And so this crazy journey begins. I can't imagine that I didn't watch this movie as a child, especially given the fact that my Mom has Grumpy t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. However, I simply do not remember it. Sure things like the song "Hi Ho" ring a bell, but in terms of vivid memories... I have none. My first impression is that it's old. Really old. As I sat there watching the beginning, I find myself thinking of Wizard of Oz. Maybe it was the way Snow White was singing. Maybe it was the way it was filmed and the styling of the text on the screen. I know I'm not completely crazy because Brittaney alluded to the same thing. Or maybe we are both crazy. Who knows. The intro was incredibly dull. It wasn't until the dwarfs are brought in that it really picks up. From then on out it was solid.
One of the first things I noticed is that this was a story about a Queen that felt the need to be the most beautiful woman around. The little story book told me so. The problem is that she never had a chance. Ever. She is down right hideous. That little concoction she drank to form a disguise didn't help her case either. As a matter of fact.. why didn't she just create a beauty potion rather than trying to kill off her step child? Not that Snow White was pretty. There was something genuinely odd about her appearance. Don't let the photo above fool you. She had no shading on her face and she just appeared fake. Almost porcelain doll-like. How is it that something fictional like a dwarf can almost look more human-like than a human?
The next thing I noticed was that if I was a kid, I would have been genuinely terrified while watching this movie. When the attempt on Snow Whites life fails, she is told to run away. She then proceeds to run through the forest. This is where things get dark fast. Really fast. Branches turn into arms with hand that are reaching out to grab her. Logs become crocs trying to bite her. Are you kidding me!? If I was a kid I would never go near a forest or log again. Luckily this scene is fairly short. The scariness returns later on when the Queen decides she must poison Snow White, but that wasn't nearly as bad the forest scene.
The Dwarfs themselves are fairly interesting. They are entertaining. Doc has trouble saying what he wants to say. He jumbles words and stutters through phrases. When the dwarfs return from work to find their house disturbed he instructs his comrades to "search every crooked fanny" rather than every nook and cranny. Kids laugh because its funny when he messes up. Adults laugh because of the word choices. Then when they discover Snow White in the bedroom he asks "What are you and who are you doing?" then quickly corrects himself and says "Who are you and what are you doing?." I laughed hard at this. How could Walt be so bold? Then I started thinking.. Maybe the words didn't carry the same connotation in 1937. Maybe "doing someone" didn't mean anything back then like it does now. Maybe it did. I suppose we will never know. Then there is Grumpy. When Snow White looks at his and asks politely "How do you do?" he simply responds with "How do you do what?" I love it. I am always a fan of quick and witty responses and he nailed it.
Overall, I can see why this helped jump start what has become the Walt Disney empire. In reality, even though the original story was not created by Disney, his team did an awesome job telling this story. Creative, fun, and memorable.. an instant classic.
Up next: Pinocchio
