Snow White has had several versions of its credits.
The original American credits featured an art deco set that, for each credit, was photographed in a different frame or with various shadow filters. It proudly proclaimed the specificities of the work presented: namely the fact that it was a full-length animated film in color by Technicolor ©. Walt Disney, without being able to credit the 500 artists who had contributed to the creation of the film, addressed a message of gratitude to all of them. By his choice, none of the actors who had lent their voices or their features to the characters were mentioned either. The distributor RKO is mentioned at the beginning and their logo graces the end title. That version was restored for the Blu-ray of 2009 and the following releases.
After several re-releases of Snow White with the first credits, Walt Disney changed distributors. In order to remove the RKO mention from the credits and the logo from the end card, the credits were redone for the 1958 US release.
Unfortunately, the original art was no longer usable. (In an interview transcribed in volume 2 of Snow White’s People, we learn that it is a “stock” set of credits, apparently not preserved) It was quickly decided to create a new one in the same style, so that the audience would notice the change as little as possible.
Fundamental changes were made: to speed up the process, no variations of angles or filters were made and the titles were static.
The credits also shrunk to allow a matted projection. Indeed, the projection standard had changed since 1953 and the appearance of Cinemascope ©. The prestige films were shot in wide format and the others were now projected by matting the top and bottom of the image to give an aspect close to 1:66. The films shot before this date and benefiting from a re-release are thus unsuited to the new image format. This will no longer be the case for Snow White, at least for its credits. These credits are on the 2001 DVD and its collector version.
Production information
Production number: 2001
Release dates: December 21, 1937 (World Premiere in Los Angeles), January 1, 1938 (Washington, D.C.), January 13, 1938 (Miami, Florida & New York City, New York), January 31, 1938 (Baltimore, Maryland).
General release date: February 4, 1938 (U.S.A.)
A Walt Disney Feature Production
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Adapted from Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Photographed in Technicolor
Distributed by R.K.O. Radio Pictures Inc.
Recorded by R.C.A. Victor “High Fidelity” Sound System
Copyright MCMXXXVII Walt Disney Prod. LTD.
All rights reserved
Approval certificate no. 3870
Supervising Director: David Hand
Sequence Directors: Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson, Ben Sharpsteen
Supervising animators: Hamilton Luske, Fred Moore, Vladimir Tytla, Norman Ferguson
Story Adaptation: Ted Sears, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd, Merrill DeMaris, Dorothy Ann Blank, Webb Smith, Harry Bailey
Character Designers: Albert Hurter, Joe Grant, Ferdinand Horvath*, Charles Thorson*, John Wallbridge*
Music: Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, Paul Smith, Edward H. Plumb*
Art Directors: Charles Philippi, Tom Codrick, Hugh Hennesy, Gustaf Tenggren, Terrell Stapp, Kenneth Anderson, McLaren Stewart, Kendall O’Connor, Harold Miles, Hazel Sewell, John Hubley*
Backgrounds: Samuel Armstrong, Mique Nelson, Phil Dike, Merle Cox, Rayl Lockrem, Claude Coats, Maurice Noble
Animators: Frank Thomas, Les Clark, Dick Lundy, Fred Spencer, Arthur Babbitt, Bill Roberts, Eric Larson, Bernard Garbutt, Milton Kahl, Grim Natwick, Robert Stokes, Jack Campbell, James Algar, Marvin Woodward, Al Eugster, James Culhane, Cy Young, Stan Quackenbush, Joshua Meador, Ward Kimball, Ugo D’Orsi, Woolie Reitherman, George Rowley, Robert Martsch, Paul Busch*, Hugh Fraser*, Campbell Grant*, Errol Gray*, Tony Rivera*, Leonard Sebring*, John Sewall*, Eddie Strickland*, Clair Weeks*
*uncredited
The entire cast is uncredited and may be found here.
All subsequent crew members are uncredited in the following capacity:
Assistant directors: Hal Adelquist, Carl Fallberg, Jerry Prosk
Assistant animators: Hal Adelquist, Peter Alvarado, Hal Ambro, Ford Beebe, Jack Bradbury, Walt Clinton, Marc Davis, Lou Debney, Nick de Tolly, Art Elliott, John Elliotte, Carl Fallberg, Robert Givens, Mike Holoboff, Herb Johnson, Ollie Johnston, Volus Jones, Lynn Karp, John Lounsbery, Don Lusk, Murray McClellan, Lester Novros, Amby Paliwoda, Riley Thomson, Bill Weaver, Bob Youngquist
Effects animators: Ed Aardal, Dick Brown, Brad Case, Andy Engman, James Escalante, Dan MacManus, John MacManus, Joshua Meador, John McDermott, Stan Quackenbush, George Rowley, Paul Satterfield, Al Stetter, Sandy Strother, Reuben Timmons, Jim Will, Cornett Wood, Cy Young
Layout artists: Tom Codrick, Lou Debney, Hugh Hennesy, Ferdinand Horvath, Kendall O’Connor, Al Zinnen
Assistant Layout artist: Bob Broughton, Thor Putnam
Assistant background artists: Mentor Huebner, Ralph Hulett, Brice Mack
Title and storybook lettering: Gordon Legg
Painter: Wilma Baker, Mary Jane Cole, Grace Godino, Helen Jordan, Katherine Kerwin, Rae McSpadden, Evelyn Mehring, Buf Nerbovig, Helen Ogger, Mary Tebb, Ruth Tompson, Val Vreeland
Inbetween animators: Al Coe, Jack Dunham, Osmond Evans, Paul Fitzpatrick, George Goepper, Eric Gurney, Harry Holt, Ken Hultgren, Bill Keil, Michael Lah, Ed Levitt, Fred Madison, Bob McCrea, Charles Nichols, Frank Oreb, Don Patterson, Bill Peet, Hawley Pratt, Karl Van Leuven, Harry Reeves, Archie Robin, Ted Sebern, William Shull, John Sibley, Sam Singer, David Swift, Don Tobin, Vernon G. Witt, Xenia
Sound engineer: George Lowerre
Sound effects: James MacDonald
Camera operators: Mickey Batchelder, Ken Moore, Max Morgan
Camera effects: Bob Broughton
Shadowgraph: Lee Payne
Supervising editor: Bill Melendez
Assistant editors: George Cave, I.J. Wilkinson
Live Models: Marjorie Belcher, Don Brodie, Adriana Caselotti, Eddie Collins, Virginia Davis, Hugh Hennesy, Louis Hightower, Billy House, George Humbert (unconfirmed), Betty Kimball, Sylvia Lamarr (unconfirmed), Lucille LaVerne, Nestor Paiva, Paul Godkin, Oliver Wallace,
Press representative: S. Barret McCormick
Chief legal counselor and Studio Senior Vice president: Gunther Lessing
Executive Vice President: Roy O. Disney
Personnel department: Adeline Johnston
Merchandising executive: Kay Kamen
My sincere appreciation for the members of my staff whose loyalty and creative endeavor made possible this production.
Walt Disney
