Walt Disney Animation Studios’ inaugural animated feature, the timeless Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which commemorates its centenary, is set to join in the celebration with a new 4K restoration arriving on Disney+ on October 16.
This meticulously restored rendition of the 1937 classic is the culmination of extensive collaborative efforts between the Walt Disney Studios Restoration and Preservation team and key artists from Walt Disney Animation Studios. This same ensemble recently collaborated on the widely acclaimed restoration of Walt Disney’s 1950 animated masterpiece, Cinderella.
The reunited team included Disney Animation luminaries Michael Giaimo (production designer for the upcoming animated musical adventure, Wish, as well as Frozen and Frozen II) and animator/director Eric Goldberg (head of hand-drawn animation for Disney Animation’s latest short, Once Upon a Studio; director of Pocahontas and Fantasia/2000).
Eric Goldberg remarked, “The opportunity to assist in the restoration of Snow White was both a privilege and a challenge. Being the very first Walt Disney feature, Mike Giaimo and I felt a profound responsibility to ensure it appeared as beautiful and faithful to the original colors as possible. The soft palette and delicate watercolor backgrounds evoke the enchanting illustrated fairy tales that Walt cherished, and the narrative and characters continue to resonate with audiences to this day. I hope our efforts inspire future generations of animation artists to fully appreciate the masterful craftsmanship and devotion that went into creating this landmark film.”
Kevin Schaeffer, Director of Restoration for Walt Disney Studios, expressed, “We are tremendously thrilled to revisit Walt’s original negative and utilize state-of-the-art technology to restore this stunning classic to its original magnificence.”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs marked a watershed moment as the first full-length cel-animated feature ever crafted. The film garnered accolades from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, receiving a special honorary Oscar—comprising one large Oscar accompanied by seven smaller ones—presented to Walt Disney by Shirley Temple. It remains the highest-ranked animated feature on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Movies” list and was inducted into the National Film Registry in the inaugural year of the registry’s establishment, 1989.
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