Movie · 1938 · Fantasy, Animation, Family · 1h 23m · G · English
Curator score: 6.2/10 (790.6K ratings)
The Happiest, Dopiest, Grumpiest, Sneeziest movie of the year.
Overview
A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.2/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.42/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 96
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
David Hand, Ben Sharpsteen, William Cottrell, Larry Morey
Production
Walt Disney Productions
Cast
Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne, Harry Stockwell, Roy Atwell, Pinto Colvig, Otis Harlan, Scotty Mattraw, Billy Gilbert, Eddie Collins, Moroni Olsen, Marion Darlington, Purv Pullen, Stuart Buchanan, June Foray, Candy Candido
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A landmark of animation that still feels vivid: lush hand-drawn artistry, expressive character animation, memorable songs, and a fairy-tale simplicity that gives the story real emotional clarity. Its age shows in some pacing and gender politics, but as a piece of cinematic history and classic family fantasy, it remains essential.
Best for
animation history buffs
classic fairy-tale fans
family viewing
viewers who appreciate hand-drawn craft
musical animation lovers
Skip if
you want modern pacing and contemporary humor
you are sensitive to dated gender roles
you prefer darker or more psychologically complex fairy tales
you only watch animation with current-era visual polish
Overview
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is less a movie than a foundational event: the feature-length animated fairy tale that proved the form could sustain emotion, spectacle, and personality at full length. The visual design is elegant and surprisingly rich, with the forest sequences and the dwarfs’ cottage giving the film a warm, storybook texture that still holds up beautifully.
Worth noting
What keeps it watchable beyond its historical importance is the precision of its animation and the clarity of its storytelling. The dwarfs are distinct, the Queen is a great villain, and the songs are woven into the narrative with real purpose. It can feel quaint, and some character dynamics are unmistakably of its era, but the film’s craftsmanship is undeniable.
Bottom line
If you come to it as a classic rather than a modern family comedy, it rewards you. This is the template for so much that followed, and it remains one of the most graceful examples of hand-drawn fantasy ever made.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (3.5★) · 8117 likes
The Queen is so hung up on Snow White being prettier than her that she creates a potion to turn people ugly. She then uses it on herself? As a disguise to give Snow White a poisoned apple with? Instead of just forcing Snow White to drink the ugly potion and skipping the poison apple step entirely? Smh work smarter not harder
Tentin Quarantino ☭ (3.5★) · 4096 likes
Sorry, but the Queen is definitely hotter than Snow White. That slave in the mirror is a lying bastard!
HAL (3.5★) · 3916 likes
Grown ass woman beefing with a teenager
Matt Singer (4★) · 2440 likes
Dwarfs Power Ranking:
1. Doc2. Dopey3. Sneezy4. Grumpy5. Bashful6. Sleepy7. Happy
Happy does not make me happy.
Hallie 💃 (3★) · 1810 likes
the dwarfs all wash their balls in a pig trough and then waterboard Grumpy in it