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Film Title: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

 Best for ages: 6 and up.

Movie Website: Click Here

Year Released: 1937

Rated: G (US)

The Review

     Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the film that put Disney on the map when it came to animated movies. In fact, many people consider it the film that changed the way animation was shown in theaters. It was the first film that Walt Disney produced; it was the first full-length cell-animated feature, as well as being the first animated film shown in American theaters, It was also the first produced in color and the first to be considered a Walt Disney classic.

     The story is based on a much darker tale written in Germany by the Brothers Grimm.  Walt Disney, however, turned the idea into the fairy tale story that it is today and added certain elements to detail that were not included in the Brothers Grimm story.  The story Disney tells is one of a princess named Snow White whose wicked stepmother, the Queen, has dressed her in servants' clothes and put her to work cleaning the castle. One day, when the Queen's Magic Mirror tells the Queen that she is no longer the fairest in the land, the Queen asks a hunter to take Snow White into the forest, kill her, and bring her heart back to the Queen. However, instead of doing as the queen requests, the hunter tells Snow White to run into the forest and to “never come back.” He then brings the heart of a pig to the Queen to cover his tracks. However, the Magic Mirror tells the Queen that Snow White is still alive and living in the forest with the seven dwarfs. The Queen then descends into her dungeon where she practices black magic and turns herself into an old crone.  She also makes a poison apple, which she plans to give to Snow White. This apple will make Snow White sleep forever, and only the kiss of a price can reverse the curse.

   It has been decades since I last watched Snow White as a child. I vaguely remember catching pieces of the film here and there on VHS while my sisters stared at the television being sucked into the film's imaginary world. It is not until no, that I realize what a great animated film Snow White really is.  For a film that was produced in 1937, you would expect there to be an issue with the overall quality of the film on Blu-ray. While it still has the classical animated look to its characters, on Blu-ray, Snow White becomes a film like no other.

   With the Diamond edition Blu-ray combo pack Disney, does the fans right.  The film not only comes on a Blu-ray Disc, but a DVD as well.  I do not know how Disney did it, but the 1080p High Definition/1.33:1 transfer looks flawless. The restoration is unbelievable.  All the details of the film come to life, the picture quality is so crisp, and clear, you almost feel as if you are experiencing the film for the first time.

   The three-disc Diamond Edition has  a ton of special features. The DVD disc comes with the full-length version of the film with an all new digital restoration with enhanced picture and sound as well as the original and restored theatrical soundtrack. There is also audio commentary with animator John Canemaker. It also includes a music video and a sneak peak at the new Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog.

  The Blu-ray Disc features come on two separate discs. The first disc has the film in its newly transferred version in HD 7.1 Sound and all. There are also Music video and a Disneyview, which is an expanded experience where you can see things about the film that you never have before.  The features are divided into three categories on the disc. The first is the “Disney Family Play” which includes three games such as “What did you see,” a scrambled image in which you have to decipher and guess what you are seeing. “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall,” where the mirror will determine which Disney Princess you are most like. There is also a matching game called Jewel Jumble. The Backstage Disney features include a slew of things, which include three featurettes, and a sneak peak at the new Disney princess animated film, The Princess and the Frog. The first featurette, Snow White Returns, shows newly-discovered storyboards that suggest that Walt Disney planned a sequel for Snow White. There is also a featurette titled Hyperion Studios which gives a tour of Disney’s original studio and the featurette The One that Started it All, where we learn how the film launched the Disney name in movies and how, as a film, Snow White changed the movie-going experience and paved the way for feature-length animated films. There are also the classic bonus features that include the game Dopey’s Wild Mine Ride, “Heigh-Ho” a karaoke sing along and a Disney though the Decades feature and more.

   While this disc is sure to become a big-seller for the Christmas season, I do want to warn parents that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs does have a few things that might scare some younger viewers. This includes such scenes as when the hunter is about to stab Snow White, but instead tells her to run into the forest. When she runs into the forest, all the trees and plants around her turn into monsters and seem to be are after her. There is also the wicked Queen who is into black magic and turns herself into the hideous witch with the poison apples.  I think Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is best suited for children over the age of five or six. As a parent, you must judge if you think some of these scenes are too scary for your young ones. My two-year-old daughter laughed at the scenes, but for some more sensitive kids, this might be an issue.

   When you think Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, you think Disney. On Blu-ray disc this film looks phenomenal. It is probably the best-produced Blu-ray disc I have had the pleasure of reviewing. No one does it like Disney, and that is the truth.  The disc is truly a must-have for all fans of not only Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but for fans of the entire Disney brand.

BUY THIS MOVIE.