"Hmphf........Mush."

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

One of my earliest memories of this movie, is one my family constantly reminds me of.
Whilst watching this movie the countless times I had as a young child, during the scene where Snow White eats the poison apple, in a moment of pure unbridled childhood empathy and passion, I shout at the top of my lungs, "UGH! Every time, I tell her NOT to eat the apple, and she does anyway!!!!"
Needless to say, I think that was when my parents began to truly notice my passion for Disney. Although, truth be told, it wasn't one I watched nearly as often as some of the other classics. Nonetheless, I was anxious to watch the movie that started the legacy.
When Walt Disney first began production on this classic, most of Hollywood, and even some of his team of animators, thought he was crazy. Even going as far as to nickname the project "Disney's Folly." The though of a full length animated movie was unheard of, up to that point, animated projects were simply done as short cartoons that showed before full length live-action movies, pure anecdotes of humor and whimsy, nothing else. Although clearly, as we all know now, Disney knocked it out of the park. Not only is it still the highest grossing animated movie of all time (adjusted for inflation), it went on to win Disney an honorary Oscar, including seven smaller companion Oscars. It was even Hitler's favorite movie.
So, how does it hold up for me as an adult??? Pretty well actually.
I must say, I was truly impressed by some of the animated sequences. Small things, like Snow White's reflection in the stream as she strolls past, or when the birds pull her along by her cloak. Also, the imagery could just be stunning at times! The scene of her sleeping in the coffin, with the animals, and dwarfs looking on as the sunlight shown through the canopy was just gorgeous! It's hard to believe how old this movie is, because to me, it holds up even in this day and age.
One thing about looking this far back in the animated vaults, is how much Disney didn't shy away from the terror and frights. Unlike most animated movies in this day and age, scary imagery was the norm. Animated movie were truly geared towards a universal audience. The sequence of Snow White running through the creepy forest were the stuff of nightmares for me as a kid. And honestly, I'm thankful for it!  I could stand on my milk crate and spend the rest of this post ranting about my thoughts on the need for scares in kids movies to emphasize the stakes at hand, to help impact the message of the story, and also to generally toughen kids up to the hardships of life, but I'll spare you.
Over all, I was happy to stroll back into this movie, and most of it held up, except for one thing.....
Snow White.
I must say, the evolution of the Disney Princess over the years has been interesting, and most of the progress has been good. And truth be told, Snow White is just so..... gosh darn.... sweet! Too sweet! Everything from her, bird-like, sing-songy voice to her sappy goals of meeting the man of her dreams, who she met for a brief period of time after he snuck into her yard and scared her to death.... It made me miss our current reigning princesses with their flaws and take charge attitudes. I scoffed in agreement with Grumpy during Snow White's rendition of "Someday my Prince will Come" when he said, "Hmphf....... Mush." But, mind you, it's only a small critique.
And the soundtrack itself! There are some overlooked songs that are worth listening to. In a way, it makes me sad that the most memorable songs (Hi-Ho, Whistle While You Work, etc), are honestly the weakest. There are some solid standards in there that I would gladly hold in a vinyl collection.
Overall, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is still a solid animated movie in this day and age, and I say still worth a watch for young and old, despite it's lack of a real message or strong characters. It's a true classic that stands the test of time.
 I give it a solid 4 out of 5 sing-songy princesses.