All You Need to Know About Snow White & the Seven Dwarves

Alright, so after getting Stan Lee out of my system and heating up my leftover pizza from Dominoes, I’m finally ready to sit down and watch Disney’s Snow White & the Seven Dwarves for the second time in my life. The first time was back in 2019 when I first started this journey of watching all the Walt Disney Animated Movies from the last (now) 100 years. Now it’s June of 2023 and I’ve decided to start over with a strong determination that I’ll get through the entire list before the big day on October 16th, which also happens to be my 1st Wedding Anniversary / 8-year anniversary with my husband (talk about magical). Let the geek fest start as we take a deeper look into the first Disney Princess of 1938 and see what she has to offer us in 2023.

Highlights

· Snow White goes from smart to dumb throughout the course of the movie due to trauma and will even believe in a wishing apple just to get away from it all.

· Prince Charming is the grim reaper in disguise.

· The Evil Queen is hilariously psycho and her laughter echoes throughout the movie.

· The Seven Dwarves represent how a woman’s touch can turn any man back into a boy.

· If you want the full story of Snow, just watch Once Upon a Time.

Snow White Isn’t As Dumb As I Thought

My initial impression of Snow White was that she was one of the dumbest Disney Princesses and I’m surprised to be proven wrong. At the start of the movie, Snow runs away from the prince and goes inside where it’s safe instead of chatting it up by the wishing well. It’s only after she hears him belting out the high notes that she decides to appear on the balcony and send a kiss to him via dove before disappearing back inside. She’s 14, and aside from being a slave in her own house, she’s pretty content and completely innocent. Here’s when things take a turn.

Once the huntsmen banishes Snow to the forest, she runs into scary creatures that end up being illusions of her own fear. She acknowledges this by apologizing to her woodlands friends that later on help her find the Dwarfs Cottage, but her fears don’t end there. From here until the end of the movie, Snow White is ignoring the trauma of her uprooted life by going into “play mode” and starts pretending to be a motherly figure to seven little men and clean up the house. Probably something she wishes her own stepmother would do instead of trying to kill her.

We all know she ends up eating the apple, falling into a coma, and waking up to true love's kiss. But what I never noticed before is that Snow White goes into great detail while making her wish before she eats the apple, making the Evil Queen impatient. Though Snow was asleep for about a year, she woke up unfazed by the series of events that closed out the movie. She probably thought this was all a part of the wish that she made and thought nothing of it as she was whisked away to her new palace in the clouds. Snow was traumatized so badly that she would rearrange her reality to whatever suited her in that moment. She is a survivor of trauma like those that watched her back in 1938 and still finds new fans that are drawn to her today. Though I have a bit more respect for her, she still doesn’t hit my top ten list as a main character or a Disney Princess. Sorry, Snow.

Prince Charming is the Grim Reaper

Before all the Charming fans scream “Off with her head”, hear me out for a second. From the looks of the infinite forest surrounding Snow’s home, there wasn’t another castle in the vicinity for miles. The closest house was the dwarf’s cottage, and even Snow White didn’t know it was there. So, Charming comes out of nowhere on horseback and just happens to stumble upon Snow White’s castle? This is red flag number one. You might say that he came there on official business from his own kingdom and wanted to try to strike up negotiations. Then why didn’t he come through the front door instead of sneaking around back and hopping the gate to sing with the princess? Because he’s the grim reaper and he’s courting Snow White. At this point of the story, the Queen is planning to have her killed by the huntsman, and “the prince” is taking stock of his next pickup. Then he disappears for the entire movie, only to return a year after Snow White has “died”. Not to take the magic out of the moment, but this so-called prince had no qualms about kissing a corpse. Red flag number 2. If he was a prince, he would have to be truly desperate to kiss a dead woman. Especially after only meeting her once. But because he is the grim reaper, he doesn’t care that she’s dead and he goes for the kiss not only because it is his job to pick up the dead, but because he’s in love with her. Hence why they end up going into a castle made of clouds. He’s bringing her home to the afterlife where they will live. The dwarves are relieved to be free of their eternal vigil and everyone lives happily ever after. Prince Charming does nothing for me as a character and aside from his operatic vocals, he is nothing but a blip on my radar.

The Laughter of the Evil Queen Echoes Throughout the Movie

Where to start with this crazy bitch. I love all of the Disney villains, but this one has to sit somewhere next to Frolo and Klayton on the wild scale. It really makes me wonder what would drive the evil queen to go to such lengths to be beautiful, but it can also be seen as a sign of the times. Women had little rights other than to be beautiful and I can imagine the lengths they would go to be seen as the best. Even if that means making yourself ugly to kill your only stepdaughter. Her cackle can be heard in the laughter of the other characters not because she is actually there, but because of the impending threat she poses to the scene. Maybe it was to draw out the length of the movie, but there was so much unnecessary laughing that it made me as uneasy as the characters on the screen. Snow White and The Seven Dwarves have no idea if or when they’ll be found, and their laughter seems to cover up their uneasiness. The dialogue given to this Evil Queen made me laugh at the madness and her animated features stood the test of time. Her death was ironic at best and was a fitting end to a very evil woman. She may not be the fairest of them all, but she wasn’t all that ugly either. At least, not on the outside.

The Seven Little Boys

I’m not gonna lie, the dwarves were never a favorite of mine. I mean they’re cute and seem to have their wits about them. But nothing really entices me about seven little men. Until today. I noticed that while they were obviously grown men of varying degrees, they all turned to butter under the direction of the princess. I’d like to think this was less out of lust and more out of fondness for her company. The princess is clean, soft, and sweet. Nothing like the Dwarves at all. The only one the really seems to be in love with her is Dopey, the youngest of the bunch. The dwarves reminded me that even men can act like children, especially around their siblings. It seems that only a few of the Dwarves even know what a woman is while the rest remain ignorant. Makes sense why they were a perfect fit for Snow. While they cared for her and did their best to care for her dead body, they don’t fall very high on my list.

Aside from the movie…

While this is only my second time watching this movie, I’m no stranger to Snow White. Between Once Upon a Time and the Villainous board game, I have plenty of reasons to sing the praises of Snow White & the Seven Dwarves. This movie was the first feature film to lead the Disney empire into a bright future. For that alone, I’d say give it a watch. The music is what carried me through the slower parts of the movie and is lighthearted. Definitely a master class in a simpler time. If you’re looking for a more rounded story regarding Snow White, just watch Once Upon a Time.

Both Snow White & the Seven Dwarves as well as Once Upon a Time can be found on Disney+. I can’t wait to continue this journey down the list. I hope to see you soon in whatever form I appear. Until next time!

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.