There’s so much more to the first Disney Princess [Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Signature Blu-ray review]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was, is, and will probably always be, iconic – as the first Disney animation and the first Disney princess film, the classic continues to affect films even up to today.
And today the movie becomes even more iconic, as it is the first film to be released as a part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection. This blu-ray/DVD edition of the film contains features, surprises, and secrets for every kind of animation fan.
Perhaps the coolest element of the blu-ray disk is a special feature called DisneyView, which expands the film beyond the original aspect ratio to include the custom paintings by artist Tony Bluth at the edges of the screen. This stretches the film to fit modern television screens in a fuller way, making your viewing experiences that much more fun!
The blu-ray is also an animation historian’s dream, containing a number of special historical features:
- In Walt’s Words: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Walt Disney himself tells the tale of how Snow White came to be and how it affected the future of Disney Animation.
- @DisneyAnimation: Designing Disney’s First Princess – Art directors come together to discuss the development of Snow White’s signature look and how she compares to current Disney ladies.
- Disney’s First Feature: The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – The creation history of the film is discussed by historians, animators, and directors.
- Bringing Snow White to Life – Experts discuss the way animators brought real emotion to the characters of Snow White.
- Hyperion Studios Tour – Real footage and recordings from the original artists gives audiences an in-depth look at the studio where Snow White was created.
- Decoding the Exposure Sheet – Don Hahn explains the exposure sheet, which reveals many secrets behind the film’s development.
- Snow White Returns – Don Hahn shares an archived story sketch for a film called Snow White Returns, a possible short sequel to the film.
- Story Meetings: The Dwarfs and Story Meetings: The Huntsman – The creators held meetings for each character in Snow White to discuss their development within the story. Story meetings for the Dwarfs and the Huntsman are reenacted in this special feature to show audiences how the original animators thought of their characters!
- Alternate Sequence – Walt Disney narrates an alternate opening to the movie, voicing his opinions on how the scene might appear to audiences.
- Animation Voice Talent – Historians and interviews with the actual voice actors show the way the film’s characters gained their voices.
Many of the features also discuss how Snow White continues to influence modern culture:
- Iconography – An up-close look at how Snow White‘s iconic elements like the apple, the mirror, and the princess’ signature colors inspire different kinds of artists.
- The Fairest Facts of them All: 7 Things You May Not Know About Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Actress Sofia Carson takes audiences through seven little-known facts about this classic film.
- Snow White in Seventy Seconds – Baby Kaely raps the whole story of Snow White in only seventy seconds!
The film also has more traditional features such as:
- Audio Commentary through the film with Roy E. Disney and Historian John Canemaker, with recordings by Walt Disney himself.
- Deleted Scenes: Soup Eating Sequence and Bed Building Sequence
The DVD contains a version of the film with a wider aspect-ratio as well as the two deleted scenes as bonus features.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs launches the Walt Disney Signature Collection today and can be found wherever movies are sold. Get your copy today!
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