Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

When a vain Queen (Lucille La Verne) is told by her mirror (Moroni Olsen) that her young stepdaughter (Adriana Caselotti) is more beautiful than she is, in retaliation she orders her huntsman (Stuart Buchanan) to take her out deep into the forest and kill her. Based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and directed by David Hand, William Cottrell, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce and Ben Sharpsteen. This Walt Disney confection was the first animated feature film and while its hand animation may seem primitive by 2020 standards, it actually gives the movie a sort of antique charm like reading an illustrated 19th century collection of fairy tales. My problems with the film are minor, like Caselotti's shrill Kathryn Grayson like soprano or shouldn't Snow White's dead body be decomposing by now (yes, I know it's a fairy tale). But the animation is often stunning and yes, artistic and the dwarfs are an adorable bunch. And for anyone who saw the film for the first time as a child, that Queen still has the ability to give us the shivers. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Disney's early animated classics (no thank you to PINOCCHIO and BAMBI) but this one's a keeper.