October 12, 2009

Long before the theme parks, the private cable network, the weekly Sunday night specials, the video games, or becoming a globally recognized brand name, Walt Disney launched an empire with 83 minutes of pure animated gold. While today’s generation will likely scoff at the hand drawn animations and painted backgrounds, back in 1937 nobody had ever seen anything like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This was the birth of the animated feature movie and only a hint of what was to come.

The story is quite simple and has all the makings of a classic Disney tale; and evil queen, a lovely young maiden, the handsome prince, and…err…seven dwarfs that work in the mines by day and trash their bachelor pad cottage by night. The vain queen insists on being the “fairest in the land” but when her magic mirror proclaims that Snow White has finally exceeded her on the hotness scale she has her huntsman take Snow White into the woods and kill her. Pretty harsh for a Disney movie, eh?

Anyway, the huntsman just can’t kill such an innocent beauty, so he warns Snow White to flee into the woods and then lies to the queen. Meanwhile, Snow White makes lots of friends with the woodland creatures who promptly guide her to the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs. The place is a dump, so she, along with the help of her woodland critters, does the dishes and dusts the place down just in time for the dwarfs to return home. They take an instant liking to Snow White (and her free maid service) and invite her to stay.

Meanwhile, the evil queen learns Snow White is still alive and using her darkest powers of magic, creates a poison apple and disguises herself as an old hag, finds Snow White, gives her the apple, and is prompted hunted down by the dwarfs until she falls off a cliff during a thunderstorm. Snow White is encased in glass so the dwarfs can mourn her untimely death and eternal beauty, but then the prince shows up and plants a life-bestowing kiss on her and they live happily ever after.

Filmmaking: 8
I’ve always believed that some of the true art has been lost when animation switched over to computers. Ironically, the computer people are trying to make their pristine productions look more and more like vintage hand drawn animation, while Disney had it nailed 72 years ago. But can this ancient masterpiece stand up to the younger and harsher tween critics of the 21st century? Personally, I enjoyed the film from an historical and nostalgic perspective, but if I had to dissect the story it is pretty thin. Amazingly so, the story seems rushed at times, even with the relapse into several musical numbers, but the characters are pushed forward to fit into some arbitrary 83-minute window. And Snow White has to be one of Disney’s most annoying leading ladies in the history of its films. Her whiny attitude and squeaking voice had me longing for anyone else to show up on the screen.

Visuals: 9
The only thing Disney does better than making its movies is preserving them. Pinocchio was a fantastic example of just how good an ancient movie could look when properly restored and Snow White arrives with the same stunning remastered, retouched, frame-by-frame restoration allowing for the ultimate 1080p transfer possible. Colors leap from the screen, like a storybook come to life, and the animation is so fluid and lifelike with all sorts of subtle elements and facial expressions the designers put into each character - things that we never see in CG creations. Movies like Snow White and Bolt are in completely different leagues when it comes to surface level graphics, but when it comes to heart and believability, Snow White wins, and even jaded fans should find this movie entertaining while embracing the retro art style.

Artist, Toby Bluth has creating some stunning decorative borders for the enhanced DisneyView version of the film. While these were a bit distracting in Pinocchio, the side-fillers for Snow White are seamlessly blended into each scene in a way that you don’t even notice them. At times they actually complement the main feature.

Sound: 7
I’m always amazed how the sound engineers can take a mono soundtrack and remix it into eight channels. The DTS-HD MA 7.1 surround track is probably a bit excessive but nonetheless appreciated. Considering all the sounds were originally coming out of one speaker it's interesting to hear my subwoofer kick in for a few beats during the thunderstorm or hear some random wildlife in my rear channels. Most of the mix is still focused forward with clear dialogue and lyrics coming from the center and lots of directional panning across the front left and right with little detectable use of the side channels. Of course, if you doubt just how much progress has been made in sound design, Disney has included the original mono track on the disc for an audio trip down memory lane.

Value: 9
Disney ruffled a few consumer feathers with this release by not offering an SD-only version of the film. You either get the $25 Diamond Edition, which happens to include a Blu-ray disc, or you get the $25 Blu-ray version which happens to include an SD copy, but either way, you are paying the same, and for people who don’t have (and don’t plan on getting) a Blu-ray player anytime soon…well, let’s just say there are a lot of angry shoppers at the local Wal-Mart who are used to their $15-19 movies on launch week.

Those who pay the inflated price of admission will find a load of extras waiting for them after the movie is over. You can jump right back in and the main movie with a commentary featuring film historian, John Canemaker that includes snippets of relevant interviews with Walt Disney about the creation of his first animated feature. This track is definitely for serious movie buffs and film students. Casual viewers and the kids won't stick around for this one.

Next up is a meaty tour of Hyperion Studios, broken up into several parts that showcase the Exterior, the Story Room, the Music Room, and the Art Department before diving into specifics like Character Design, Background and Layout, Animation, Live Action Reference, Ink and Paint, the Camera Department, the Sound Stage, the Sweatbox, and even a look inside Walt Disney’s office.

Other features include a 36-minute look at Disney Through the Decades, and a 6-minute look at Animation Voice Talent. There are also some games like Dopey’s Wild Mine Ride, a Heigh-Ho Sing-Along mode, a What Do You See scrambled image puzzle game, Jewel Jumble matching game, and you can even take a quiz to see which Disney princess you are most like in Mirror, Mirror On the Wall – I was most like Sleeping Beauty.

We move on to "The One that Started It All", a 17-minute retrospect on the impact and influence of Snow White then and now. There is also a 9-minute investigation into a possible sequel that was never made, but you can hear it and see it now thanks to this clever reconstruction using newly discovered art from the Disney vaults. There are two deleted scenes, which you can view as standalone extras, but it’s the same material that they used in the sequel reconstruction.

Things start to wind down with a music video performed by the latest tween star from Disney’s Sonny with a Chance, Tiffany Thornton, and a fantastic sneak peak at the entire first 8 minutes of the upcoming feature, The Princess and the Frog. Throw in an SD copy of the film and some BD-Live support for something called Scene Stealer, and you have your complete Snow White package.

Overall: 8.7
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a timeless Disney masterpiece and the cornerstone of modern day animated cinema. This Blu-ray is easily the best the movie has (or will ever) look or sound. Every frame of animation has been retouched and perfected and the 7.1 sound mix is as clean and flawless as it could possibly be. Personally, I enjoyed Pinocchio more, mostly because of the story and the action, but Snow White should find a home for younger kids and especially girls dreaming of their prince.