes the immortal reply.  When the mirror tells her that Snow White is the fairest one of all, the Queen clutches her jewels in anger.  She begins to plot a way to get rid of her stepdaughter.

Snow White is a sweet girl who does her chores without complaint.

While she works, she sings "Someday My Prince Will Come" to the pigeons who have gathered around her.

It seems that "someday" is today.  A passing prince hears her and begins to sing back to her.

Snow White runs back into the castle (check out those clogs!) while the Prince continues to serenade her.

Watching all of this with anger and dismay is the Queen, who angrily closes the curtains (and simultaneously inspires an iconic moment at Disneyland).

The Queen has an audience with her faithful and loyal huntsman.  She tells him to take Snow White to a clearing and let her pick wildflowers.  When she least expects it, he is to kill her.

The huntsman instantly protests, not wanting to harm the princess.

The Queen reminds him of the penalty for failing her.  To make sure he does not fail, she hands him a box and tells him to put Snow White's heart in it and return it to her.

The huntsman takes Snow White flower picking, but he is unable to kill her.  He tells her to run away.  He puts a pig's heart in the box and gives it to the Queen.

Snow White, meanwhile, runs into a deep, dark forest where her imagination gets the better of her.

A bunch of animals find her after she collapses.  She asks them what they do to make themselves feel better.  A little bird begins to sing.  Snow White excitedly begins to sing back to it and feels better.

Snow White needs a place to stay.  The animals lead her to a cottage in a forest glade.  Noticing how dirty it is, Snow White tells the animals to "Whistle While You Work" and in no time she's got the place spick and span.  After she's done cleaning, she falls asleep in the cottage owners' beds.

The cottage owners are dwarfs who work in a diamond mine.  (And if you had diamonds that big, wouldn't you be excited too?)  When the clock strikes quitting time, "Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's home from work we go", and they begin their march home.

They're in for a surprise when they find someone in their beds.  They are ready to club Snow White to death.  She reveals herself just in time.  Naturally, she makes friends of them all, and they allow her to stay (especially after they find out she can cook!).

The Queen, however, is dismayed to find out from her mirror that she's been tricked by the huntsman.

With a scurry down some stairs (and some awesome cape action!), she heads into her dungeons to her laboratory.

Knowing she's got to do the job herself if she wants it done right, the Queen finds the spell she thinks will be perfect to disguise herself.

After drinking down a particularly nasty brew, she successfully transforms into an old hag.

Then, she looks for the best way to end Snow White's life, deciding on a poisoned apple.

Meanwhile, Snow White and the dwarfs happily and obliviously dance the night away in their cottage in the forest.

The Queen busies herself with preparing the apple.  "Dip the apple in the brew.  Let the Sleeping Death seep through!  Look on the skin, the symbol of what lies within."  With a command of her voice, the apple turns from black to red.

Thinking that there might be an antidote, she discovers that indeed there is one: true love's first kiss.

The next day, Snow White busies herself with making dinner for the dwarfs.

The Queen comes and offers Snow White an apple.  Take one bite and her dearest wish will come true.

The animals, sensing a trick, go after the dwarfs and bring them back to the cottage.

They're too late, of course.  Snow White tastes the apple, feels ill, and falls unconscious.

The Queen scrambles to leave the cottage, but the dwarfs give chase.  She climbs a tall hill.  A bolt of lightning causes her to fall to her death and a boulder lands on top of her.  The vultures are delighted with this turn of events.

Sadly, the dwarfs keep a vigil around the "dead" Snow White.

It seems Snow White sleeps through fall, winter, and spring, too.

The dwarfs and animals are sad, but the Prince draws near.  As he arrives, he begins to sing.

He approaches Snow White and kisses her.  A few moments later, she awakes as if from a deep sleep.

Amid much rejoicing from the dwarfs and animals, the Prince carries Snow White off to their castle in the clouds.

Cast rundown:

   Adriana Caselotti.................................Snow White

   Lucille La Verne...................................The Queen

   Moroni Olsen.......................................Magic Mirror

   Roy Atwell...........................................Doc

   Harry Stockwell....................................The Prince

   Zeke Clements.....................................Bashful

   Eddie Collins........................................Dopey

   Pinto Colvig.........................................Sleepy/Grumpy

   Billy Gilbert.........................................Sneezy

   Otis Harlan..........................................Happy

And that's it for Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, a movie that continues to inspire films (and TV shows) today.  Lucille La Verne had the honor of playing the first ever Disney villain when she chose to accept the role of The Queen.  She also voiced The Queen's alter-ego, the old hag.  When it came time for her to voice the old hag, the animators told her that they needed something much older and raspier than the voice she used for The Queen.  La Verne stepped out of the recording booth.  A few minutes later, she was back, and delivered the perfect voice that stunned the animators.  When asked how she did it, she said, "Oh, I just took my teeth out."

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