When a movie manages to last through the toils of time like Snow White has, it is interesting to see what really made this film work so well for so long. If this movie had been produced in our politically correct era, the idea of poking fun at seven little dwarfs would be seen as discriminatory. And Snow White herself is hardly the independent woman that dominates our world today.

But what Snow White does offer is a gentleness and warm sensitivity that flows from the hand painted animation cels through to the simple musical numbers we have all hummed since childhood. The animators even thought it would be too shocking for the audience to see Snow White take the bitter bite that casts her into endless sleep. However, the wicked queen serves as an obvious pattern for the many evil Disney characters that have followed through the years.

It is also interesting to see the ideal portrait of a woman in the 1930's compared to some of Disney's more recent female characters, such as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, or Jasmine in Aladdin. In addition to wearing a few more clothes, Snow White also was able to be confident about her beauty without having to sport an hourglass figure. Now that's a liberated woman!

Snow White was the only remaining Disney feature animation to not be released to video. After years of holding back, the cash starved organization has been forced to sell its final child. Now all of our children will have an opportunity to watch this masterpiece that most of us were only given one chance to see.

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Rod Gustafson

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