SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES (1937) (****)

Disney's Folly is what they called SNOW WHITE before it arrived in theaters. Moving into feature animated films was a huge gamble, but Walt Disney saw it as the only way to sustain the studio; shorts were getting less profitable. With this film, Disney was a perfectionist and as the production took longer and longer the more expensive it became. If the film was not a success the studio would go under. Upon its release it was hailed as a classic and that status has endured till today.

The story is a simple tale of good versus evil, but on a grand scale. Snow White (Adriana Caselotti, THE WIZARD OF OZ) is the epitome of goodness. The princess toils as a slave to her evil stepmother the Queen (Lucille La Verne, ORPHANS OF THE STORM), but she still finds the happiness in the simple things in life like the flowers and the birds. To contrast her innocence, the Queen is vain and vindictive. When her Magic Mirror (Moroni Olsen, 1950's FATHER OF THE BRIDE) declares that Snow White is now the fairest in the land, she commands her huntsman (Stuart Buchanan) to take the princess out into the woods, murder her and cut out her heart as proof of the heinous deed.

But the huntsman can't go through with it and tells her to flee into the forest and never come back. Snow White is so pure that she quickly befriends the forest animals, who do not fear her and they lead her to the cottage of the seven dwarves. At first she thinks they are little orphan children, because of the size and messiness of their house.

With the plot so simple, the story has room for a great deal of character development. Disney and his crew took the time to establish each of the seven dwarves. Doc (Roy Atwell) is the de facto leader of the group. He rallies the men when they need someone to even if he has a hard time getting the right words out. Grumpy (Pinto Colvig, voice of Goofy and Pluto) is his opposite. He is the skeptic and is the perfect dash of sour to the overall film's sugary sweetness. But even he gets won over by Snow White, which allows the in for skeptics in the audience to care as well. Happy (Otis Harlan, BAMBI) is the voice of optimism in the group, who's willing to try new things. Sleepy (Colvig) and Sneezy (Billy Gilbert, HIS GIRL FRIDAY) are simply as their names describe them. Bashful (Scotty Mattraw, 1924's THE THIEF OF BAGDAD) too is like his name, but he also provides the first hints that the dwarves are developing an innocent crush on Snow White. Last, but certainly not least, is the mute Dopey. He is like the child of the dwarves and serves as a male counter to Snow White's innocence. Watch how he returns time and again for a kiss when the dwarves head off to work. It's a classic combination of character and gags.

Almost like a Western, Snow White serves as the tamer of these little wild men. The gender role clichés are hard to miss as the male dwarves are hopeless slobs without the cooking and cleaning of a woman. But on the level of the film's core audience – kids – the film slyly works in simple lessons like keeping your room clean and washing your hands. When the Queen learns that Snow White is still alive, she transforms herself into a haggard witch. She uses the princess's trusting nature against her. In this story, the perfection of Snow White can't be tainted with revenge or even wishing comeuppance on her stepmother, so it's the job of the freaks (aka dwarves) to hunt down evil. But in the end, it's her on cruelty the does her in. To close, the handsome prince (Harry Stockwell, HERE COMES THE BAND) rides in to save Snow White and carry her away.

Disney and his brilliant artists did put their hearts into this production. The art is exquisite. While it relies a bit too much on rotoscoping, which gives the more realistic humans a stilted feel, the animation is enchanting. The best bits of course are with the dwarves. From the dwarves' first arrival at their newly cleaned house to the song and dance sequence to their vigil over the bed of Snow White, these scenes are classic examples of animation acting. But also watch the brilliant layout work as well. Evocative camera angles and nightmarish fantasy during the sequence when Snow White flees into the forest shows just how animation can capture the mind frame of a character without words.

When it comes to the classic fairy princess stories of Disney, none betters SNOW WHITE. While the morals have become more sophisticated since the 1930s, this classic battle between good and evil stands the test of time because it stays true to its core themes. Whether you identify with the innocent perfection of Snow White or the cynicism of Grumpy, this is a film that truly has something for everyone.