The one that started it all

Rating: 9/10 (8 September 2014)

The One that started it all. Walt Disney and his company took one major risk with the release of the first ever theatrical animation feature. It was all or nothing. If Snow White would've been a disappointment, perhaps Disney wouldn't even exist today. But instead, the risk paid off and today, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs still stands as one of the best animation films. The film did well in the box office back in 1937 and it allowed Disney to start producing a lot of timeless classics in the years that followed.
Snow White is a princess, dressed in rags and reduced to work for the evil queen, who fears the beautiful princess. The queen sends a hunter to murder Snow White and to deliver her heart in a box. The hunter can't commit the murder and tells Snow White to hide herself from the evil queen. Snow White finds a little cottage in the woods were seven dwarfs live, who work in the mines during the day, digging for diamonds, although they don't know why, as they mention in the catchy song 'Heigh Ho'. She cooks for the dwarfs and they start to care for Snow White. Even Grumpy, although he wants you to believe he doesn't. While they are off to the mine, the evil queen pays a visit to the cottage, disguised as an old, ugly beggar. Snow White is unaware of the fact that the beggar is actually the queen, so she invites her into the cottage, takes a bite out of a poisoned apple and dies. The forest animals warn the dwarfs, who chase the queen before she drops off a rock and dies. They bury Snow White in a glass coffin, because they can't bring themselves to bury her in the earth. She gets kissed by a prince, comes back to life and they live happily ever after.
The first Disney Classic holds a special place in the hearts of many Disney fans and it's easy to see why that is. Snow White is very enjoyable from the start to the finish. It's not a perfect film, like Beauty and the Beast, but still, it was really groundbreaking for 1937. Just 9 years prior, Disney released Steamboat Willie and it's just unreal considering what Disney managed to accomplish in those 9 years. The animation looks tremendous. There's definitely an eye for detail, as was common with most of the early classics. I really appreciate that style of animation. Details can add a lot. In Snow White, they don't distract from the narrative, which is important. Now what really makes this film such a success are the dwarfs. They are a great collection of compelling characters. I especially like Grumpy, he brings a lot of fun to the table. The other dwarfs are memorable as well. Snow White may not be very interesting and her singing voice is the only thing about this film that feels outdated after 77 years. But her character works good enough to make for a great film. The ending may sound cliché, but it was the first time they did it, so I don't mind it very much here. Snow White is just an enchanting film that is definitely worth the view.