I’ve decided to go back and re-watch every Disney full length animated feature from the beginning, in order. And I’m going to share some of my thoughts with you! Categories I’ve included as highlights, low points, music, villains, fun facts, where the World (where the movie is represented in Walt Disney World), and my personal rating. Let me know what you think and if there’s anything else I should discuss!
Highlights: Snow White is a very special Disney movie because it was the first full length animated feature. That alone, and its monumental place in Disney history, makes it a must see for Disney fans. The really fun thing about it though is that it still manages to be an entertaining movie beyond having a purely historical aspect. While it is different from movies today, it is still enjoyable to watch. The characters, especially the dwarfs, are fun. Their little gags are laugh out loud funny. And although the story is simple, it’s a good one.
Low points: Snow White is a likeable character, but you can’t help but get just a little bit fed up with her naiveté. Even 5 year olds know not to let strangers into their houses, and especially not super creepy ones offering them food. And after the dwarfs have specifically warned her that her stepmother might try to disguise herself and try to visit. Sigh.
Music: While I feel the music is old fashioned, a lot of it is good. There are several really well known, catchy songs, such as “Heigh-ho” and “Whistle while you Work.” I also think “Someday my Prince will Come” is a beautiful one.
Villain rating: The stepmother/Evil Queen is an excellent villain in terms of being crazy and evil. I mean, it’s in her name! She seems inhuman. There are no redeeming qualities to her and she has evil spells and magic on her side. And think about she’s doing: trying to murder a 16 year old girl because she’s prettier. Psycho! At least she met a pretty satisfying death.
Fun fact: In the original fairy tale, it isn’t the Prince’s kiss that wakes Snow White from her curse – it’s the fact that her coffin gets bumped, dislodging the piece of poisoned apple from her throat. Somehow there’s something a little more romantic and magical about Disney’s ending!
Where in the World? Though Snow White’s Scary Adventures is no longer found in WDW, we do have the brand new 7 Dwarfs Mine Train in Fantasyland! Snow White herself makes many appearances around the parks (Cinderella’s Royal Table, Germany in Epcot, and Akershus, to name a few).
My personal rating: I’m going to give it an 8.5 out of 10. That’s pretty high, but a lot of it is because of the significance of its place in history. In terms of pure enjoyment, I like it but would probably only give it a 7.5. But thank goodness Snow White became such a hit and paved the way for many animated features to come!
Looking forward to this project of yours! My advice is to keep your project on the Disney Canon, i.e. the 54 animated Disney “classics” as opposed to the direct-to-DVD animated films and the animated films that were only released by Disney and not produced by them.
This movie is always a joy to see as I love the dwarfs.
Fun fact: This was actually NOT the first full-length animated film ever! A man in Argentina made a film called “El Apostol” in 1917 which utilized traditional/cutout animation. That is actually the first full-length animated film, although it’s lost now. Disney’s SWATSD is actually like the 5th or 6th first full-length animated film ever and the first one that is totally traditionally animated.
My fave song in this film is actually the washing up song that the dwarfs sing.
Yes, it has passed the test of time and I agree with you that the characters are a lot more one-dimensional than newer Disney characters.