Disney Classics Marathon :pound_symbol:1

I have recently decided to rewatch all the Disney Classics, some which I have seen very often over the years, some of which I haven’t watched it ages. Obviously "Snow White" comes at the very beginning.

It is hard to judge this film solely as that, just a film, because of what an incredible achievement it has been. Without "Snow White" animation probably wouldn’t be where it is today. It was the first feature length animated movie, really kickstarted what would become the most terrifying... I mean successful company in the movie industry (shaped like a Mouse as big as Godzilla) and an overall game changer for movie making history.

And it still deserves a lot of buzz. Just from a technical standpoint the movie is beautiful. The animation simply flows, the textures are gorgeous and drawings and coloration are beautiful. The music, though while not a personal favorite of mine, memorable and fitting (Heigh Ho is one of the first songs I ever sang along to).

As Disney’s first animated feature it also sets out for many tropes Disney would become famous for, though granted, some can be traced back to the original fairytale. The two most comical tropes in hindsight are probably "Disney Loves Dead Parents" (check) and the overall "Disneyfication" or "Disneyfied Version" of a much darker tale (and Boy do we love to make fun of this these days).

Made famous by the Brothers Grimm (although similarities can be traced back to the ancient tale of Chione made famous in Ovid‘s Metamorphosis) the original fairytale is much darker and more disturbing, like a lot of them actually are. Disney took basic plot elements and made them more "kid friendly" to sell the movie to a wider audience. Some aspects were cut out completely, like the first two murder attempts the Queen pulls before eventually settling for a poisoned apple, though I assume those were just cut because of budget reasons and limitations to what they could animate at the time. That being said, the movie still has some terrifying scenes in it. The Queen’s transformation into the hag caused me to have nightmares as a kid.

The ending is also slightly changed to a "true love‘s kiss" version and Queen is actually killed instead of her actually more disturbing fate in the fairytale. Way to go Disney? It’s weird.

I will never deny how much I appreciate this film and what it has done for me personally. As far as visually media goes, I‘ll take animation over live action any day because it gives filmmakers endless possibilities for creativity and storytelling.

Judging this just as a movie, I‘m actually not sure what to feel about it. It wasn’t one of my go to movies as a child (thanks to aforementioned witch transformation) and I barely ever watch it as an adult. I don’t share some of the modern criticism the Movie gets, because I‘m fully aware that it is in its very core, still a fairytale with the purpose to teach morals to children, not to tell the most engaging story with A+ character development attached to it. Still, my brain is wired to watch movies with a more modern approach. I appreciate the film‘s beauty and child-like sense of wonder, but I must also admit that it just doesn’t capture me as much as I would like to. There are scenes I enjoy, but as a whole it doesn’t really hold my interest for too long.

Still, we owe that movie a lot and for that I am grateful.

Favorite Scene: Ironically, the Queen’s transformation

Favorite Character: Grumpy, for being relatable af

Favorite Song: "Heigh Ho" for childhood attachment alone

6.5 out 10 Magical Stars or Mickeys