History of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
In this article, we'll be looking at the first feature-length animated film: Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released on February 4, 1938. This was a huge risk Walt Disney took; there were many doubters, including his wife Lillian, that believed that audiences, especially adults, wouldn't sit through a feature-length cartoon fantasy about dwarves. Yet Disney beloved in this project, and actually borrowed most of the $1.5 million that he used to make the film. Snow White premiered in Hollywood on December 21, 1937, and was very well received by the audience. When it was released to the public the following February, the film quickly grossed $8 million, which was a considerable sum during the Great Depression and the most made by any film up to that time.
Of course, one of the biggest reasons why this film was so popular because the film acted as an escape from the pressures and stress that came with the Great Depression, a time of darkness for the United States. However, although the film was a form of escapism, it still reflected much of the 1930s. Snow White is the living embodiment of the "ideal" woman at the time, showing her ability to complete chores around the house which was a very desirable skill for women as men were out fighting the war, as well as being an ornament for how beautiful she was. Today, critics still believe that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of Disney's best films, the jewel in Disney's crown. Where Disney shines through, according to Roger Ebert, "is not so much about Snow White or Prince Charming as about the Seven Dwarfs and the evil Queen--and the countless creatures of the forest and the skies, from a bluebird that blushes to a turtle who takes forever to climb up a flight of stairs." Disney's risk has clearly paid off and is why Disney is what it is today.
Apt analysis. Your description was concise and covered the main ideas surrounding Snow White, its initial release and reaction and how the Great Depression influenced it. I, however, think that you could have gone into a little bit more detail regarding how critics view the film today. Overall, great piece.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree with robertson that while i do think that this is a succinct summary of snow white and why it is loved by critics, that it'd also be interesting to see why it is that critics love it / or find it problematic.
DeleteI'm going to echo both Robertson and Lihong here, Louis -- the strongest part of your post is where you reference Roger Ebert as how critics viewed the film. (Great use of hyperlinking your sources by the way!) Do you agree with Ebert's assessment? What did other critics have to say? Does it matter when the critic was reviewing the film -- in the 1930s directly after the film was released? Or later, like Ebert in 2001 (<--it's also helpful to mention the date there!)?
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