Disney month begins with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Snow White was the first full length animated Disney feature. It premiered in 1937 and made history. It is the first of many Disney animated movies that helped shape my childhood.

Snow White is the story of a princess who is hated by her step-mother the Queen. The Queen has no name, she is simply the Queen. Snow White's crimes are her beauty and grace. To regain her place as fairest in the land the Queen tries multiple times to kill Snow White. She fails, the Prince saves Snow White and the Witch dies. Yes, I am telling you the ending. If you haven't seen it or read it, sorry.

The story comes from the Brothers Grimm, as do many of the future Disney animated movies. Disney takes a bit of license with the story. The Queen's death for example is different in the story. Rather than falling to her death from a cliff as she does in the movie, she dies from dancing in hot metal shoes. I guess that was too torturous for the eyes of children. The Queen visits Snow White three times in the Grimm tale rather than just the one time to deliver the poison apple. I supposed Snow White being laced too tightly into a corset was also too much for children.

I think Snow White is great. Though it's not my favorite. I find her voice annoyingly high pitched. Sometimes she sounds exactly like Shirley Temple. When she sings her natural vibrato is so fast and constant that I want to scream. The songs are fun and well written. I wish I could listen to the Prince sing more. Disney cut a lot of his stuff because he was difficult to animate.

Snow White was the first and is such an accomplishment. The animated movies that followed will always bee held to that standard. The movie coined the phrase "mirror, mirror on the wall who's the fairest one of all" although in the movie it is "Magic mirror" not "mirror, mirror" as it would later be quoted. I need to pick it up on DVD, I only have it on VHS.