Walt Disney’s first full-length animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered on December 21, 1937, at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, California, with debuts on January 13, 1938, in Miami, Florida, and New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall. Generally released in theaters on February 4, 1938. Produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. Loosely based on the German fairy tale, “Sneewittchen” or “Snow White” published in the 1812 book Children’s and Household Tales Volume 1 by the Brothers Grimm.
***WARNING: Possible Spoilers Ahead***
A message from Walt to his cast and crew who made Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs a reality.
“My sincere appreciation to the members of my staff whose loyalty and creative endeavor made possible this production.” - Walt Disney
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, follows Snow White, a kind and beautiful princess whose wicked stepmother, the Evil Queen, becomes jealous of her beauty and orders her to be killed. Snow White escapes into the forest and finds refuge in the home of seven dwarfs – Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey – who take he in and become her friends. However, the Evil Queen, disguised as an old hag, tricks Snow White into eating a poisoned apple, putting her into a deep sleep. Only ‘true loves kiss’ can bring Snow White back from her deep sleep, and when the Prince hears of a maiden who sleeps in a glass coffin, he travels the long distance to see if it’s the same maiden he fell in love with.
The soundtrack to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released by RCA Victor Records and was the first commercially released soundtrack album. All the music was composed by Frank Churchill, and the lyrics were written by Larry Morey. The original release featured three 78-rpm singles that included “With a Smile and a Song,” Dig-a-Dig Dig/Heigh Ho,” “I’m Wishing,” “Whistle While You Work,” “Dwarf’s Yodel Song,” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.” The soundtrack has been expanded and reissued numerous times following its original release.
At the 10th Academy Awards on March 10, 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was nominated for Best Music (Scoring): Walt Disney Studio Music Department, Leigh Harline, head of department (Score by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, and Paul J. Smith.) At the 11th Academy Awards on February 23, 1939, Walt Disney was awarded a Special Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion-picture cartoon.” Walt was presented with a full-size Oscar statuette and seven miniature ones, presented by 10-year-old Shirley Temple.
Re-released in theaters on February 22, 1944; February 13, 1952; February 7, 1958; June 11, 1967; December 20, 1975; July 15, 1983; July 15, 1987 (New York City, New York); July 17, 1987; July 2, 1993; September 29, 1012 (New York Film Festival, New York City, New York); and February 2, 2016.
In 1989, the United States Library of Congress deemed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Released for the first time on home video (VHS and LaserDisc) on October 28, 1994, as the first release of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. Released for the first time on DVD on October 9, 2001, as the first release of the Disney Platinum Editions, followed by a VHS release on November 27, 2001. Released for the first time on Blu-ray (Blu-ray + DVD combo) on October 6, 2009, as the first release of the Disney Diamond Editions, followed by a DVD release on November 24, 2009. Released on a Blu-ray + DVD combo on February 2, 2016, as the first release of the Walt Disney Signature Collection, followed by a DVD release on February 28, 2017. Released on a Blu-ray + DVD combo on March 22, 2022, as an 85th Anniversary Edition / Disney Movie Club Exclusive. Released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on October 10, 2023.
The American Film Institute (AFI), an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, released the “AFI 100 Years …” series between 1998 and 2008 and recognized Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in several categories. The film was selected for AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Movies (The 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time) - #49; AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Heroes & Villians (The 100 Greatest Heroes and Villians) - #10 Villian: The Queen; AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Songs (The 100 Greatest American Movie Music) - #19: “Someday My Prince Will Come”; AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Movies - 10th Anniversary Edition (The 100 Greatest American Films of All Time) - #34; and AFI’s Top 10 (The 10 Greatest Movies in 10 Categories) - #1 in Animation.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, follows Snow White, a kind and beautiful princess whose wicked stepmother, the Evil Queen, becomes jealous of her beauty and orders her to be killed. Snow White escapes into the forest and finds refuge in the home of seven dwarfs – Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey – who take he in and become her friends. However, the Evil Queen, disguised as an old hag, tricks Snow White into eating a poisoned apple, putting her into a deep sleep. Only ‘true loves kiss’ can bring Snow White back from her deep sleep, and when the Prince hears of a maiden who sleeps in a glass coffin, he travels the long distance to see if it’s the same maiden he fell in love with.
The soundtrack to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released by RCA Victor Records and was the first commercially released soundtrack album. All the music was composed by Frank Churchill, and the lyrics were written by Larry Morey. The original release featured three 78-rpm singles that included “With a Smile and a Song,” Dig-a-Dig Dig/Heigh Ho,” “I’m Wishing,” “Whistle While You Work,” “Dwarf’s Yodel Song,” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.” The soundtrack has been expanded and reissued numerous times following its original release.
At the 10th Academy Awards on March 10, 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was nominated for Best Music (Scoring): Walt Disney Studio Music Department, Leigh Harline, head of department (Score by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, and Paul J. Smith.) At the 11th Academy Awards on February 23, 1939, Walt Disney was awarded a Special Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion-picture cartoon.” Walt was presented with a full-size Oscar statuette and seven miniature ones, presented by 10-year-old Shirley Temple.
Re-released in theaters on February 22, 1944; February 13, 1952; February 7, 1958; June 11, 1967; December 20, 1975; July 15, 1983; July 15, 1987 (New York City, New York); July 17, 1987; July 2, 1993; September 29, 1012 (New York Film Festival, New York City, New York); and February 2, 2016.
In 1989, the United States Library of Congress deemed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Released for the first time on home video (VHS and LaserDisc) on October 28, 1994, as the first release of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. Released for the first time on DVD on October 9, 2001, as the first release of the Disney Platinum Editions, followed by a VHS release on November 27, 2001. Released for the first time on Blu-ray (Blu-ray + DVD combo) on October 6, 2009, as the first release of the Disney Diamond Editions, followed by a DVD release on November 24, 2009. Released on a Blu-ray + DVD combo on February 2, 2016, as the first release of the Walt Disney Signature Collection, followed by a DVD release on February 28, 2017. Released on a Blu-ray + DVD combo on March 22, 2022, as an 85th Anniversary Edition / Disney Movie Club Exclusive. Released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on October 10, 2023.
The American Film Institute (AFI), an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, released the “AFI 100 Years …” series between 1998 and 2008 and recognized Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in several categories. The film was selected for AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Movies (The 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time) - #49; AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Heroes & Villians (The 100 Greatest Heroes and Villians) - #10 Villian: The Queen; AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Songs (The 100 Greatest American Movie Music) - #19: “Someday My Prince Will Come”; AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Movies - 10th Anniversary Edition (The 100 Greatest American Films of All Time) - #34; and AFI’s Top 10 (The 10 Greatest Movies in 10 Categories) - #1 in Animation.
CAST AND CREW
Supervising Director: *David Hand.
Sequence Directors: *William Cottrell, *Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, *Ben Sharpsteen.
Writers: Dorothy Ann Blank (Story Adaptation), Richard Creedon (Story Adaptation), Merrill De Maris (Story Adaptation), Otto Englander (Story Adaptation), Earl Hurd (Story Adaptation), Dick Rickard (Story Adaptation), Ted Sears (Story Adaptation), Webb Smith (Story Adaptation).
Producer: Walt Disney (uncredited).
Voice Cast (all uncredited): Roy Atwell (voice of Doc), Stuart Buchanan (voice of The Huntsman), *Adriana Caseloti (voice of Snow White), Eddie Collins (sound effects, Dopey / chipmunk and squirrel sneezes), *Pinto Colvig (voice of Sleepy / Grumpy; sound effects, Dopey hiccups), Marion Darlington (sound effects, birds), Billy Gilbert (voice of Sneezy), Otis Harlan (voice of Happy), Lucille La Verne (voice of The Evil Queen / The Witch), *James Macdonald (sound effects, yodeling), George Magrill (sound effects, doves), Scotty Mattraw (voice of Bashful), *Clarence Nash Jr. (sound effects, raven), Moroni Olsen (voice of the Magic Mirror), Purv Pullen (sound effects, birds), Harry Stockwell (voice of the Prince).
Art Directors: *Ken Anderson (as Kenneth Anderson), Tom Codrick, Hugh Hennesy, Harold Miles, *Kendall O’Connor, Charles Philippi, Hazel Sewell, Terrell Stapp, McLaren Stewart, Gustaf Tenggren.
Animators: *James Algar (Animator), Samuel Armstrong (Background Artist), *Art Babbitt (Animator, as Arthur Babbitt), Jack Campbell (Animator), *Les Clark (Animator), *Claude Coats (Background Artist), Merle Cox (Background Artist), Shamus Culhane (Animator, as James Culhane), Ugo D’Orsi (Animator), *Marc Davis (Assistant Animator, uncredited), Phil Dike (Background Artist), Al Eugster (Animator), *Norm Ferguson (Supervising Animator), Bernard Garbutt (Animator), *Joe Grant (Character Designer), Albert Hurter (Character Designer), *Ollie Johnston (Assistant Animator, uncredited), *Milt Kahl (Animator, as Milton Kahl), *Ward Kimball (Animator), *Eric Larson (Animator), Ray Lockrem (Background Artist), *John Lounsbery (Assistant Animator, uncredited), Dick Lundy (Animator), *Hamilton Luske (Supervising Animator), Robert Martsch (Animator), Joshua Meador (Animator), *Fred Moore (Supervising Animator), Grim Natwick (Animator), Mique Nelson (Background Artist), Maurice Noble (Background Artist), *Bill Peet (Inbetween Artist, uncredited), Stan Quackenbush (Animator), *Wolfgang Reitherman (Animator, as Woolie Reitherman), Bill Roberts (Animator), George Rowley (Animator), Fred Spencer (Animator), Robert Stokes (Animator), *Frank Thomas (Animator), *Ruthie Thompson (Ink and Paint Artist, uncredited), *Bill Tytla (Supervising Director, as Vladimir Tytla), Marvin Woodward (Animator), Cy Young (Animator).
Music: *Frank Churchill (Conductor / Music Arranger, uncredited), *Leigh Harline (Conductor / Music Arranger / Music Supervisor, uncredited), *Paul J. Smith (Conductor / Music Arranger, uncredited as Paul Smith).
* - Denotes Disney Legend
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
MPAA Rating: G. Runtime: 83 minutes. Sound Mix: Mono, RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System. Color: Technicolor. Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1. Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy.
Disney Movie and Film Encyclopedia: 90.00 / 100
IMDb: 7.6/10
Metacritic (Metascore): 96
Metacritic (User Score): 8.0
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer): 97%
Rotten Tomatoes (Popcornmeter): 78%
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
MPAA Rating: G. Runtime: 83 minutes. Sound Mix: Mono, RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System. Color: Technicolor. Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1. Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy.
MY REVIEW
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the one that started it all is a fairy tale about good versus evil and hope against all odds. Being the first full length animated feature it had to be mind blowing to be in the Carthay Circle Theatre witnessing the future of animation back in 1937. It was scary, it was funny, it was suspenseful, it was adventurous and watching it now is nostalgic! Whether you enjoy this film or not you can’t argue that without Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs paving the way we wouldn’t have had all the great animated films since.
RATINGS
Disney Movie and Film Encyclopedia: 90.00 / 100
IMDb: 7.6/10
Metacritic (Metascore): 96
Metacritic (User Score): 8.0
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer): 97%
Rotten Tomatoes (Popcornmeter): 78%
Average score from all the above ratings: 86.17
FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
1. It Was a Massive Risk Dubbed “Disney’s Folly”: Walt Disney poured $1.5 million (way over the initial $250,000 budget) into Snow White, mortgaging his house to fund it. Hollywood skeptics thought a feature-length cartoon would flop, but it grossed $8 million in its first run—equivalent to over $150 million today—proving them wrong.
2. The Dwarfs’ Names Were a Last-Minute Choice: In the original Brothers Grimm tale, the dwarfs are unnamed. Disney’s team brainstormed over 50 options—like Jumpy, Deafy, and Baldy—before settling on Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey, finalizing them just months before release.
3. Dopey Was Silent for a Reason: Unlike the chatty dwarfs, Dopey doesn’t speak because the team couldn’t find the right voice. Mel Blanc (yep, Bugs Bunny) auditioned, but Walt decided Dopey’s mute, expressive charm—voiced only by squeaks and hiccups—worked better.
4. Snow White’s Look Took Serious Tech: To make Snow White move realistically, animators filmed dancer Marge Champion using a technique called rotoscoping—tracing live-action footage frame by frame. Her fluid motions set a new standard for Disney princesses, though the Evil Queen was drawn freehand for a sharper, scarier edge.
5. Snow White’s Voice Was a Teen Sensation: Adriana Caselotti, just 19, voiced Snow White after Walt heard her sing in a studio session. Disney paid her $970 (about $20,000 today) but barred her from other big roles to keep her voice “exclusive”—she later sued for royalties but lost.
Are you a fan of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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