Home Video Review: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – 4K Release
Walt Disney’s 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been restored and released in 4K UHD both digitally and on disc. This release is part of the Disney 100th anniversary celebration and features the newly restored film and a number of classic bonus features. For full technical specifications of the release here is the press release with details.
Here is a listing of the bonus features included on this release including their length, I also indicated which are currently available on Disney+ with a (D+):
- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Short – Hungry Hobos (5 min)
- Hyperion Studio (30 min) (D+)
- Disney’s First Feature: The Making of Snow White (33 min) (D+)
- Snow White in Seventy Seconds (1 min)
- Iconography (7 min)
- Where it All Began (11 min)
- Disney Animation: Designing the First Princess (5 min)
- Snow White Returns (8 min)
- Animation Voice Talent (8 min)
- The Fairest Facts of Them All: 7 Things You May Not Know About Snow White (4 min)
- Decoding the Exposure Sheet (6 min)
- Sequence: The Prince Meets Snow White (3 min) (D+)
- Deleted Scenes: Soup-Eating sequence (4 min)
- Deleted Scenes: Bed-Building sequence (6 min) (D+)
- In Walt’s Words: Snow White (4 min)
- Story Meeting: The Dwarfs (5 min) (D+)
- Story Meeting: The Huntsman (3 min) (D+)
- Bringing Snow White to Life (11 min)
The film itself looks and sounds better than ever after the extensive restoration. The process Walt Disney Animation Studio used started with an original nitrate negative of the film has yielded a version of the film that looks great, even on non 4K screens the difference is apparent. Below is a sample image Disney shared showing the original and restored comparison.
I did appreciate the inclusion of a fair number of classic bonus features on this release. These features include a detailed look at the Hyperion Studio as well as several looking at different aspects of the making of this film. I always find it interesting to gain insight into the early years of the studio and enjoy seeing Walt’s involvement. I found it worthwhile to re-watching these as it had been a number of years since I seen them so it was a great refresher. If you are a fan of Disney history be sure to watch the Hyperion Studio and Disney’s First Feature: The Making of Snow White features. I thought Disney missed an opportunity to do more in terms of bonus features. For example something on Disney 100 or the restoration process would have been a great new addition.
If you are looking to upgrade your physical library with 4K titles this restoration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs should be high on your list to consider. If you are looking for classic bonus features that you may not have digitally or if you missed a previous release this may be worth adding to your collection. If you are looking for something new/unique you will unfortunately not find it in this offering.
Note, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is currently available on Disney+ and this 4K version will be added October 16, 2023. There are only a subset of bonus features available on Disney+ as I indicated in my list above.
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** A review copy of this book was provided to us
