As a kid, I didn't really care for this movie. I thought that Snow White, as a princess, was very thin in character, too much of a follower, and was likely to get herself into trouble wandering into strange houses. I craved princesses with more spunk and quality. More modern princesses like Tiana or Belle (Belle should also be wary of wandering in to strange houses/castles.)
After watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs this time around, I did find some virtues in Snow White. It is a major plot point in the story that she is extremely beautiful. (Her step mother tried to kill her out of jealousy. I see serious therapy in need here.) But she is not vain whatsoever, quite the opposite. She is kind and sweet and loving to everyone, which saves her in the end. The assassin that the queen sends, doesn't kill her. Not because she is beautiful, but because she is such a selfless princess.
That being said, I don't think that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would survive in today's movie industry. If you kept the plot and the characters the way they are and changed the quality of the animation and sound to modern levels, the movie would still bomb. For the time period, this movie was revolutionary and extremely well done. But today, Snow White is just too flimsy in comparison to modern princesses.
Snow White is the kind of character that just sort of lets things happen to her. When the hunter comes to kill her, she stands there in shock. When she runs into the forest and gets the willies scared out of her, she collapses to the ground in tears and stays there until the animals come and help her. She falls asleep in random people's beds. She eats apples after being warned not to take anything from anyone. This is not a strong female character.
And yet, despite all this, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is still seen as quite the Disney classic. It is a movie that somehow, (perhaps with a little help from Disney magic) has truly stood the test of time.
Next movie: Pinocchio
No comments:
Post a Comment