Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Signature Collection (Blu-ray)

Plot: What’s it about?

To say the old cliche “This is the one that started it all” is just that. Truly, this was the first full-length animated movie. Until then (“then” being 1937), cartoons were limited to a few minutes, but some guy named Walt Disney had the idea (and some say, the audacity) to change all of that. Judging by where Disney is now, I’d say he made a pretty good decision. Wouldn’t you? Even today, movies that are full-length animated films are a very daunting task and are becoming more and more commonplace. Disney’s Pixar studios have taken it a step further by creating films entirely in computers and have had fantastic results with that. Take the success of Toy Story I and II, A Bug’s Life and most likely the upcoming Monsters, Inc. and you have a formula for success. Arguably, it’s been probably twenty years since I’ve seen Snow White, Disney has a habit of releasing their classic animated films out in the theaters every 7 years and I recall seeing this movie for the first time. As I sat down to watch it again, which looked absolutely amazing (we’ll get to that later), I sensed that the movie was a lot darker than I had previously remembered. Killing of innocents, bring her heart back in this box, etc…truly, Walt Disney tried to make more of a story than a short story that would make people laugh. And for the time, 1937, you can imagine that this was very cutting-edge stuff!

Now we all know the story of Snow White and if you’ve been living in a forest all of your life, here’s the synopsis. A princess named Snow White (voice by Adriana Caselotti) is a threat to the vain existence of her evil stepmother, the Queen (voice by Lucille LaVerne). She constantly asks the mirror on the wall who is the fairest one of all and doesn’t like the answer she gets one day! There is indeed one fairer than her and Snow White is her name. Not liking this one bit, she sends her henchman (voice by Stuart Buchanan) to kill her and bring her heart back in a box. He goes off and does find her, though he has not the nerve to kill her. Instead he warns her of the queens plans and it’s off to the forest that she runs and hides. While in the forest, she meets seven dwarfs (you should know their names) and they instantly like her and they become one big happy family. But the Queen learns that Snow White is still alive and doesn’t like the sound of it. So disguising herself as a witch, she offers Snow White a poisoned apple that puts her in a deep sleep. But as a kiss from Prince Charming makes it all better and they all live happily ever after. Yes, that’s the whole thing including the ending. Sorry If I spoiled it for anyone.

While Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (named one of AFI’s top 100 movies of all time, by the way) may not hold up if made for the first time today, it was way ahead of it’s time when it first came out. As even our cartoons have a lot more plot and character depth, this was based on an old Grimm’s Fairy tale and challenged the mainstream moviegoers. And again I say that this is the one that started it all. How many great works of animation have followed this one? Countless. Movies like “Peter Pan”, “The Lion King”, “Dumbo” and “Pinocchio” are naming just a few that millions of fans have enjoyed time and time again.

Video: How’s it look?

Having never seen the 2009 Blu-ray, I can only assume that this is the same transfer used for that disc. There’s no mention of a restoration, so I’ll just go with my gut. Having said that, the movie is now eighty years old and it looks just about as good as I think it could look. The colors are rich and vibrant, the apple tens to literally leap off the screen. Snow White’s skin is as apparent as her namesake, with the subtle backdrop of the forest giving the film a 3-D quality that you would have thought never before possible; certainly not with a film of this age! While a few errors do exist (the storybook in the beginning of the tale as well as her voyage through the forest), it’s very easy to overlook them as by the time you’ve noticed that anything could possibly be wrong with this transfer, your jaw is back on the floor. For a film made some 80 years ago, this should be a testament to how amazingly good a film of this age can look. Absolutely perfect.

Audio: How’s it sound?

The DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack from the previous disc (again, this is me throwing out a guess here) is once again included. I’d never heard Snow White in 7.1 channels before and, quite frankly, I was expecting the old mono mix that I don’t even remember seeing as a kid. There is also a restored version on the disc as well. While a few of the lines of dialogue do have that “crackle” in them, thereby giving away the film’s age, the rest sounds terrific. You’ve never heard “Heigh Ho…” like you’ll hear it now. Though the surrounds are used rather sparingly, they are in fact used and with great force. The subwoofer is also used infrequently, but I did feel it’s impact a few times. This doesn’t compare with modern day tracks in any way, shape or form but for the age of the film and what it probably sounded like on opening day, this version sounds and looks better than any other version out there.

Supplements: What are the extras?

The 2009 Diamond Edition will probably stand as the reference disc as far as supplements are concerned. There are some new supplements added to this version as well as some that were ported over from the 2009 edition. Since we don’t have a review of the 2009 edition, here’s what to expect.
DVD Extras

• Deleted Scene: Soup Eating Sequence
• Deleted Scene: Bed Building Sequence

Blu-ray Exclusives

• In Walt’s Words: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – A four-minute narration by Walt Disney that essentially gives us a very brief history of how the film came to be, Disney’s influence for making the film and the sheer manpower involved in bringing it to screen.
• Iconography – This seven-minute segment explores the enduring visual appeal of the film. The apple with the bite out of it, the magic mirror and the evil queen are only a few references from the movie that far exceed the film itself.
• @DisneyAnimation: Designing Disney’s First Princess – Segments like this have appeared in other Disney titles, but this time around we get a look at some of the very early designs that Disney had for the princess. A group of animators look and reflect at some of the changing times and themes that eventually led to Snow White (and beyond).
• The Fairest Facts of Them All: 7 Things You May Not Know about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Hosted by Sofia Carson of the Disney Channel’s Descendants, we do in fact get seven things we may or may not have known about Disney’s timeless tale. I’ll save you the time, here they are:
  Disney’s Folly – People had never seen a full-length animated feature before and the thinking was that it would make you go blind. The critical and commercial success of the film proved everyone wrong.

  The actress who voiced the old woman would actually remove her false teeth to get the voice just right. Thankfully dental hygiene has progressed since then.

  Before the “official” names of the dwarfs were decided upon, we get a montage of suggested names. Of note, Dopey was originally supposed to be “Flabby.” Politically-correct? Methinks not.

  Snow White was originally supposed to be a blonde! Thankfully Disney never featured any blonde princesses…

  How did Snow White’s face get some color? The original cells made her look too pale and pasty, so they added a bit of rouge on her cheeks and, viola!

  Remember the scene where Dopey blew up like a balloon? Or when the dwarfs’ noses appeared over the bed one at a time? Those were called “gags” and the animators got $5 every time one was used in the film. Disney felt it proper motivation to keep the animators’ minds working all the time. Never underestimate the power of a Lincoln.

  Again Dopey is featured with his patented “hitch step”. Disney liked the move so much, he had the animators go back and add more of these in the film.

• Snow White in Seventy Seconds – I’ve never been more instantly annoyed than I was when watching this. It’s a music rap of sorts led by some precocious (I’m assuming a Disney TV star of some sort) who gives us the breakdown in, you guessed it, seventy seconds.
• Alternate Sequence: The Prince Meets Snow White – Taken from some of the earliest transcripts in the history of the company, we get a comparison (alternate) version of the Prince’s first meeting with Snow White.
• Disney’s First Feature: The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – This is pretty much as it sounds. It’s some history of the film and narrated by Brian Sibley, a film historian. We don’t learn too much that we didn’t know before, but the appeal and lasting impression of the movie is explored.
• Bringing Snow White to Life – If you’re a Disney history buff then you’ll know the “Nine Old Men” though it was their mentors that this focuses on and we get a crash course in some of the lessons they were taught and then applied to Snow White.
• Hyperion Studios Tour – Hosted by Andrew Stanton (who I interviewed back in 1999 for A Bug’s Life), this is a look at the studio that brought us Oswald the Rabbit, Mickey Mouse and, of course, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
• Decoding the Exposure Sheet – Scene 21 (where Snow White runs into the castle upon her meeting the Prince) is dissected from a technical standpoint and we’re told how the exposure sheet played a part in both the technical side as well as the animated side for the final scene.
• Snow White Returns – We get a peek inside the Disney Animation vault as we are witness to some sketches that suggested there might be a sequel or spin-off for Snow White.
• Story Meetings: The Dwarfs – Walt Disney, though not usually present at meetings like this, did have a say in what happened. We’re treated to a re-enactment of a meeting about the dwarfs based on the notes from the actual meeting.
• Story Meetings: The Huntsmen –  Essentially the same thing as above only the subject was the huntsmen as opposed to the dwarfs.
• Animation Voice Talent – The vocals in the film are looked at, notably the need for “distinctive characters” in the film. We’re guided through this by Paula Sigman, a Disney historian.
• Audio Commentary – Film historian John Canemaker gives us pretty much everything we need or want to know about the film, its origin and the long-lasting appeal. A very technical track in nature, it’s chock full of Disney facts and figures. It’s not new to this disc, but if you’ve not had the pleasure of giving this a listen – do.

The Bottom Line

What else can I say that hasn’t been said a million times before? This is, literally, the one that started it all in regard to animation.  Eight decades later this is still a classic and I’m willing to wager that it will be in another eight. This might not be the de-facto Blu-ray version of the film, but it does contain some new supplements as well as a DVD copy. I’m guessing this is already in every collection, so unless you’re a die-hard fan then this one might not be worth the “upgrade.”