Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Our old friend Aaron Peck previously reviewed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and as I sat down to write my own thoughts I quickly realized I was basically saying the same thing but with different words and cadence. Simply this is one tough film to review in part because it’s not my favorite Disney film, but I can’t deny how important it is. It’s a lovely charming film, full of color, brilliantly executed, and it’s enchanted children young and old for 85 years! The first feature-length animated film that laid the foundation for the Disney empire is a celebration of filmmaking moxie at a time when cartoons were filler in between newsreels and the main feature at theaters.

Here’s what Aaron had to say about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:

Reviewing a film like 'Snow White' can be tricky. It's a classic in every sense of the word, and the premiere animated film, as it ushered in what we know today as the animated feature. Walt Disney and his crew created something not only timeless, but technologically marvelous. Every animated feature that followed 'Snow White' is inevitably influenced by it. After seventy-nine years it still holds a firm place in American history, and it stands up, even today, as a slice of Americana that serves as a testament to Walt Disney's vision for animation. It was the foundation of Disney Animation, which is referenced by the seven large dwarf statues that act as pillars holding up the Team Disney Burbank building located on the Walt Disney Studios Burbank lot. With the revenue from 'Snow White' Disney was able to purchase the lot and see his vision and company move into a realm no one ever imagined.

'Snow White' is a simple story taken from Grimm's Fairy Tales. Disney's first princess, Snow White, is threatened by the evil queen because she's much fairer. Snow White soon meets up with a band of seven dwarfs who befriend her, hoping to save her from the evil queen. Taking things into her own hands the queen prepares a poisonous apple to give to Snow White that will put her into a deep sleep.

The seventy-nine year old animation stands up beautifully, even today. It's a momentous achievement any way you look at it. The visuals of the cell animation are intoxicating. The now iconic music is still as lively and as fun as remembered. The one thing I caught on to more during my most recent viewing of the film is how funny it actually is. I don't much remember the humor from past viewings, but watching it over again, there's quite a lot of subtle comedy woven throughout the story and script.

This is why the film itself is hard to review: Sure it's a simple story with simple characters, but it has grown into such an icon that it's simply hard to quantify with a star rating. Suffice it to say that 'Snow White' will forever remain not only the most influential animated film of all time, but one of the most revered films in cinematic history. It paved the way for every animated feature we see today.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs mines its first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release from Disney in time to celebrate its 85th Anniversary. Thanks to an update from one of our readers it looks like the included 1080p offers the same main menu and bonus features, but utilizes the new scan/restoration only now in 1080p.The discs are housed in a standard two-disc case with a slipcover. The disc loads to Disney’s expected language selection menu before giving you the option of starting the main feature or moving along to the main menu. Note for this release we were given what appears to be the wide-release two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital version - it appears the Movie Club edition offers an additional DVD.

Alright, when can we expect 4K releases of Bambi or Peter Pan or Jungle Book or… or… or…

After a homerun win with Cinderella, Disney once again returns for a re-re-release of a beloved classic with a new and improved video transfer. This time Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs catches the restoration bug with an outright gorgeous 2160p HDR10 transfer. Bright and full of color and most importantly - no signs of any grain management or smoothing! The film has always looked lovely but it's a true stunner in 4K. You can see all of the textures in the cels with fine lines visible and the depth between the background plate and cell elements is fully palpable. Occasionally you can spot the focus defects between frames that have always been there but are a bit more noticeable at higher resolution. That kind of thing doesn’t bother me at all. I started my education in animation so I have extra appreciation for those slim “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” fluctuations. Like Cinderella’s ballgown, I felt like I was also seeing fine line details in clothing and characters that were either removed in past releases or so slight that I had never noticed them before. HDR10 isn’t overly aggressive but offers welcome highlights to the film’s use of bright whites, deep blacks and shadows, and the incredible array of color shades. Snow White’s blue and yellow dress is often stunning and that red apple all the more ominous. 

On the audio side of the show, Snow White skates by with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that doesn’t sound all that different from the DTS track in the Signature Collection release. Not a bad track at all, certainly offers up plenty of surround elements and immersion without sounding overworked. Vocals are given plenty of priority with ample space for music cues and the chittering sounds of various woodland critters. All around a great mix that serves the film. But I am going to echo the sentiment I held for my Cinderella review: is it that hard to include the original mono mix? It’s a big disc with plenty of room to give fans an option of a surround track or the original theatrical experience, so why not offer both? So it goes. I’m not going to knock the score for what’s here but at the same time, it’s a bit of a letdown for traditionalists. 

Given that none of the bonus features appear on the 4K disc itself, all of the extras can be cataloged from the included 1080p disc. Given this is the film’s 85th it would have been cool to see something new offered up something new with it. But then there is a live-action remake coming that isn’t an action movie or a horror flick so maybe Disney will give us some more stuff then.

• Audio Commentary featuring John Canemaker
• Hyperion Studios Tour 
• In Walt's Words: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 
• Iconography 
• DisneyAnimation: Designing Disney's First Princess 
• The Fairest Facts of Them All: 7 Things You May Not Know About Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Snow White in 70 Seconds 
• Alternate Sequence: The Prince Meets Snow White 
• Disney's First Feature: The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Bringing Snow White to Life
• Decoding the Exposure Sheet
• Snow White Returns
• Story Meetings: The Dwards
• Story Meetings: The Huntsman
• Deleted Scene: Soup Eating Sequence
• Deleted Scene: Bed Building Sequence
• Animation Voice Talent

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a true classic. Like so many of Disney’s animated adventures, no horror, action, or straight remake can come close to recapturing the majesty of the original animated film. Now, if David Fincher wanted to make Snow White and the Se7en Dwarfs, I’d pay good money to see that one! Making her 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut, Snow White has never looked better on home video. A magical film beautifully upgraded to 2160p with a lovely HDR grade that highlights and enhances all of the film’s best and most colorful attributes. Audio is certainly respectable and the same selection of bonus features give you plenty to dig into. If you’re a Disney fan or simply love classic animation - Highly Recommended

Order Your Copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray