Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - ★★★★½

Director: David Hand
Writers: (Too many to list)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the second film on my Disney Blogathon quest. It's undeniably beautiful, absolutely magical, and downright hilarious. Yes, the nostalgia of it all got to me... believe it or not, I shed a few tears at the end of the film. It's just one of those movies you come to truly appreciate upon multiple viewings. Not only did it set a benchmark for animated feature films, but it also stands as one of the best animated movies ever created.


I think we all know the story of Snow White... and if you don't, THEN I PITY YOUR CHILDHOOD! It's about the quest of an evil Queen to be the fairest woman in the whole world. For a long while, she was the most beautiful... but she knew that there was one who may one day take that title from her. That girl is the Princess, Snow White (her step-daughter). Eventually, Snow White does surpass the beauty of the Queen, which leads the evil witch to hire a hunter to kill her. Long story short, Snow White ends up in a cottage with Seven Dwarfs after running away from the hunter.

For such a dark story, this movie is so darn cute and whimsical. I'm whistling the tunes as I'm writing this review! I absolutely adore the music in this movie! Who can forget the incredible songs, such as Heigh-Ho, Whistle as you Work, and my personal favorite... Someday My Prince Will Come. Whether you're an adult or you don't like musicals, you can't deny that these songs are awesome!

The thing that surprised me the most about this movie: I LAUGHED SO DARN HARD! Here we go again... I like this movie more than when I was a kid. When I was younger I still enjoyed all of the antics and colorful happenings in that cute little cottage, but I didn't really look at the humor properly. As an adult, I found the dwarfs even funnier! Particularly Grumpy and Bashful. I love each and every one of those dwarfs as if they were my own children.

One thing Disney does do right: They create the most kick-ass villains. I freaking love The Evil Queen, or as I like to call her; The Wicked Bitch of all fairy tales. She is the original evil villain in Disney movies, which makes me respect and love her character a whole lot more. She's downright scary when she looks like herself, but as an old lady she's so cute and funny looking. Oh, words cannot do justice to this woman... let's just say, she stands up there today with the greatest movie villains of all time (both real and animated).

As much as I loved this movie, of course there were some flaws in it. That's to be expected, considering it was made in 1937. I'm only pointing these out because, as this is a huge Disney Blogathon, I have to be a little tougher when critiquing. I want an honest list of reviews, which is why I must do this.

Here goes nothing... I don't like that the evil queen was so stupid (why couldn't she just stab Snow White herself?). It's not good to expect logic from these sorts of films, but her decision to go through all that effort to poison Snow White only sours her character a little for me. I mean, sure that would have made her death a little sweeter and more memorable, but it's just soooo silly for an evil witch. I mean, at first she only wanted her heart to be cut out. She should have stuck with the original plan and done it herself. Once again, I know this is just a children's story, but my point is that it isn't flawless.


Also, Snow White has a pretty bland personality. I mean, we get to know and love the dwarves and the woodland critters, so why can't we get to love her? She's a beautiful, lovely, singing and cleaning machine. But who is she? I don't know... it would've been cool to see more of who she is, but that's just nitpicking.

My sister and I have a sinister thought about who Snow White truly is... we were wondering if she's secretly a very manipulative person that can get the dwarfs, the animals and even her assassin to do whatever she wants. I mean, all she has to do is sing, wave her hands and kiss the dwarfs and they give her their home, food, bed and devotion. She did the same to the animals, and they cleaned the cottage and tried to save her life. Now as for the hunter... what if she knew that he was going to kill her. Maybe she was being all cute with that little bird and acting like an angel, just so he would feel bad and chicken out after all. It's a silly thought I know, but AT LEAST it gives the character some depth and personality.

Anywho... This is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. Now, I love many of the classics from Walt Disney, but only a few of them have ever made me cry. Something happened to me tonight at the very end of the movie. When Snow White is riding off into a stunning sunset, the song Someday my Prince will Come starts, sung by a angelic choir. Almost instantaneously, my hand clapped my eyes as I started laughing. I was crying tears of joy at having seen one of the most beautiful movies ever created. It is a privilege to see this movie, and I'll always cherish the memory of having watched it.