I'll be sure to buy Snow White on Blu-Ray. I missed out on the DVD when it first got released, and I'm not going to make the same mistake again.
I understand that some people don't like the film, and that's unfortunate, but we all have our opinions, and in any case it's always interesting to hear well thought out comments about any film. As for me, I enjoy Snow White as a film and not only because of its importance or nostalgia factor. It's a solid film and although some parts of it may seem outdated today, I feel they nevertheless work well in context.
Snow White's English voice has never annoyed me. Caselotti sounds quite distinct when compared to many later Disney films, but I nevertheless find her charming because it brings me back to the "old days" during which many people actually sang like that. It gives Snow White character and adds to the "timeless quality" of the film.
The animation is quite exquisite even today (there are some points where the animation isn't so smooth, but nevertheless the film as a whole is a marvellous experience to behold considering the time it was made in), and I generally like the mixing of gothic images and settings to a lush forest environment. These contrasts work very well for both providing the thrills and easing the audience's mind, and the film never leans too heavily on either direction.
The cast is quite memorable. Although Snow White herself might seem bland by today's standards, she's nevertheless a wonderful heroine of her time and gives us a very sweet image of a lonely girl who does what she can in a new environment, and the symbolism of her character is actually quite well thought out. Each of the dwarves is a distinct character, and even today it is amusing to watch the various personalities among the dwarves and their interaction with others.
The queen herself is a terrifying villain in both of her forms, and that voice gives me the creeps even today, and interestingly she too has depth as a character although these moments are somewhat subdued and can pass by unless one pays attention to her mannerisms in various places. The transformation sequence is pure gothic horror in mood and execution, and ditto for the dark defeat of the queen on the ledge. The prince is the blandest of the characters, but he nevertheless has some truly wonderful songs to sing, and he's a genuine knight in shining armour who comes and saves the day. The animals and the huntsman are also interesting characters, and particularly the cuteness of the animals is very heart-warming in a good way.
Although the story itself may seem cliched today, it was still not as beaten a trope back then as it is today. And even if it is an archetypal story of good vs. evil, it's still as entertaining today as it was back when it was first released. Although the story looks simple on the surface, there's actually a lot of things going on in a symbolic level (and this is generally the case in every animated film of Disney if one looks close enough). The Freudian and Jungian psychological themes are there with the figures of the queen, girl, terrifying experience in a dark wood, the whole heart in a chest thing, the dwarves, first love etc. Although there are saccharine parts that might annoy some people, I tolerate them and enjoy them because they act as "signposts" of an era gone by when things looked more innocent (as opposed to today's sarcastic tone in films like Shrek).
Then there's the thing I've always adored in every Disney film: music. Snow White is full of memorable and beautiful songs. Who can forget such instant classics as "One Song", "Heigh-Ho", and "Someday My Prince Will Come" among others? The vocal performances are spot on, and the songs help to tell the story in their clever ways. If only the queen had had a song; Disney tends to have great villain songs, and I wonder what the queen's song might've been like.
The underscore is crafted well too. There's lots of leitmotivic development, and many of the character and location themes are quite interesting in their instrumentalization. The "mickey-mousing" (using music to mimic movement etc. on screen) works well, and there are quite a few musical jokes hidden in the score (such as using instruments to produce laughter in musical form). The use of orchestra and choir works well and help to set the mood, and particularly the grand finale, when all these elements are combined, creates a truly stirring send-off as the film comes to an end. This ending, along with Pinocchio's "When You Wish Upon a Star" is sentimentally lush and thematically rich composing, and that's what Disney music is truly about.
So, all in all Snow White is definitely the classic as it is shown to be, and although it might not reach the levels of The Lion King or Bambi in my eyes, it's nevertheless a wonderful film to experience and a way to travel to that old-fashioned fairytale world where everything is fantastic and emotionally satisfying in its own sweet way.
Why? Because I can change my mind oh-so-easily. Plus high-pitched voices never bothered me (I listen to a lot of Japanese music, so I'm used to it...)
That's like my favorite of all of them.
I just believed the film would be universally loved by Disney fans. You learn somethin' every day... 