Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) – Disney Part 1

30/11/2014 by N. Lloyd 3 Comments

As Disney has been a predominant occurrence in my previous blog posts, I figured I would dedicate a post to the films themselves. The trouble is there are so many Disney films to discuss that one solitary post will go on for far too long. I have decided therefore to dedicate a “mini-series” to the Disney films that have prevalent themes of nature running through them. The first film focused on in this series is Disney’s first full-length feature animation.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Snow White has always been thought of as the princess who is most associated with nature. Known as the ‘fairest in the land,’ Snow’s natural beauty is envied by the Queen. She is presented as kind, good and loving, as evident from the way in which she interacts with the world around her. She is not raised as a typical Princess, but instead made to work as a scullery maid by her step-mother, the Queen. Her base living has taught her to respect her surroundings as riches.

In the very opening lines of the film, the Queen asks her Magic Mirror who is the fairest in the land. He responds, saying there is a girl with, ‘lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow.’ Snow White’s beauty is not only thought natural, but is made to be of and from nature. The rose, the ebony tree, the snow are all parts of nature used to demonstrate the beauty of this individual; all parts working together to create the whole. It almost seems to suggest that the Queen could never match Snow’s beauty because she endeavours to improve and maintain her appearance through super- and unnatural means.

Our first meeting of Snow White confirms her beauty – not just her physical appearance, but the beauty of her nature. She is seen scrubbing a flight of stone steps, tired but not grumbling about the task at hand. Not only that, but she is surrounded by a flock of doves who seem to be giving Snow companionship. She talks and sings with the birds, displaying a different, closer kind of connection with them. Snow appears far more comfortable with the birds as she runs away when Prince Charming joins in with her song.

The scene in which Snow White flees the Huntsman in the woods provided the animation team with the opportunity to be really creative. Her fear transforms the trees into a nightmarish scene. Here, for the first time, we have nature being presented as an enemy. Human fear and emotions are being projected onto nature and warping its identity. We see faces in the tree trunks, branches resembling arms and gnarled fingers, leaves whipped up into a whirlwind and roots tripping and tugging at Snow White as she runs. There are hanging vines, holes in the ground for the unsuspecting Snow and there is a ferocious storm overhead. The use of pathetic fallacy is used most in this scene alone.

However, once Snow has fallen and gives into her fear, we see the woods for what they really are. The scary trees resume their natural form. The sharp, angular eyes glowing in the bushes are revealed to belong to the tiny woodland creatures – rabbits, squirrels, birds and deer. The forest takes on the safe haven that it comes to be for the remainder of the film. The creatures are drawn to Snow; they comfort and aid her. It is the woodland animals that lead Snow White to the little house belonging to the seven dwarfs. They also help her in tidying the house – turning the house that has been overrun by nature into a domestic setting.

For Snow White, nature is a net of safety. Her comfort lies in the outdoors, her companionship in the animals and wildlife. Nature only appears threatening when her imagination is warped by fear. Our first princess teaches us to respect and work together with nature.