Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated musical fantasy film made by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is based on the 1812 German fairy tale "Snow White" by the Brothers Grimm. A team of directors, led by David Hand, made it the first animated feature film produced in the United States and the first cel animated feature film.

The film first showed at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, California, in December 1937. It was released nationwide in February 1938. Even though some people in the film industry thought it would not do well, the movie was a big success. It made more than $8 million during its first release and was the highest-grossing film of 1938. It kept records for many years.

Snow White changed animation and culture. It led to many popular games, music shows, and even plans for a live-action movie in 2025. In 1989, it was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry because it is very important to American culture. Many people think it is one of the greatest American animated films ever made.

Plot

Snow White lost her parents when she was young and lives with her stepmother, the Queen. The Queen is worried that Snow White’s beauty will become more famous than her own. She makes Snow White work as a servant and asks her magic mirror every day who is the fairest. For a long time, the mirror says the Queen is the fairest.

One day, Snow White meets a prince and they fall in love. On the same day, the mirror tells the Queen that Snow White is now the fairest. The Queen orders a Huntsman to take Snow White into the forest. But the Huntsman warns Snow White and she runs away.

Snow White finds a cozy cottage in the forest with seven chairs, and she thinks it belongs to seven children. She cleans the cottage and cooks a meal. Soon, she meets the seven dwarfs—Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey—who work in a mine. They let her stay, and she helps with cooking and cleaning while they work. At night, they all sing, play music, and dance.

When the Queen learns Snow White is still alive, she disguises herself and gives Snow White a special apple that puts her to sleep. The dwarfs find Snow White asleep and place her in a glass coffin. The prince later finds her, kisses her, and breaks the spell. Snow White wakes up, and everyone is happy as the prince takes her to his castle.

Voice cast

• Adriana Caselotti as Snow White, a sweet princess who hides from her stepmother in the dwarfs' cottage.
• Lucille La Verne as the Queen, Snow White's jealous stepmother who always wants to be the most beautiful.
  • La Verne also voiced the Witch, the Queen's disguise to trick Snow White.
• Roy Atwell as Doc, the leader of the seven dwarfs, who is kind but can be proud.
• Pinto Colvig as Grumpy, the most stubborn dwarf, who learns to care for Snow White.
  • Colvig also voiced Sleepy, the most relaxed and sleepy of the dwarfs.
• Otis Harlan as Happy, the most cheerful dwarf.
• Scotty Mattraw as Bashful, the shyest and most sentimental dwarf.
• Billy Gilbert as Sneezy, a dwarf who often sneezes because of hay fever.
• Eddie Collins as Dopey, the clumsiest and most playful dwarf, who communicates through sounds and actions.
• Harry Stockwell as the Prince, a kind young man who falls in love with Snow White.
• Moroni Olsen as the Magic Mirror, a special mirror that tells the Queen important information.
• Stuart Buchanan as the Huntsman, the Queen's servant.

Production

Walt Disney wanted to make his first full-length animated film in 1933. Before that, his studio made short animated films, like the Silly Symphonies series. Disney thought these shorts didn’t make enough money. He believed a full-length film would let him tell bigger stories.

Disney announced his plans for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1934. He knew the story from an old silent film he had seen as a boy. At first, many people thought a full-length cartoon would be too long and boring. But Disney kept working on it.

The film’s music was composed by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey. Some popular songs from the movie are “Heigh-Ho,” “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and “Whistle While You Work.” The film also had special music by Paul J. Smith and Leigh Harline.

Making the film cost a lot of money—over $1.4 million, which was a big amount at the time. Disney had to borrow money to finish it. But when he showed a rough version to a bank manager, the man loved it and approved the loan, believing the film would be a big success.

Release

Original theatrical run

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs first showed at the Carthay Circle Theatre on December 21, 1937. Many famous people watched the movie, and they liked it. Later, the movie opened in New York City and Miami, and it became very popular. It was the most successful musical movie at the time.

The movie was also popular in other countries. It played in theaters in London, Sydney, and many other cities for many weeks.

Re-releases

The movie was shown again many times over the years. It was first shown again in 1944 to help during World War II. It was shown again in 1952, 1958, 1967, 1975, 1983, 1987, and 1993. In 1987, a book about the movie was written for its 50th anniversary. In 1993, the movie was made digital for the first time.

The movie has made a lot of money over the years and is one of the top money-making movies ever. For Walt Disney’s 100th birthday, the movie was shown again in UK theaters in 2023 for one week.

Critical reception

When the movie came out, most movie reviewers loved it. They said it was special. At the Academy Awards, the movie won a special award for Walt Disney. The song "Some Day My Prince Will Come" became very famous.

Famous movie directors also liked the film. The movie inspired another famous movie, The Wizard of Oz, to be made in 1939.

Critical re-evaluation and industry recognition

Many people today think Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the best animated movies ever. It has been on many “best movies” lists. In 1987, Snow White was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The movie has been on lists made by the American Film Institute many times.

Home media

The movie was first sold for home viewing in 1994 on VHS and LaserDisc. It later came out on DVD in 2001, Blu-ray in 2009, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in 2023. The movie is also available to watch on Disney+.

Legacy

Main article: Snow White (franchise)

After the film came out, many Snow White-themed items were sold, such as hats, dolls, garden seeds, and glasses. These items made a lot of money, even more when adjusted for today’s prices. The film’s popularity helped Disney make more animated movies. Walt Disney used money from this film to build a new studio in Burbank, which is still the home of Walt Disney Studios today. Soon after, Disney made other famous films like Pinocchio and Fantasia.

The film has been used in many ways over the years, including games, rides at Disney parks, and a musical on stage. One popular ride is Snow White's Enchanted Wish at Disneyland and other Disney parks. There have also been video games featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In 2025, a new live-action version of the story was released, starring Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.

Comics adaptations

The Silly Symphony Sunday comic strip told the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in a series of comics from 1937 to 1938. These comics were drawn by Hank Porter and Bob Grant. In Italy, Mondadori published comic book stories continuing the adventures of Snow White and the dwarfs starting in 1939.

Theme parks

Snow White's Enchanted Wish is a well-loved ride at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. At Walt Disney World, Fantasyland has a new attraction called Princess Fairytale Hall where you can meet Snow White and other princesses. There is also a roller coaster called the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Video games

A game called Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was made for the Game Boy Color in 2001. Snow White also appears in other games like Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2. In the game Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for the PSP, there is a world called Dwarf Woodlands. A mobile game called Snow White: Queen's Return was released in 2013, and Snow White and the dwarfs are characters in the game Disney Magic Kingdoms.

Radio City Music Hall Stage musical

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first Disney musical performed on Broadway in New York. It ran for a little over four months in two different years, with new songs written especially for the show.

Canceled prequel

In the early 2000s, Disney worked on a computer-animated story about how the Seven Dwarfs met and what happened before the original film. However, after Disney bought Pixar in 2006, the project was stopped.

Exhibition

An exhibition about making the film was shown at The Walt Disney Family Museum from 2012 to 2013. It included many rare drawings and artworks, and two big books about the film were also published.

Live-action adaptation

Main article: Snow White (2025 film)

A new version of the story was released in 2025, directed by Marc Webb. Rachel Zegler plays Snow White, and Gal Gadot plays the Evil Queen. The Seven Dwarfs are played by several actors, including Martin Klebba, Jeremy Swift, George Salazar, Andy Grotelueschen, Tituss Burgess, Jason Kravits and Andrew Barth Feldman. Patrick Page plays the Magic Mirror.

Other appearances

The Seven Dwarfs have appeared in many short cartoons. They also made a cameo in the 1984 film Gremlins. In the 2022 Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, characters are shown watching the film on TV.