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Disney returns to its first feature

© M. Fernandez Locklin

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a classic film, no doubt about it. As the first animated, full-length feature, it was an immense risk for Walt Disney and his fledgling animation studios. They didn't know if the concept would work.

It worked. Boy, did it work. Then, in addition to the film, the Disney marketing empire exploded with toys and other movie-related items available as soon as the film was released. The movie also had available a soundtrack album on phonograph -- something a movie had not done at this point. The selling mechanisms were in full swing.

I just watched this movie again to review the new "DisneyDVD" extravaganza. The DVD is amazing, and I found highlights in the film I hadn't remembered from before -- things like the camaraderie between the animals and Snow White, and images like Snow White's Shirley-Temple-like pout. I also enjoyed the comic injection, as did my sons, of Dopey and Doc.

However, as any diehard Disney fan will attest, most Disney animated films include an evil character and some scary scenes to set the mood for viewers. In that respect, "Snow White" is definitely far from being a gentle children's fairytale. It began the trend that continues to this day. The frightening images of the evil Queen and the dark and menacing forest in "Snow White" inspired nightmares in my youth.

I believe this movie is too scary for small or sensitive children. The simple story of a princess who meets and lives with seven little men is entertaining, especially the scene which includes "The Dwarf's Yodel Song". But this fun is couched between scenes and themes that will cause little children a few sleepless nights. First, the viewer is introduced to the Magic Mirror and the evil Queen, who wants Snow White killed simply because of her beauty. We only find out when Snow White speaks with the dwarfs, unless we read the book prior to the film, that the Queen is not her mother but her stepmother. Children, therefore, have some very frightening themes to deal with before the fun starts -- the threat of death, the forbidding forest, and the knowledge that the intended murderer is her mother (step- or not). Although my sons are pretty sturdy, they both had problems with the concept of Snow White's mother wishing her dead.

I am not being cavalier about my concerns. As many of you know, I am a big Disney movie fan; but this movie unearths some deep-seated emotions in me and leads me to caution parents. In addition, the character is extremely vulnerable and seems to need men to help her survive -- she can, however, do wifely things such as cook, clean, and be a ready vehicle for a timely kiss. Snow White is not an attractive character for me.