Forever enchanting and inspiring, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs embodies The Walt Disney Signature Collection’s legacy of animation. In this epic story of love and friendship, the kind and beautiful princess Snow White wins the hearts of the Seven Dwarfs and triumphs over the evil plans of a wicked Queen. Share the movie called “The Greatest Animated Film Of All Time,” (American Film Institute) in High Definition Blu-ray and for the first time ever on Digital HD, with special features for the entire family!
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Rating: G
Running Time: Approx. 83 Minutes
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs holds a special place in my heart as I didn’t know at the time that I first viewed it that it was the world’s first feature length animated film but I did know that it was one of the first animated films that I saw and connected to in many ways. So I was thrilled to be able to receive The Walt Disney Signature Collection Edition of the classic film recently and re-watch a classic that I hadn’t seen in years.
Many years have passed since I watched this on VHS as a child but there’s a reason this is such an iconic story. It’s timeless. Viewing this so many years later, after watching and reading and consuming in various art forms so many retellings and re-imaginings of this tale, it was refreshing to go back to basics and appreciate the purest version of this particular adaptation.
On top of all of that, the special features are seemingly endless. If you’re a fan of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs and/or are a hardcore Disney fan, know that this edition has plenty of bonus content that will keep you busy all day. And it’s worth every minute. So be sure to pick up The Walt Disney Signature Collection Edition of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs while it’s still available! More on the bonus content below!
In Walt’s Words: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (4:22 minutes) – This feature is an archive of interview recordings of Walt Disney from 1956 with footage from back in the day shown as the recordings go on. If you’ve ever wondered what inspired Walt to adapt Snow White and all that came after he decided to move forward with the project, this is the feature to watch. I learned plenty that I didn’t know before which was exciting, so don’t skip this feature.
Iconography (7:16 minutes) – Well this was a fun and unexpected feature. Here, we follow a number of creators as they share how Snow White inspired them and the icons that remind them of the story and why they love the story every single day. The second half of the feature is more heavily featured on the blogger behind Disneybound which, as a blogger, is awesome to see. Though I wish this feature had been not only longer but had delved deeper into what certain icons of the story mean to the creators they chose to feature.
Appearing in This Feature:
Artist, Nathan Sawaya
Walt Disney Animation Studios Art Director, Brittney Lee
Professor and Director at USC, Sarah Banet-Weiser
Creator of Disneybound, Leslie Kay
@DisneyAnimation: Designing Disney’s First Princess (5:16 minutes) – In this feature, we watch a roundtable of animators and art directors discuss the Disney aesthetic and how it was inspired by its time. They also very briefly discuss the differences between Snow White and the leading ladies of today. While I can’t say that this episode is a must see, if you have extra time, check it out.
Appearing in This Feature:
Animators, Mark Henn, Grim Natwick, Fred Moore
Art Directors, Michael Giaimo, Bill Schwab, Lorelay Bové
Walt Disney
The Fairest Facts of Them All: 7 Facts You May Now Know About Snow White (4:37 minutes) – Sofia Carson (Disney’s Descendants) wearing all black, against an all white backdrop, gives us seven fun facts about Snow White. If you consider yourself a hardcore fan, you probably know these facts but for the average Joe, there will be some surprising facts here, making this a must watch!
Snow White in Seventy Seconds (1:12 minutes) – For a fun rap recap of Snow White performed by an adorable tween, this feature is made for you.
Alternate Sequence: The Prince Meets Snow White (3:39 minutes) – This is so bizarre because it’s a scene of early sketches and what not put together with Walt Disney’s voice in the background, recordings of early meetings he had with the creative team, as they plot out how the Prince meets Snow White. It’s bizarre because it’s literally conference meetings that Walt Disney is having about plot so it’s hardly a completed first draft of the screenplay and most writers wouldn’t even let you see their first draft let alone their early plotting. So. Odd to experience. Not sure how I feel about this.
Disney’s First Feature: The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (33:15 minutes) – This is a wonderful Making Of feature spotlighting everything from the European influence of the visuals and the music of Snow White to its premiere in 1937. I especially loved hearing from the animators themselves. Animator, Ward Kimball made me laugh at one point. If there’s one feature you watch on here, let it be this one.
Appearing in This Feature:
Film Historian, Brian Sibley
Composer, Michael Giacchino (UP, Ratatouille, The Incredibles)
Author/Animation Historian, John Canemaker
Supervising Animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Eric Goldberg
Writers/Directors for Walt Disney Animation Studios, John Musker, Ron Clements
Author, Neal Gabler (Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination)
Animators, Ward Kimball, Woolie Reitherman, Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Grim Natwick
Assistant Animators, Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston
Art Directors, Ken Anderson, Michael Giaimo
Disney Historians, Paula Sigman, Russell Schroeder
Production Designer for Pixar Animation Studios, Ralph Eggleston (Finding Nemo, Wall-E)
Production Designer, Ken Anderson (101 Dalmatians)
Supervising Animators, Vladimir “Bill” Tytla, Norm Ferguson
President of Walt Disney Music, Chris Montan
Bringing Snow White to Life (11:35 minutes) – This feature puts the spotlight on a number of “Disney’s Nine Old Men” aka the core animators of Walt Disney (all of whom have since died, the last in 2008). It’s a wonderful love letter to the creators of the world’s first full length animated feature film. Definitely a must watch.
Appearing in This Feature:
Film Historian, Brian Sibley
Author/Animation Historian, John Canemaker
Supervising Animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg
Writer/Director for Walt Disney Animation Studios, John Musker
Animators, Woolie Reitherman, Grim Natwick, Ham Luske, Art Babbitt
Disney Historian, Paula Sigman
Supervising Animators, Vladimir “Bill” Tytla, Fred Moore, Norm Ferguson
Hyperion Studios Tour (30:36 minutes) – Director, Producer, and Writer, Andrew Stanton (Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Wall-E, UP) introduces this feature which doesn’t take us on the tour of Hyperion Studios in Silverlake, California that you’re expecting. No, that’s lifting the curtain too far. It’s moreso, various departments of the crew talking about working on Snow White and working with Walt Disney (from past recordings) as behind the scenes footage is shown. So if you’re interesting in seeing more than just the animators, this is the feature you’ve been looking for. Very insightful and with such great memories of the time. Director, Producer, and Writer, Ron Clemens (Moana, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid), Writer/Director for Walt Disney Animation Studios, John Musker, and Supervising Animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Eric Goldberg lead us into transitions throughout the feature.
Also Appearing in This Feature:
Animators, Frank Thomas, Woolie Reitherman, Ward Kimball, Norm Ferguson, Freddy Moore, Milt Kahl, Blaine Gibson, Volus Jones, Ollie Johnston, Robert Stokes, Eric Larson, Grim Natwick, Ham Luske
Sequence Director, Wilfred Jackson
Voice Actress, Marcellite Garner
Art Directors, Ken Anderson, Ken O’Connor
Assistant Animator, Marc Davis
Live Action Reference Snow White, Marge Champion
Live Action Reference With, Don Brodie
Director, David Hand
Ink & Paint, Lucy & Isabelle Wheaton
Multiplane Camera, Eustace Lycett
Camera Operator, Adrian Woolery
Effects Animator, Edwin Parks
Sound Department, James MacDonald
Sound Recordist, Bob Cook
Background Artist, Maurice Noble
Gag Man, Roy Williams
Foreign Correspondent / Wife of Story Man Otto Englander, Erna Englander
Decoding the Exposure Sheet (6:49 minutes) – In this feature, Producer, Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beats, The Lion King) gives us a technical class in art work and technology and how exposure sheets are treasure maps to story. I found this to be very fascinating though it is very technical so this may not be of interest to many. However, especially if you’re interested in getting into animated featured films, this is quite a gem as you see how the first animated feature film ever worked.
Snow White Returns (8:44 minutes) – In this feature, Producer, Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beats, The Lion King) takes us to the Animation Research Library to share Snow White Returns story sketches for a possible sequel short. After this, we then see the sketches in full screen as Hahn narrates the story for us. So if you’re looking for a new to you classic Snow White story from Disney itself, here it is!
Story Meetings: The Dwarfs (5:51 minutes) – Writer and Director for Walt Disney Animation Studios, John Musker introduces a re-enactment of a collection of story meeting notes from the time that Snow White was made. As the seven dwarfs have always been my favorite part of this fairy tale, I especially loved this feature as we see that their vision for the seven dwarfs was always clear and never wavered.
Appearing in This Feature:
Director, David Hand
Sequence Director, Perce Pearce
Supervising Animators, Fred Moore, Hamilton Luske, Vladimir Tytla
Animators, Arthur Babbitt, Les Clark
Story Meetings: The Hunstman (3:55 minutes) – Writer and Director for Walt Disney Animation Feature Animation, Ron Clements introduces a re-enactment of a collection of story meeting notes taken over a two year period of the Snow White creative process. This should have been titled, “Story Meetings: Snow White” because it barely focused on the Huntsman which was disappointing.
Appearing in This Feature:
Walt Disney
Art Director, Charles Philippi
Sequence Directors, Bill Cottrell, Larry Morey
Deleted Scenes (4:07 minutes / 6:28 minutes) – Two deleted scenes, “Soup Eating Sequence” and “Bed Building Sequence” are on this edition, shown in the early stages of animation (aka no coloring) and are really fun to watch, especially if you want more for your Snow White fix.
Animation Voice Talent (6:20 minutes) – Perhaps the feature you’ve been looking forward to the most, comes nearly last in the lineup. A feature putting the spotlight on the voice actors. Very briefly but it’s here. Of course they don’t cover the rumor of Walt Disney not allowing Adriana Caselotti to work as an actress outside of Disney but what are you gonna do…
Appearing in This Feature:
Animators, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas
Disney Historian, Paula Sigman
Animation Historian, John Canemaker
Voice of “Snow White,” Adriana Caselotti
Voice of “Queen/Witch,” Lucille La Verne
Film Historian, Rudy Behlmer
Voice of “Prince,” Harry Stockwell
Voice of “Sneezy,” Billy Gilbert
Voice of “Happy,” Otis Harlan
Voice of “Bashful,” Scotty Mattraw
Voice of “Doc,” Roy Atwell
Voice of “Sleepy” and “Grumpy,” Pinto Colvig
Voice of “Dopey,” Eddie Collins
Vice Chairman of the Board of The Walt Disney Company, Roy E. Disney
Commentary – The commentary is conducted by Roy E. Disney and Historian, John Canemaker with recordings from Walt Disney intertwined. The commentary is a gold mine of behind the scenes information, making this a must watch for any hardcore Disney and/or Snow White fan.