Time has a way of changing reactions to films – even those that are considered timeless. As years become decades, the impact a movie has often morphs. What was last year’s classic can all of a sudden be met with a more tepid reaction. Such is my response to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the gut go-to film in Disney’s animated canon. While I see the film’s importance from a technical aspect and laud it for its sense of mood, it’s not at the top of my list of animated classics. Quite frankly, it’s downright boring at times.
Based on a fairy tale, Snow White is one of the most direct stories of good versus evil I’ve ever seen or read. Tormented by the beauty of her stepdaughter, Snow White, a wicked queen becomes obsessed with killing her husband’s delicate kin. When one of the queen’s henchman is overwrought with guilt when given the horrendous task, he tells Snow White to run away and never return again. Magically enough, the queen’s magical mirror sees into the nearby woods and notes that Snow White is alive and cleaning in the cottage of seven hard-working, vertically challenged folks. And so the queen’s obsession continues and grows to include apples, poison, scary cackles and alarmed animals.
Snow White marked the onset of the animated feature. Considered a massive risk at the time, Walt Disney’s critics looked into the future and saw a man in ruin. At least that’s the legend that’s grown in the [70] years since it was made. Obviously the critics were wrong and the film connected with the movie-going public and launched an iconic Hollywood institution.
Watching Snow White today, you can still see the intricacies of the hand-painted animation. It’s meticulous and detailed. The artistic reach of the film is one of tremendous beauty. But in the grand scheme of things, this is but one aspect. It’s a big one, but the complexities of movies bring in all sorts of different parts that come together to create the medium. From that lens, the artistic side can’t make the film an enthralling experience, at least today where animated features have become a commodity that seems to grow with every other opening weekend. Animation is commonplace. Because of that, the film’s beauty is almost overlooked because there’s such a massive list of similarly styled movies to view it against. A more recent example that’s following a similar path is digital 3D films. As little as a year ago I was wowed by the experience, which may have made a film seem better than it actually was. Now I’m used to the technology and am finding myself taking it for granted. It’s just the way it is and it’s getting harder to wow me. Fair or not, it’s hard to say but I do believe that part of the film watching experience is just that – an experience. As viewers become accustomed to a format, style or gimmick the experience becomes harder to recreate. As advances occur, the earlier benchmarks become lost.
This is how I see Snow White today. As an innovation, it is a classic. But as a story, I struggle with much of it. The songs come from a different era. I’m not used to the shrill voices that bring the music to life. The lyrics of Snow White and Prince Charming’s tunes of swooning are also simplistic. The music, an integral part of the film, does little for me save for a very notable exception in the form of “High, Ho!” a song that’s been stuck in my head collectively longer than any other song I can recall. The pace of the film is also very slow when the queen is not enacting her plots and schemes. However, when she is around, the tone of the film is one that brought chills to me for years. The creepy atmosphere she creates has paved the way for other classic Disney villains.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has an important part in Hollywood history. It’s a film of firsts. It’s a feature that opened the gates of an empire. Had it failed, the cinematic landscape (as well as that of Anaheim) would probably look very different.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray Review
Since they began producing Blu-ray discs, Disney has been pushing the limits of the format. The result is a series of great discs that really are changing the way films are seen and appreciated. With the introduction of the new “Diamond Edition” line, Disney appears to be pushing the limits even further with their animated classics.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs kicks off the line with a phenomenal release that showcases both the film and the format. The newly re-mastered picture is gorgeous, restoring the colours and feel of the film. Unlike Pinocchio, the transfer doesn’t go too far either. While it looks cleaned up, it still retains its original charm. The film is shown in 1080p high def in its original full screen (1.33:1 aspect ratio) format. The soundtrack is also re-mastered and offers a 7.1 DTS-HD English track as well as 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks in French and Spanish, and a restored take on the original soundtrack. Subtitles are available in the same three languages. One of the small things that I like about Disney’s restoration projects on Blu-ray are the Disney View presentations that add painted bars to the side of the screen. It gives Snow White a more classic sort of look, filling the screen without interfering with the original presentation.
Disney history buffs will be delighted with the audio commentary hosted by John Canemaker and features plenty of pieced-together comments from Walt Disney. Two deleted scenes are included in the form of animated pencil sketches. Additional unearthed content is shown in “Snow White Returns,” which focuses on a series of storyboards that were recently discovered and believed to be the initial plans for a sequel short of sorts.
“Hyperion Studios” explores Walt Disney’s original studio from several angles. It includes lots of interviews with Disney historians and archival footage and photos. “The One That Started it All” is a 17-minute featurette that looks at Snow White’s place in establishing the Disney brand. Featurettes found on the original DVD release include looks at the voice talents, a breakdown of Disney history by the decades (as told through a very Disney lens that ignores so of the company’s lesser successes), and a sing-along version of the classic tune “Heigh-Ho.”
Interactive components include several simple games and activities. “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall” is a fancy version of those personality quizzes you find in waiting room magazines and all over Facebook. It matches your personality with one of the Disney princesses (I’m most like Ariel, by the way). “What Do You See” is a game in which you race the clock to figure out distorted images. In “Jewel Jumble” players try to match jewels in patterns. It’s a lot like a bland version of “Tetris.” Finally, there’s “Dopey’s Wild Mine Ride,” which is a carry-over from the DVD release.
Additional features include a preview of The Princess and the Frog and an updated version of “Some Day My Prince Will Come” performed by Tiffany Thorton.
The Blu-ray release of Snow White is a three-disc combo pack that includes a DVD version of the film as well.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Gallery
Trailer
