4 things you didn’t know about Walt Disney’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
Almost all of us have fond memories of reading the fairytale Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs in our childhood. Most of you may have also watched the famous animated musical film by Walt Disney on this fairytale, isn’t it? However, some trivia about the film may surprise the biggest of Disney fans. Read on to know more.
First animated feature film produced in the US?
Disney’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1937, is arguably the first full-length animated feature film produced in America. It was also the first animated feature film of Disney. Through centuries, the tale of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, like others in its ilk, has undergone many alterations, generating hundreds of versions. Disney based his animation musical on the version published by Grimm Brothers in 1812 in the first edition of their collection Grimms' Fairy Tales. Apart from being a huge hit at the box office, this masterpiece earned Disney an honorary Academy Award.
However, scholars are divided in their opinion about the first feature-length animated film. Some attribute the title to Argentina's lost 1917 film, ‘El Apóstol’. Unfortunately, the records of the Argentinian movie were destroyed by fire. Later in 1926, German film director Lotte Reiniger created ‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed’. Reiniger’s work is thought to be the earliest surviving animated movie.
A hidden shoutout to future Disney projects!
As you would know, Snow White was revived in the original story after coughing up the poisoned apple. Disney's beautiful ending with the prince kissing her awake was inspired by the Grimm Brothers' fable, Dornröschen. It translates into ‘Little Briar Rose’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in English. Surprisingly, Disney had also made versions of these stories by the 1950’s.
A teenage dream!
From the age of 13, Disney seemed to have been dreaming of making Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. He was inspired by a silent movie featuring American actress Marguerite Clark. The silent film, in turn, was inspired by a Broadway play. Disney is said to have watched the film as a newsboy in Kansas City, USA. Also, it is thought to be the first film he ever saw.
The animators were drawn more towards the queen than Snow White Surprisingly, they preferred drawing the Queen’s character over Snow White, considering her more determined and sophisticated. In fact, they liked the Queen so much that they didn't use rotoscoping or human models as they did with the princess. Several great actresses of the time, such as Gale Sondergaard, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, and Greta Garbo, were used as visual inspiration for the Queen.