Taking a Brothers Grimm fairy tale and making it serenely beautiful, haunting, charming, funny and downright amazing in every single conceivable manner in terms of dazzling animation and simple storytelling without missing a beat is quite a major task. It is hard to do one more superbly and masterfully realized than 1937's classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
Nothing new to report with its timeless story of the sweet, soulful princess Snow White (Adriana Caselotti) who is a basic maid living with her wicked, evil and jealous stepmother, the Queen (Lucille La Verne), in a castle. The Queen has black magic powers, speaks to a magic mirror, and conjures all sorts of spells to change her own appearance (more so in the Grimm tale than here). The Queen tells the Huntsman to kill Snow White and bring back her heart as evidence of her death. Oh, my, pretty dark Grimm tale indeed. The Huntsman is reluctant to kill the princess, tells her to run away, and he brings back a pig's heart instead. Thank heavens that Walt Disney and his incredible team of animators had chosen not to show the heart in a box when the Queen opens it. Then there's the singing Prince who wishes to court, or perhaps just marry, Snow White. Oh, and we cannot forget the seven dwarfs who live in a small house in the middle of the woods surrounded by all kinds of wildlife. My favorite dwarf is probably Grumpy because he is the one who has seen it all and can't find much joy in anything.
Of course, the depictions of the prince and Snow White hardly have personalities that stand out (Snow White is permitted in one scene to mimic Grumpy and his ways, and she does occasionally laugh). The Prince and the Princess are not exactly bland but not nearly as fully "animated" as the others and that includes the evil Queen with penetrating eyes that can pierce your soul (never mind the scary look of her as a wizened old woman with the poisonous red apple). The dwarfs are all distinctive and a colorful bunch of different personalities ranging from Sleepy to Bashful to Sneezy and Dopey and so on. Watching them all sing "Heigh Ho!" is simply wonderful and awesomely staged - every frame of this film is beautifully composed and truly three-dimensional with its innovative use of the multiplane camera. Nothing here registers as flat - everything in every frame comes alive with movement, color and variety especially in the depiction of all the woodland animals.
There are many Disney animated films but "Snow White" and (my personal favorite) "Fantasia" exceed what could be done with animation. "Snow White" is a fantastic, expertly told story and a masterpiece for all ages.
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