Still fair

Rating: 10/10 (5 March 2014)

For all its historical importance, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) is not treated well by most Disney fans. It is tolerated, but not respected or loved. Common complaints fall upon the heroine being too passive, the music being too dated, too much padding, etc. No film is perfect, even great films, but my God, people are too harsh on this one.
No other Disney film possesses the innocence of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It has a freshness, an excitement to it. It's as though you could feel the animators' joy in every frame. There is no hip irony or cynicism on display, no need to be subversive or cool. The whole thing is a fairy tale played straight and with tons of heart. It isn't hard to see why weary Depression audiences so readily took it to their hearts and declared it "the happiest thing since Armistice".
Snow White is not complex or super interesting as a character, but she has more of a personality than she is given credit for. She is also tougher than you'd think: she's a young teenage girl from an abusive home, yet she still believes she should keep a positive view of life and tries her best to stay optimistic through all her troubles. That's admirable. As for her warbling soprano, many will not favor it and yes, it is dated. However, don't be too harsh there. After all, I doubt the modern pop hit "Let It Go" in Frozen (2013) will gracefully age either.
Of course, the dwarfs are all lovable and entertaining. The Queen/Witch is chilling, one of the finest Disney villains. The Prince... well, he's rather dull. Honestly, I don't get the criticism of Snow's supposed lack of personality; she has it all over her prince.
The animation is still beautiful, even if there are a few awkward moments due to rotorscoping and experimentation. The muted color scheme is lovely, a great contrast to the exhausting bright colors which saturate modern animation (I mainly think of the garish Hercules (1997) or The Lorax (2012)). The backgrounds give one the impression of a children's storybook come to life.
Overall, this is a great film and we are still feeling its influence (for better or worse, since American animation is rarely allowed to leave the Snow White model). Without a doubt, it deserves more respect from modern audiences.