I enjoyed Disney fare as a kid but like most normal people I grew out of it a long time ago. Stephanie on the other hand still loves Disney. Well, not so much loves as has a rabid zeal matched only in kinetic energy by the fires of Mordor. Given this fervor and that we already had a trip to Disneyland planned it made sense to make May Disney month.

We kicked off the Disney festivities with the first full length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Disney started their trend of having lead characters with parents that are either dead or maniacal with Snow White. Snow White's crazy Stepmother is out to get her. At first it is implied that the Stepmother's murderous tendencies are caused by criminal insanity but evidence soon begins to pile up that her hatred of Snow White may be warranted. The first evidence against Snow White comes after she takes a walk through the woods. She is soon hallucinating, clearly the result of illicit drug use. She has a bad trip and ends up sleeping it off curled in the fetal position in the woods for the night. When Snow White comes to, her criminal rampage continues as she breaks into the Dwarfs' house and vandalizes it.

At this point I have to be honest: we failed our mission on the first day out. There was drinking to be done at our local watering hole so we didn't finish the movie. I can only imagine that Snow White's crime spree continues through the rest of the movie. Clearly the Stepmother was only looking out for her husband's kingdom. What would become of the kingdom if something happened to the King and a miscreant like Snow White gained power? The Stepmother had take drastic measures for the greater good of the kingdom and she should be commended for her sacrifice and bravery.

The Dwarfs' story is an unusual one. Their first scene has them hard at work in their gem mine. Their haul of precious gems is spectacular. They had managed to pull a fortune out of the earth in one day's work. If the Dwarfs have access to such a mother load it is hard to imagine why they live in a small disheveled cottage. My theory is that the King has taken advantage of their low level of intelligence by making them into some sort of indentured servants or slaves. They have been enslaved by the monarchy and are forced to hand over their fortune to fund the lavish lifestyle of the royal family. In their stupor they must not have realized that Snow White is herself royalty or they would have torn her asunder and buried her in the woods in revenge. Perhaps they wise up and this happens later in the movie.

Walt Disney must have been a man with a dark side. Many children must have had their fragile minds warped during the past seventy three years by this woeful tale.