Information
Full name: Snow White
Age: 14
Designers: Joe Grant, Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Gustaf Tenggren
Animators: Grim Natwick, Hamilton Luske, Errol Gray, Jack Campbell, Tony Rivera, Marc Davis, Hugh Fraser, Paul Busch, Eddie Strickland, Eric Larson, Amby Paliwoda, Robert Stokes
Voice actors: Adriana Caselotti (uncredited)
Models: Marge Belcher, Adriana Caselotti, Betty Kimball, Virginia Davies (uncredited)
Appears in sequences: 2A, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C, 4D, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 8A, 8B, 10A, 13A, 14C, 14F, 14H, 15A, 16A
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The tentative outline of 10/22/1934 describes Snow White as a “Janet Gaynor type – 14 years old”. At the time, Janet Gaynor was world-famous for her wholesome and charming image and was the first winner of the Academy award for best actress for no less than three movies in 1929!
The Exhibitors’ campaign book describes the character so: “This ebony-haired young girl with “skin white as snow and lips red as a rose” can hold her own where pulchritude is concerned with any Hollywood glamour girl, and her acting ranks right up with that of the best celluloid heroines. In addition, with an excellent soprano voice, she sings many a delightful melody in the production. The character of Snow White is the first Disney creation entirely devoid of caricature. Snow White is a sweet, natural, graceful young girl.”
Some scenes were discarded, probably because they showed a version of the character too far removed from this conception. In sequence 5A, for example, a simpering Snow White pretended to get out of the room to soften up the dwarfs.
Design
“Snow White goes through the seven-reel Technicolor production in only two dresses. At the beginning, she is seen practically in rags. For the remainder of the picture, she wears a fitted bodice with short puffed sleeves, a full ankle-length skirt, and a cape.”
Gustaf Tenggren brought the original aspect of the Princess, Grim Natwick gave it a rounder quality and designed her rag outfit, and Hamilton Luske perfected the design to give the girl a less cartoony look.
Of course, Marge Belcher‘s movements and mannerisms helped immensely to give the character the required grace and nobility that her stature called for.
Snow White’s legacy
The Walt Disney studio used the dwarfs in several shorts as early as the 1940s, but Snow White herself was only used in cameos for other productions, mostly on TV, for which old animation was sometimes recycled like in This is Your Life Donald Duck (1960), or new animation was created like for her 1993 appearance at the Academy Award. Other studios, such as Filmation, took advantage of the void left by Walt Disney and created their own sequels, until 2025 when an official live action sequel was finally released.
In the 2025 remake, Snow White is played by Rachel Zegler.
Other Productions
Appears in the following productions:
This is Your Life Donald Duck (1960)
Wish Upon a Coin (2015)
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Once Upon an Apple (2021)
Once Upon a Studio (2023)
Snow White (2025)
Go to Sequels and references
