Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #247 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-11-02
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Dutch
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 83 minutes

DVD Description
No film in history has captured the world’s imagination like Walt Disney’s first full-length animated masterpiece. Through astonishing Blu-ray high definition technology, experience this timeless classic in its most spectacular presentation ever. With an all-new, state-of-the-art digital restoration and Disney enhanced High Definition sound, the breathtaking animation and unforgettable music of the most revered Disney film of all time will enthral you like never before.

Join the beautiful princess Snow White as she escapes her jealous stepmother, the queen, and befriends a lovable group of dwarfs. But when she falls under the queen’s wicked spell, only true love’s kiss can save her.

This three-disc set includes a digitally-restored copy of the movie on Blu-ray, a Blu-ray features disc (see the packshot above for details of features and extras), plus a digitally-restored copy of the movie on DVD.

Synopsis
Disney's first full-length animated masterpiece features all the elements of a classic fairy tale--a beautiful heroine, an evil queen, Prince Charming...and a septet of whistling dwarfs. In hiding from her jealous and wicked stepmother, the fair Snow White takes refuge with a band of kind-hearted, hard-working dwarves: Bashful, Sneezy, Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Dopey and Doc. Eventually the vain queen finds Snow White and tricks her into eating a poisoned apple. Luckily, a wandering prince comes to her rescue, but can he break the evil queen's spell?

Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS was initially thought a crazy idea for a feature film by those at Walt Disney. However, its lush production and charming characters proved otherwise. Standing the test of time since its release in 1937, the film has entranced audiences for decades, teaching them to never be vain and always whistle while they work.

Customer Reviews

The beautiful Snow White on blu is perfect!
My favourite princess snow white has finally been given the makeover she deserves and without doubt in my eyes this blu ray release is the best, I'd say the new transfer is easily as good as any new animated movie today,and when you consider it was made in 1937 the quality disney have achieved is quite frankly amazing.
I wont go on about the story because i'm sure you know it already but i promise you even if you have an old dvd copy somewhere that you need this version because it's perfect.
The content you get is great value for money with the flawless blu feature version on disc 1,blu disc 2 includes some fun games and some super old footage and newly found storyboards for a snow white sequel (wow!) and finally a 3rd disc featuring a newly restored dvd version as well!, i'm bowled over by the value on display here so a big thumbs up from me.
Back to the blu version i just cannot stress how brilliant this version is,and as i cannot say more on that i will just say if you're not sure whether to get it or not then stop thinking now and go for it, Its what blu ray was made for,a wonderfully touching story with jaw dropping animation brought to life in a perfect new edition this is the best blu ray i own and quite possibly the best movie as well, It still brings tears to my eyes now and believe me that's quite an achievement!
Wonderful,5 stars just isn't enough!

And they lived happily ever after... In the Magic of Blu-Ray
Walt Disneys first feature length animation, Snow White, has finally got the package and medium it deserves with this Blu-Ray Diamond Edition box set. Its only fitting then that the film which innovated legendary storytelling and mechanical processes became the first in a series of Diamond Edition packages, Disney claiming that at least two will be released each year from now on.

Snow White is the story of a beautiful young girl who, thanks to her vein stepmother (the Queen), is made to work day and night as a peasant. The Queens Magic Mirror, now something of a cultural icon like so many of Disneys creations, one day tells the Queen the risky truth - that she is NOT the fairest of them all, and is eclipsed by Snow White. Outraged, the Queen calls for a henchman to kill the young girl, but when he fails under the pressure of moral, Snow White runs away into the forest and befriends a group of friendly Dwarves.

And yes - their are Seven of them, all with very unique personalities! I'll leave you to figure out their names.

Evil as ever, the Queen cooks up a toxic apple which, in disguise, she hopes to poison Snow White with, leaving her as the fairest one of them all. Will she succeed in getting away with her plan? Or can Snow Whites dream Prince save the day and pave the way for a legendary final quote?

You have the choice of both Blu-ray and standard DVD discs in this package (just to reiterate - both discs are in this case), which is a wonderful idea as you can take the discs round to anyones house and always watch the film. Providing they don't still use VHS...
This makes the package all the more great value alongside the extras disc. The feature film on blu-ray gives you the option of aspect ratio - either its original 4:3 aspect ratio, or an anamorphic display which, in English, means its tidily Pan and Scanned. Which... in proper English, means it fills the whole screen. Obviously if you have any sense, you'll pick 4:3 any day, though some people just prefer filling the whole screen.

The remastering process is faultless and reveals every piece of detail within the artwork, with absolutely no blemishes or glitches. The colours are more vibrant and, particularly for the backgrounds, reveal the true softness of the lush watercolours. For the characters, it provides an insight into how animation and inking had developed over time, for closer inspection reveals how the company needed time to train their skills on such a grand scale - its so easy to forget that this was not only Walts first feature film, it was the first feature length animation! You only have to compare these areas to Pinocchio, Disneys second film (also on Blu-Ray), to witness just how much tidier the inking is, and how smoother the animation flows within the space of a couple of years.

Such an importance on live action footage has always given Snow White a unique look, for the studio was still experimenting with Rotoscoping (tracing over film), and so such amazing remastering actually reveals the innocent nature of the animation. But the way the story flows in this film is completely original, for this was the possibly the only true "traditional" fairy tale that the studio created. Later efforts such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, although just as wonderful films, follow in different directions that were more engaging artistically and in terms of story, leaving Snow White as more of a genuinely sweet little romp. This doesn't make it any less enjoyable - Snow White herself pulls the film along, narrating the actions of the Dwarves just like a childs storybook. She talks down to the viewer in a mother-like way that is quite enchanting, and the importance of the music, from the memorable "Hei Ho" to "Some Day..." will always live on as classic pieces of storybook music. Thats the key-word - this is a pure storybook film that feels as if its jumped out of the pages.

On the subject of sound, I feel some people can be to critical of its quality with many of these remasters and to judge how it doesn't live up to their expectations. What we must not forget is that these soundtracks were recorded on 70 year old microphones and then mastered on Nitrate film - possibly the worst medium for storing audio after such a long time, and needless to say these soundtracks will never be 100% pristine quality. But if Snow White is anything to by, then I have absolutely no problems with it. Their is almost no distortion at the hi-ends (something of a rarity), their are no crackles or any kind of blemishes in terms of the clarity, and the mixing-down is extremely well balanced; particularly important as Snow White herself has a powerful, high-pitched tone to her voice which thankfully doesn't overpower the music in this edition. I highly doubt the soundtrack could be improved further than this, so I'm really looking forward to future Diamond Edition titles if this is the standard to come.

The extras disc (which is Blu-ray format) contains a host of fantastic goodies are mainly centred around an interactive tour of Hyperion Studios, which was the original home of Disneys production. The Menu begins with an outside shot of the Studio, and you have the ability to 'wander' through it and see/hear different archives from the various departments (inking, animation etc). This is a beautiful piece of archive that houses very rare sound recordings, interviews and videos. Many are just sound clips of old staff members who tell their favourite stories of life their - a memorable one being the staff flicking 'push-pins' at the wall to try and hit a target, but Walt walked in unexpectedly, had a go himself and got a Bullsyeye immediately! He raised his eyebrow and simply said "Let that be a lesson, fellas".

Galleries are in abundance with literally hundreds of images, while theirs a rather fun 'Jewel Jumble' game and a karaoke sing along for the kiddies outside of the Hyperion section. The niggle so far is that the menu's are not very easy to Navigate once you're "in" the Studio, because the visual target/cursors are very small.

I probably expected a little bit more content on the actual production of the film, or indeed analysis, given the way Disney beefed up their press release of this new Diamond Edition range, as aside from the Hyperion tour, their is little difference to a Platinum DVD/blu-ray. They also claimed that it would 'revolutionise home entertainment'. Again, this is probably a little bit over-stated, but some new features such as returning play back from a previously stopped event (Not the feature from the blu-ray player, but the disc itself amazingly) have been extremely helpful when muggins here presses the Square button by accident. Overall though, this is the best extra's disc I've ever got with a Blu-Ray/DVD, and I'm beginning to wonder how Disney could top this with further Diamond Edition Blu-Rays,

As usual, trailers precede the main menu and provide some interesting schedules. I myself have been looking forward to the release of 'Fantasia', which Disney stated would be in Spring 2010 (press announcement of the line-up). However, I've been very disappointed to find that the trailers on this disc say otherwise - 'Dumbo', in its latest remastered glory (70th Anniversary, despite being 69 years old...) will be released in Spring instead, with Beauty and the Beast being released in Fall. As much as I love Dumbo for its simplicity and beautiful key-frames, I'm sure fans would agree that 'Fantasia' would benefit more from Blu-Ray any day, given its length and nature. However, sources continue to say that Fantasia will 'too' be released in Spring, so it wouldn't suprise me if the two films were released either side, as they are both different editions - not the same.

As a package, it remains to be seen what the actual difference is between these Diamond and Platinum Editions, yet without wanting to sound cynical, it may well be just Disney trying to excite the market with a new, flashier name for an edition. They have said both Editions will remain in the market for release, so a possible explanation is that they will now separate their finest films (Diamond) from the slightly less important ones (Platinum). Either way, the film is what matters, and Snow White remains an important historical document not just in filmmaking, but in storytelling. It eclipsed so many of the household terms and names we use today, setting the standard for those films to come, only for the studio to surpass themselves on several occasions with even more magnificent efforts thanks to everything they learnt. To believe that critics thought Walt was biting off more than he could chew prior to release is hilarious given its unprecedented success upon release, and the legacy the film has left. Snow White remains not just one of the companies best films, but one of their better 'family' films that secured a new lifestyle of hope and fantasy.

All of its original magic has been fully restored

I first saw this film in the Shore Theater in the Windsor Park area of South Chicago and have since seen it several dozen times in the VHS and subsequent DVD format. Snow White and Pinocchio are my favorite Disney feature animated films. I was delighted that Disney released the Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition of Pinocchio earlier this year and now we have the Diamond Edition of Snow White that includes DVD and Blue-Ray in a "Combo Pack," accompanied by a wealth of special features that really are special. As a result of all-new state-of-the-art digital restoration and Disney Enhanced High Definition sound, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs once again possesses all of the magic that previous versions of Disney's first animated feature film do not.

In an article about the Walt Disney Family Museum that appeared in The New York Times (October 1, 2009), Edward Rothstein observes: "By the time [Disney] created his first feature-length work, `Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' he had transformed the very notion of animation. Disney insisted that cartoons literally animate their world, bring it so thoroughly to life that even inanimate objects would react to events. He pushed his staff to strain for realism (and sponsored drawing classes in his studios). But he was interested in something more than reality; even tables and trees would display character. I include Rothstein's insightful comments because the animation of otherwise inanimate objects is brilliantly enhanced by all-new state-of-the-art digital restoration. In the Blu-Ray format, the images in Snow White seem even more vivid than I what I recall seeing in a theater and the songs are much more enjoyable because of their presentation in Disney Enhanced High Definition sound.

The plot is based on one of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm and Jacob, and the songs were composed by Frank Churchill (who also wrote the music for "Dumbo" and "Bambi") and Larry Morey (who also wrote the lyrics for "Bambi.") Together they wrote over 25 songs for Snow White but (ironically) only seven were used. After the success of that film, Churchill was promoted to Supervisor of Music at the Disney Studios. There are several of Disney's core themes developed, notably the constant threat of evil and efforts to flee from it as well as the importance of trust and the power of faith. Moreover, whereas a castle or cottage is merely a residence, wherever one is able to be with loved ones is "home." Even the forest animals who live nearby become involved with household chores, soon after Snow White arrives at the dusty, disorganized sylvan "pad" shared by seven bachelors. Given the fact that they haul diamonds from the mine each day, you'd think they could afford a cook and maid. Apparently not.

Disney will offer this "combo Pack" for a limited time only and it really does offer significant value-added benefits that include an all new music video performed by Sonny with a Chance's Tiffany Thornton, an exclusive sneak preview of The Princess and the Frog, "What Do You See?" and "Jewel Jumble" game exercises, newly discovered storyboards for "Snow White Returns," a tour of Walt Disney's original Hyperion studios, and "Dopey's Wild Mine Ride" game. Even without any supplementary features such as these, however, this version (in either the DVD or Blu-Ray format) is, in my opinion, the most complete masterpiece of all the great feature-length animated films. None other combines as effectively his one does both drama and delight in terms of plot, character development, and music.

In a review of Snow White for The New York Times in 1938, Frank Nugent wrote, "Wars are being fought as the picture unreels; crimes are being committed; hatreds are being whetted; riots are being brewed. But the world fades away when M. Disney begins weaving his spell and enchantment takes hold." In his biography of Disney, published in 2006, Neal Gabler observes that other critics "cited the awesome power of the sheer technical achievement: the collaboration of the nearly six hundred employees who drew, inked, and painted the quarter-million drawings in what totaled two hundred years' worth of man-hours. While no animated cartoon had ever looked like Snow White, and certainly none had packed its emotional wallop, it was also true that in none would the investment of time, energy, and devotion be so palpable. In some respects it was the cinematic equivalent of a Gothic cathedral - only in this case all the man-hours were expended in service to one man's vision rather than God's glory."

Most of those who see this film could not care less about its cultural significance, nor about its seamless integration of theme with technology, of inspiration with execution. They will almost immediately be delighted by the lead characters and enchanted by the life they share. Now restored and enhanced, Snow White once again has the technical brilliance and emotional power that were premiered at the Cathay Circle Theater on the evening of December 21, 1937. According to one observer, Bill Peet, "everyone in that first Snow White audience could have predicted the enormous success of the film. They were carried away by the picture from the very beginning, and as it went along everyone was bubbling over with enthusiasm and frequently bursting into spontaneous applause." To the best of my knowledge, no other film made more than 70 years ago continues to have the same impact that it did when first released. If that isn't "magic," I really don't know what is.