Blog #5

In 1937, Walt Disney Studios released its first fully animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This move revolutionized modern entertainment and pioneered a new form of family entertainment. But how does this movie compare to the original Grimm fairy tale it claims to be based off of? To a casual viewer these stories may seem to be basically the same with just a few minor plot adjustments. In reality, however, Walt Disney chose to make very major and specific changes that alter the deeper meanings of the tale entirely.

In order to understand all the changes that were made one must first understand why they were made. The original purpose of traditional fairy tales was to convey specific themes, morals, and lessons through meaningful symbols and repetition. Walt Disney, however, cared much more about profit and entertainment than conveying the intended meaning of the tale. This is why important symbols and repetitions were altered in order to make the movie "more entertaining" for a child audience. For example, the evil queen attempting to kill Snow White three separate times with three items symbolic of femininity and sexuality (culminating in the use of a two sided apple symbolic of the inner struggle of femininity) was changed to become the evil queen attempting to kill Snow White  only once with a simple red apple.

Other changes from the original to the movie were the result of the time period when the movie was made. The movie began production in the great depression which majorly affected the themes and attitudes reflected in the movie. The makes the conscious choice to focus very heavily on the story of the dwarfs, unlike the Grimm version that gives barely any detail about them. Disney chooses to give them each distinct characters, extended scenes all to themselves, and a strong focus on their job and hard working attitudes. This is partly in order to create a more comedic movie, but it is also a way to inspire a society stricken with unrest and difficulty. The movie promotes hard working attitudes that were needed in this time period in man as well as women, who are encouraged by Snow White's love of chores, to peruse a domestic lifestyle 

Most of the changes in the movie are actually the result of Walt Disney's personal life and beliefs. Walt Disney, a country boy who moved to New York and battled his way to the top of the animation industry, loves to validate his success by making his movies at least partially autobiographical. It can be said that the choice to give the prince a much bigger role in the movie by introducing him sooner and making him the one responsible for saving Snow White's life is due to him being representative of Walt Disney himself. The dwarfs (who were responsible for saving Snow White in the original fairy tale) are diminished to doing all of the hard work and getting none of the credit in the movie, just like Walt Disney's animators. Disney also decided to alter the story to make Snow White a maid dressed in rags at the start of the movie (instead of a distinguished royal figure as she is in the original), in order to tell a rags to riches story that reflects his own journey to success.

Sources: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjcsLGl7_HkAhUxmuAKHSIOCWMQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Flwlies.com%2Farticles%2Fsnow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-at-80%2F&psig=AOvVaw3PvTtwkFEG9-CenGOmCE4i&ust=1569703464244950

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