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Disney's Folly. Wary Hollywood, which scoffed at sound ten years ago, scoffed at the idea of a seven-reel animated cartoon. The Snow White project was referred to as Disney's Folly. Rivals said he had bought a sweepstakes ticket. Shrewd older Brother Roy Disney, the business brain trust of the Disney enterprises, surveyed Snow White's final bill of $1,600,000, observed: "We've bought the whole damned sweepstakes." In the Disney film, Snow White, the delicate stepdaughter of the Queen, is a dark-haired girl with a doll's oval beauty and a voice like a chime of bells. The Queen, envious of Snow White's beauty, hid her in the scullery. But though her work was grimy. Snow White was happy. She dreamed of a Prince who would some day come and take her away. Instead of a Prince, however, a fierce huntsman comes, sent by the Queen to take Snow White into the forest and kill her. So touching is her innocence, so terrible her scream of panic when she sees the sharp flame of the dagger, that the huntsman, rough as he is, cannot execute his mission; he sets Snow White free.
Nightmares limp round Snow White in the gloomy forest. From the bushes, thorns reach crooked hands to tear her; eyes glare from the shadows and bad whispers ride the wind. Snow White is sobbing helplessly when the glaring eyes draw nearer, become friendly. The docile creatures of the wood, wild—eyed because they are as frightened as Snow White, quickly make friends—bush-tailed squirrels and striped chipmunks, birds, horny turtles, and a big-eyed, bangtailed buck. Joyously they lead Snow White to a slovenly little hut they know of. When the dwarfs who own the hut return from their day's work in the diamond mine, they are alarmed to find their hovel spick-&-span.
The dwarfs are seven, and their names are chiseled on their beds: Doc, who often gets his words and ideas mixed. Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Bashful and Dopey, who did not know if he could talk because he never tried. Squatty and bearded, looking much alike except for Dopey who, being younger, has no beard, the seven dwarfs have timid hearts: they know Snow White is the Queen's step-daughter and will not keep her till she promises to make gooseberry pie. Snow White will not let them eat until they wash their hands.
Meanwhile the magic looking glass has told the Queen that Snow White still lives.
The Queen changes herself into a witch. Unlike the original Grimm Brothers' Queen, this one does not waste time trying to comb Snow White's hair with a poisoned comb or choke her by pulling her laces too tight. With white eyes leering from her hag's hood and a pimple on her nose, she pops up at the hut after the dwarfs have gone to work. Snow White forgets the dwarfs told her not to let anyone in. She takes a bite of the red, delicious-looking poisoned apple. The apple brings the sleeping death for which the only cure is love's first kiss.