In perfect contrast to the sinister atmosphere of the Queen’s transformation, joy reigns in the dwarfs’ thatched cottage, where everyone sings and dances. The movements of the characters have been the subject of numerous studies based on live footage, and magnificent studies have resulted in original versions of musical instruments. The animation of this sequence was so good that it was reused in numerous feature films over the years, including The Aristocats and Robin Hood.
Scenes 10 to 12 were cut late into production, so the soundtrack remains on the original soundtrack records: it’s Sneezy’s solo, animated by Les Clark, which tells us that he was born with his beard and that it was used as a diaper!
In a memorable blooper, scenes 43, 44 and 49E show Dopey’s hands playing the drums and clapping at… Dopey dancing with Snow White!
Production information
Sequence number: 8A
Date of final draft: November 15, 1937
Directors: Wilfred Jackson
Assistant director: Ford Beebe
Animators of Snow White: Grim Natwick, Hamilton Luske, Paul Busch, Marc Davis, Errol Gray, Amby Paliwoda & Jack Campbell
Animators of the animals: James Algar & Hamilton Luske
Animators of the dwarfs: Vladimir Tytla, Fred Moore, Dick Lundy, Les Clark, Fred Spencer, Marvin Woodward, Frank Thoma & Riley Thomson
James Algar assistant animator: Murray McClellan
Vladimir Tytla assistant animators: Bill Shull & Jim Moore
Fred Moore assistant animator: Ollie Johnston
Dick Lundy assistant animator: Berk Anthony
Les Clark assistant animator: Phil Duncan
Fred Spencer assistant animators: Volus Jones & Stephen Bosustow
Marvin Woodward assistant animator: Herb Johnson
Frank Thomas assistant animator: Art Elliott
Riley Thomson assistant animator: Roberts
Jack Campbell assistant animators: Clair Weeks & Hugh Fraser
Grim Natwick assistant animators: Les Novros, J.S. Escalante & Marc Davis
Effects animator (Dust): Cy Young
Effects animator (Cymbal): Cornett Wood
Effects animator (Strings): Ed Aardal
Effects animator (Organ pipes): Andy Engman
Cast
Snow White: Adriana Caselotti
Doc: Roy Atwell
Grumpy and Sleepy: Pinto Colvig
Happy: Otis Harlan
Bashful: Scotty Mattraw
Sneezy: Billy Gilbert
Dopey: Eddie Collins
Additional dwarfs voices: Jim MacDonald, Clarence Nash, Hal Rees & Lem Wright
Dwarfs singing voices: Freeman High, Bill Cowles, Sonny Dawon & Harry Stanton
Scenes
Here is the sequence broken up into scenes with the corresponding animators.
Two cels were mistakenly swaped in scene 49C on the final print. Below is a version of the scene with them in the right order.
Concept drawings
Storyboard
Rotoscope
As can be seen below, besides Marge Belcher for Snow White, Eddie Collins for Dopey and other dwarf, Oliver Wallace, Wilfred Jackson and other adults, at least two children were used to model for the dwarfs.
On the photograms of Scene 33B, a prankster animator added philacteries, having Wilfred Jackson and Marjorie Belcher talk, to ironize that Art Babbitt, who was then dating Belcher and would soon marry her, might be jealous of seeing them dance together.
