While it is a common misconception that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first full motion animated film, there is no dispute that it was the first successful fully animated film. Snow White solidified Walt Disney’s genius and opened up new arenas for the film industry to explore. The painstaking process of animating, dubbing and editing such a project is astounding. More astounding is that the quality of this film made 70 years ago still towers over any traditional or computer animated film made since. Sure, technology has improved, but there’s something about the old classics that still capture the imagination of us all.
Walt Disney takes a timeless folk tale and enhances it with rich backgrounds and vivid colors. With the right splash of suspense and drama, children and adults alike will be captivated by this film. When I watched this film for the first time in a long while, I was honestly surprised at how dark and potentially creepy Snow White could seem to a young child. But in the end, they live happily ever after and we are assured that all bad things have passed.
The filming of an animated film is a long and arduous process of taking still frame by still frame shots of animated plates. Some of the scenes flow for a mere few seconds, which is long enough to shoot at 12 frames per second, but other shots pan and roll for an extended period of time, making consistency a huge issue. Only devoted attention to detail can deliver such a seamless final product.
Also worth noting is the music. Disney incorporates a range of themes and incidental music to hammer home to drama and to lift us off our feet during the lighthearted scenes. The original songs have become legendary in their own right as well. All things combined, Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made animated films a bankable product and created a template for animated film that still exists largely to this day. It is the gold standard to which all of its followers must ultimately be compared to. If you haven’t seen this movie, check your pulse- you may be dead.
While it is a common misconception that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first full motion animated film, there is no dispute that it was the first successful fully animated film. Snow White solidified Walt Disney’s genius and opened up new arenas for the film industry to explore. The painstaking process of animating, dubbing and editing such a project is astounding. More astounding is that the quality of this film made 70 years ago still towers over any traditional or computer animated film made since. Sure, technology has improved, but there’s something about the old classics that still capture the imagination of us all.
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