#16 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Best Character: Grumpy
Worst Character: Prince Charming
In ranking these films I’ve been trying not to give too much weight to common ranking pitfalls such as nostalgia or historical significance. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was so influential however it’s difficult to overlook. I’ll just read off a few of its impressive achievements before getting to my write-up: it was the first full-length cell-animated film ever made, the first produced in color, the first animated feature produced in the U.S., and the very first of the Disney canon. Basically without Snow White Disney wouldn’t be the same as it is today. Snow White was absolutely groundbreaking and holds up wonderfully to this very day. It’s one of the most iconic films ever made, with a number of scenes influencing films still produced to this day. I have been so tempted to move this film higher and higher just to see how many of you explode in anger over its placement. You guys are aware this film is fairly consistently placed at the top of the Disney mountain, right? I mean, sure it’s not the best Disney film ever, but I suppose its justification as being the best isn’t insane. Its justification is laced in nostalgia, but it’s still reasonable for someone to place it at the top. It was revolutionary after all.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is also one of the best adaptations of a story tale Disney has ever told. I haven’t actually read the original versions of many of the books Disney films have been based off of. I am, however, fairly familiar with Snow White, and can attest to the fact that Disney did a good job portraying it, even with some kid-friendly adjustments. No, Disney doesn’t make the Evil Queen dance around in burning hot iron shoes, but her death is still exceptionally well done.
This film is dark. There are so many instances in this film that terrified me as a kid, and I don’t think anyone can properly review Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs without at least mentioning the spooky forest. Sure, a lot of its power on me has since been lost, but I can still recognize scariness when I see it. For the very first animated film to create such a powerfully memorable scene is very impressive. And don’t get me started on the ride at Disneyworld. It has since been removed, but man that was a scary ride. The film deals with a number of accompanying dark scenes, the most memorable being the encounter with the huntsman and the final battle between the dwarfs and the Evil Queen. If you’ve read many of these write-ups, you know that many of my favorite scenes are the climaxes at the end. The ultimate showdown between good and evil. It’s no different in this film, as the showdown between the dwarfs and the Evil Queen is fascinating. The witch undoubtedly regrets her decision to place herself in a weakened state as the dwarfs chase her down amidst the pouring rain and impending lightning strikes. It’s such an intense scene. The dwarfs transform before our eyes into murderous avengers completely bent on causing great harm towards the old hag. A lightning strike eventually causes the Evil Queen to plummet to her death (the first of many for Disney!), but had the dwarfs gotten to her first there’s no doubt they would have relentlessly beaten her to death. She was screwed either way.