Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Story

Snow White (voiced by Adriana Caselotti) is a beautiful and kind-hearted young princess who gets treated very cruelly by her stepmother, a vain and vicious queen (voiced by Lucille LaVerne). The Queen is jealous that one day Snow White might be prettier than her. Because of this, she makes Snow White dress in rags and work as a maid.

Every day the Queen asks her magic mirror, ‘Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?’ When the mirror tells her she is the fairest, she’s happy. But one day, the mirror tells her that he sees a lovely maid, whose gentle grace cannot be hidden under rags, and who is more beautiful than the Queen. The Queen's jealousy and rage increase further when she sees that a charming young prince (voiced by Harry Stockwell) is attracted to Snow White.

Outraged, she orders a huntsman to take Snow White into the forest and kill her. However, the huntsman cannot bring himself to kill the innocent girl. He tells the girl that the Queen wants her dead, and urges her to run far away and hide.

Terrified, Snow White flees into the forest. She finds comfort and support from the forest animals who guide her to a little cottage deep in the woods. The cottage belongs to seven dwarfs. Snow White begs them to let her stay, and offers to cook and clean for them in return. Snow White and the Dwarfs grow very close and Snow White hopes that one day she will meet the Prince again. However, at the castle, the Queen has found out that Snow White is still alive. She makes an evil plan to finally get rid of her beautiful rival. She uses black magic to disguise herself as an old hag. She tracks down Snow White and offers her a poisoned apple.

Themes

Disney animated classic; fantasy musical; fairy tale; innocent versus evil; friendship; love.

Violence

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has some violence. For example:

The Queen is very cruel to Snow White. She refuses to show Snow White any kindness or affection and treats her like a servant.
The Queen cold-heartedly orders the huntsman to kill Snow White. She asks the huntsman to bring back Snow White's heart to prove that she’s dead.
When the dwarfs first discover that someone has broken into their home, they want to kill the intruder.
The Queen prepares a poisoned apple that will make Snow White fall into a death-like sleep. She expects Snow White to be buried alive.
The dwarfs chase the Queen with clubs and axes. She falls to her death from a mountain while trying to kill the dwarfs with a large boulder.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There is no use of substances in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no nudity and sexual activity Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Product placement

There is no product placement in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Coarse language

There is no coarse language in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first feature-length, animated film in history. It was released in 1937 and has been fascinating and entertaining generation after generation ever since.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is based on a traditional fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Like the book, the movie contains some very dark themes. These themes and some scary and violent scenes might really upset very young and/or sensitive viewers. This is why the movie is unsuitable for children under 5 years, and we recommend parental guidance for children aged 5-6 years.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs depicts outdated stereotypes. For example, Snow White is a damsel in distress who needs to be rescued by a man. You could use this as an opportunity to talk with your children about how gender roles and expectations have changed since the 1930s. However, Snow White can also be viewed as a strong and resilient woman, who, despite being treated very badly, has stayed true to her kindness. She doesn’t lose hope and makes the best of her circumstances by using the skills and traits she possesses.

In one scene, the prince tries to kiss Snow White without her consent. Although Snow White and the Prince have met before and are clearly attracted to each other, this might be a chance to talk with your children about consent.

These are the main messages from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:

What goes around comes around
Kindness will eventually be returned
When times are tough, stay positive and hopeful.

Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include kindness and modesty, staying positive, making the best of your circumstances, never giving up hope and friendship.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of attitudes and behaviours. For example, because of the Queen’s vanity, all she cares about is making sure that she is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. And because of her unstoppable jealousy, she treats her stepdaughter extremely cruelly and even wants her dead.