Snow White - Nothing Will Ever Be the Same

When I was a sophomore in high school, my friends and I decided to do a group Halloween costume and each dress as a different Disney character.  The sexiest characters were quickly taken: Tinker Bell, Pocahontas, Jasmine, etc.  I based my decision on which character I felt I looked like the most. If any of Belle’s outfits were easy to make or buy, I would have been her, but a huge yellow ball gown was out of the question, so I chose Snow White and proceeded to cut and dye my hair for the occasion. What is most striking to me about my 15^th Halloween was that I chose to be Snow White even though she is probably my least favorite princess.

Halloween 2006

But why was she my least favorite princess? While I waited for my DVD to arrive in the mail, I thought about the film and why I thought I disliked Snow White. I thought I would have to focus this blog entry on the history and importance of the movie, which is considerable, as it was the first ever full-length animated feature, and try to discreetly ignore the fact that I thought the movie was boring and its main character ridiculous.  However, upon re-watching the film, I was pleasantly surprised.

I not only enjoyed watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but I have since become a bit obsessed with it; I have begged friends to re-watch it with me two or three times.  The animation is, of course, crude in comparison to later films, and the character of Snow White is as vapid as I remembered, but I was astonished with three things: the dwarves, the music, and the influence the movie had on the entire field of animation.

Let’s start off with the seven dwarves.  Snow White started the trend of Disney princess films featuring supporting characters that play a larger role in the story than the princess herself.  In Sleeping Beauty, the three fairies are the main characters; in Cinderella, Jacque and Gus Gus steal the show.  And it all started with the seven dwarves. They have the most dialogue, all of the jokes and, in the case of Grumpy, the most touching character development.  But there are a few things I wonder about the dwarves: where did they come from? how did they find each other? why do they mine for diamonds?  They are presented to us for the sole purpose of classic vaudeville entertainment.  Just as Snow White is the perfect picture of a 1920’s/30’s flapper with short hair and a high, piercing voice, the dwarves are all cabaret actors portraying a different trait or emotion.  Dopey is an especially amazing character because he is mute, and despite his lack of dialogue he is most people’s favorite dwarf.  What struck me most about Dopey was how many of his actions are based on the behaviors of a dog.  Take a look at these screenshots and tell me they don’t remind you of a puppy:

Another dwarf who caught my attention was Grumpy.  If there is one thing I have learned from working retail in Disneyland Park, it is that people want anything and everything with Grumpy on it.  It has always confused me why people would want the most cantankerous character on their shirt, hat, or collectable pin, but after re-watching Snow White it kind of makes sense.  Grumpy goes through a big change throughout the course of the film. While everyone else either automatically hates or automatically loves Snow White, Grumpy is the only one who has to learn to love her. He starts off as comic relief, making snide comments about the treacherous ways of women, but then begins to act differently towards Snow; you see this first when the dwarves are leaving for work and each receive a kiss on their bald heads as they walk out the door.  Grumpy initially acts disgusted at the prospect of being kissed, but as he leaves he purposefully takes off his hat as he warns Snow not to let anyone in the house while they are gone.  Immediately after the dwarves leave, the Evil Queen shows up in disguise with the poison apple.  When Snow’s animal friends run to warn the dwarves, Grumpy is the one who takes action immediately, jumping on the back of a deer while the rest of the dwarves clamber about trying to figure out what to do.  He is the one who leads the charge up a mountain towards the Queen and succeeds in destroying her. 

I did not expect to feel so depressed when Snow White is found dead by the dwarves.  While I still believe that Snow White is not a strong protagonist, it made sense to me that she had to be written as helpless and gullible in order to make her death that much more tragic. Whether or not Snow’s dream to be taken away by Prince Charming was anti-feminist, I felt bad for her because the Queen took advantage of her sweetness and trusting nature.

Her sweetness and optimism are also reflected in Snow White’s soundtrack. I never think of Snow White when I think of my favorite Disney songs, but I was unexpectedly into the music, especially some of the overlooked songs in the film.  People usually remember “Hi Ho,” “Whistle While You Work,” and “Someday My Prince Will Come,” but there are more equally enjoyable tunes that I fell in love with.  The first is combined with “I’m Wishing,” where Snow sings a duet with the echo of her voice from within a wishing well.  It is called “One Song” and it is sung by Prince Charming.  It is a remarkable love song that, when paired with the animation, summarizes the love between Snow White and the Prince, as well as the queen’s jealousy.  The second song is called “With a Smile and a Song.” I found this track to be not only uplifting, but to contain a great message.  Snow sings, “There’s no use in grumbling – when the raindrops come tumbling – remember, you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.”  For me, this is Snow’s redeeming quality.  Her optimism is infectious and “With a Smile and Song” started me off on a path that would end with me loving her a whole lot more than I ever thought I would.

It is important to address the fact that a lot of people dislike the music in Snow White. A lot of the lyrics are hard to understand, in part because Snow White’s voice is so high.  What I knew, but was reminded of in the special features on this DVD, was that Walt specifically looked for a young woman who sounded like a child to voice Snow White.  The high falsetto is intentional and yet another factor meant to endear you to Snow White and her vulnerability.  18-year-old Adriana Caselotti was chosen to do all the vocals for Snow White.  Adriana was eavesdropping on a phone call between her father (a singing teacher in Los Angeles) and a Disney executive who was asking for recommendations on voice actresses.  Adriana piped in that she could do it and started singing over the phone.  Her father begged her to get off the line, but the executive was impressed and asked her to come to the studio to audition.  What is most fascinating about Caselotti’s story is that, at the time, voice acting was so new that there was no protocol for how to treat a voice actress and she was consequently blacklisted from working for anyone else after finishing Snow White.  Walt was quoted as saying that he did not want to ruin the illusion of Snow White and that is why Caselotti never performed another credited role following her performance.

18-year-old Caselotti

Even though I fell in love with the characters, music, and story of Snow White, I can’t finish this blog post without mentioning the film’s history and how important it is to the rest of animation.  If you didn’t know, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first ever full-length animated feature ever made.  That means that before Snow White, no animation was longer than six or seven minutes.  Walt’s dream to make an eighty-three minute long animated story was laughed at by critics everywhere.  They called it “Disney’s Folly” and said that no one would want to watch a cartoon for that long and made ridiculous predictions like that the bright colors would hurt their eyes.  Walt believed so strongly in this picture that he trudged on, expanding and expanding his budget until finally Bank of America refused to loan him more money without seeing the film.  Walt set up a screening for a bank executive and because the film was unfinished, acted out parts of the story and sang most of the unfinished songs.  This makeshift excuse for a screening still managed to impress the banker and when he left the studio that day he told Walt that Snow White would make him a ton of money.  With more loans secured from the bank, Snow White was finished and premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater in a sold out showing on December 21, 1937.  If the movie had failed to impress, Walt Disney Studios would have gone under.  Luckily, it was a wild success and inspired Walt to make the next 18 out of 50 animated films in his lifetime.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit that while I was watching the special features on my Snow White DVD I cried quite a bit.  There was just something about listening to the head animators from the film talk about how much they believed in the project despite everyone’s criticism and disbelief that made me tear up.  When my roommates came home I was still a mess and kept yelling at them “No one understands! Snow White changed everything!” because it really did.  It was the first of its kind and deserves respect for being the first and influencing every animated film that followed it.  It amazes me that there are still little girls who love Snow White, after all these years. That she is still a face character in Disney parks.  That they are in the process of building more Snow White attractions at Walt Disney World.  I think Walt would be really proud that the film that he poured his heart and soul into has persevered and remains important to all of us.  I certainly have a newfound respect for it after re-watching it.

Looking back I am pleased that I chose to dress as Snow White for Halloween when I was 15. While my friends chose their costumes based on which character would make them look cutest, I accidentally chose the most iconic and influential character of them all. I hope all of you, at sometime or other, take the time to watch this movie even if you have already seen it, and rediscover how amazing it is not only in Disney history, but the history of film as a whole.

Next Up: Pinocchio 

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