Screening SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARVES
Late in the second act of GREMLINS (which I’ve written about here), there’s a scene where all the Gremlins assemble in the movie theater to watch SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARVES. One of the best moments in the movie is seeing them all sing “Hi Ho” — it’s a completely whacked-out anarchic moment that’s funny and creepy, the embodiment of the spirit of that film.
I mention it because it sparked the curiosity of my son, who although he likes to complain he “hates watching movies,” doesn’t hate watching movies at all. He hates having to watch movies instead of videogames and TikTok, but once a film starts rolling, if it’s any good, he’s in for the ride. And it’s fun to see how these films influence his thinking.
Case in point, as the scene played out, he asked if we could watch SNOW WHITE next. Not gonna argue with that!
OK so, SNOW WHITE.
Some basic information about the film to set things up — full disclosure, I pulled this next section from a ChatGPT query (it’s time to start embracing the future, people!):
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it is the first full-length animated feature film and the first in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series.
The making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a long and laborious process that took several years to complete. The film was in development at Walt Disney Productions as early as 1934, and the first storyboards were created in 1935.
The film’s production was led by Walt Disney, who served as the producer and supervising director, and his team of animators, including Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, and David Hand. Disney oversaw every aspect of the production, from the story and character development to the music and sound effects.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a critical and commercial success upon its release, and it is still regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time. It was also the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Back to the human-generated content…
First impression was that it’s absolutely visually stunning. Nothing in the modern Disney animation pantheon even comes close. Every frame is literally a painting. I can’t overstate this: it’s a gorgeous film from start to finish. My son, who loves animation of all kinds, said within 5 minutes of the movie starting: “I wish they made all the animated films these days like this.” I was surprised at his reaction but I have to agree. There’s nothing stopping Disney from replicating this style digitally, but truly nothing can compare with the wonder of knowing every single detail in this was made by hand. In this age of AI generated art (and writing, mea culpa!), things made by hand should take on much greater importance.
In terms of character and story, it’s thin. Snow White isn’t so much a character as a set of character traits, beautiful, young, sweet, docile, beloved by woodland creatures and desired by princes. All of which makes her evil stepmother, the Queen, angry enough to murder her — or at least, ask one of her minions to do the job. When the Hunstman can’t stomach it, he warns Snow White who flees to find the home of the Seven Dwarves, and a long sequence of her cleaning up the house ensues. The Queen is never given a name, and her only desire is to be more beautiful than her stepdaughter. There’s no mention of Snow White’s father, or even her real name. The Dwarves are probably the most fully realized characters, but effectively act as one character in seven bodies. (I also have to imagine they’re incredibly problematic or at least complex for people with dwarfism, much as Munchkins and Oompa Loompas must be — check out this article about the upcoming live action remake of SNOW WHITE and the controversy over it among actors with dwarfism.)
Most of the middle section of the film is dedicated to Snow White meeting and hanging out with the Dwarves, until they head off to work in the morning and the Queen appears as an ugly old crone, giving Snow White the infamous apple that causes her to fall asleep. There’s a bit of a chase scene as the Dwarves race to save Snow White and inadvertently cause the Queen’s death by lighting bolt / falling off a cliff. As soon as that happens, the Prince appears, kisses Snow White and they live happily ever after.
So yeah, the storytelling is pretty weak compared to later Disney films. It’s pretty formless, but you can chalk that up to this being what amounts to a feature-length experiment. It’s deeply of its time, especially from a cultural perspective on the roles and expectations of women young and old, and its devotion to beauty as an inherent good in itself, and ugliness at least in female form, as something bad. But that’s how movies are, from the early days and now: time capsules of the culture, for good and ill.
And you have to understand, there were no rules for this kind of thing. They were making it up as they go, and the truth is, despite its narrative flaws and weaknesses, it’s really entertaining and engaging. Yes, the scenes with the Dwarves drag on a bit long, and it’s all a bit corny, but it’s fascinating to see how this film lays the groundwork for a dozen future Disney films (including Bambi and Thumper, Chip n Dale, and some Alice in Wonderland stuff too), as well as the entire animation industry as a whole. But even setting aside the academic appreciation of the film, it’s still a magnificent work of art.
SNOW WHITE not only holds up as a film that’s worth watching on its own merit, arguably it’s a must-watch for cinephiles.
