Disney Debates: #1 Snow White should be redubbed for blu-ray

[ichabod]

Well here we go with a new series which intende to provoke thought and discussion about an all aspects of Disney. Each week an issue will be brought up which hopefully will allow members to voice their opinions.

The subjects for discussion may be debates relating to all aspects of the company. When I bring up a subject it may be my opinion, or it may not be. I may just be playing devil's advocate and trying to provoke a reaction. Who knows.

Any suggestions for future debates will be welcomed just PM/email me.

Well, for the first debate let's focus on the first animated feature, here we go.

Debate #1 Snow White should be redubbed for blu-ray

Well when Snow White is next released, it will be at least 70 years old. A likely blu-ray release is on the horizon. Now blu-ray offers us superb picture and sound, so Snow White's original soundtrack is lagging far behind what blu-ray sound can offer.

So shouldn't Disney just go the whole hog and hire a new cast of actors and rescore and redub the whole film. Snow White's original voice is far too whiny and at times almost unpleasant to listen too. So a new dubbing would make the film watchable.

Just because the original soundtrack is the original doesn't naturally mean it will be the best. Animated Disney films are frequently redubbed with new voice actors in other countries, so why shouldn't the English language version be redubbed too?

Well, let the feathers fly. Your thoughts?

[KubrickFan]

Absolutely not. It is a film of 70 years old, and it should stay that way. Otherwise, for example we could change the backgrounds into deep canvas mode, because the scenery would look too flat. And why stop there? We could re-animate the characters, because to our standards it doesn't look too realistic. And then you would have an entire different movie.
Of course you could change it, but then you could keep changing them forever. Some stop-motion in King Kong looks out-dated, change it with cgi? And even films that are ten years old, like Titanic, have some shots that don't look as good as they would nowadays. We could change them, but why? Films are, as contemporary as they would like to be, always a product of their time, and should always stay that way.

[Jack Skellington]

Sorry but I have to disagree, Snow White's voice is perfect the way it is, I don't want her to say things like " Neh, What's up Doc ?!", or turn the Whistle while you work song into a hip-hop remix just to satisfy the new generation.

[Disneykid]

Ohhh, wait till Scaps finds this thread...

Anyway, the obvious answer is no, because no matter how out-dated aspects of the film may get, it acts as a time capsule for filmmaking in 1937. If it's updated to fit 2007 standards, then it'll have to be updated again to fit 2037 standards, so on. Films, even period pieces, are a window to the time of their releases and should remain so, something George Lucas has trouble coping with.

I am curious to hear another voice dubbed over Snow just as an experiment, though. Her French voice in particular is very nice.

As a funny anecdote, I was watching the Snow White supplements with a friend of mine. In one of the trailers, the narrator says, "Snow White: so warm, human," to which my friend exclaims, "Human?!" I have to agree. The Shrill (copyright Albert Escapay Scaps Gutierrez, Inc.) is far from believable as a human being. She only has two emotions: sweet and cloyingly sweet. It's annoying how she treats men over three times her age as pre-schoolers. I think James Caan would pick to stay with Kathy Bates over Snow White any day.

[Simba3]

Absolutely not! Do I find Snow White's voice incredibly annoying... YES! However, if Walt isn't already rolling in his grave over some of the things Disney has done since he has passed (case in point: most, if not all, Disney sequels) this would surely get him going. Snow White is a classic, THE classic of Disney animated features and you simply can't mess with that.

*This is sure to make for fun and interesting discussions, Ichabod. I will look forward to seeing what else comes of this series.

[Poseidon]

Oh!! Redubbing is terrible!

You guys (who live in english-speaking countries) are really very lucky... Here in Brazil we suffered with lots of redubbings, which is always stressing (for it totally assassinates the nostalgia of the movie, which is the main thing to an animation fan).

And when we're able to listen to the original audio it's not restaured like the one in english; we have to see those beautiful image restaurations and listen to those awfully sounding audios...

And of course, not to mention that redubbing an original audio track is the worst thing i've ever thought of. Imagine Gone With The Wind or Wizard of Oz with new voices over the original audio? It's the same. The fact of SW be an animated film doesn't change that true...

Believe me, you guys are really lucky.

[candydog]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Walt Disney is spinning in his fridge.

If we mess with his original, his triumph, we are gonna be in SERIOUS trouble when he gets defrosted!

[blackcauldron85]

I like Snow White's voice- it gives her character.

I agree with Disneykid- if they change one thing in the movie, then it's almost giving them the right to re-do anything they pleae.

Adriana Casseloti is the original voice of Snow White. I know how Dottie, for example, is upset with a recent German dubbing of "The Little Mermaid", and I feel for her and that stinks, but Adriana is the voice of Snow White, and Disney just can't revoice Snow White...

I'm a little worried that someone at Disney will read this and think that it'd be a good idea. I just hope that they're smart enough not to mess with the one that started it all. Because there would be such a backlash.

[REINIER]

you know as well as I that even if there would be many out there requesting a redub. this will not happen, it isn't cost effective, nothing is gained from this other than pleasing the occasional fan.
I have to agree though that I too dislike the current voicetrack, but like you I'm afraid our voices will never be heard.
It would stand out as a marvelous update too an already good dvd release, but then again there are much more important things to focus on
such as further extending the already exsisting bonus material.
The current disney blueray releases don't offer much more than what was already originally on dvd.
Blueray is a medium that could add much more material, instead of leaving space blank which is now unfortunally the case.
And we all know that there should be more to tell with each coming release or medium transfer,they should capitalize on this idea and continue to upgrade instead of just copying already used material.
Add new interviews, create more documetaries, be creative as far as games go and don't aim for the intellect of a 3 year old!
As much as Disney embraces this new technology, they don't use it's full potential.
But hey, I'm just a guy who isn't in it for the quick buck,someone who trully loves these classic movies, someone we all know by the name of:
''FAN''
It's a shame to see that our collective admiration means so little anymore.
If only there was someone who trully understands this animation empire,
but I guess that should come up in another poll soon

[Jules]

If we mess with his original, his triumph, we are gonna be in SERIOUS trouble when he gets defrosted!

Oh man! You always crack me up with your "Walt Disney-in-the-fridge" joke! Keep it up ... I can do with a good laugh.

On another note, I don't really have much to contribute to this topic other than that I agree with what the other UDers have said. Just one thing though ... Why does everyone hate Snow's voice so much? I think she sounds cute and innocent. After all, isn't "cute and innocent" an integral part of her personality? There was a motive behind Walt's decision of Adriana Caselotti for Snow White's voice.

It's annoying how she treats men over three times her age as pre-schoolers.

Don't excagerate! She only wants them to wash as a means of ridding themselves of the various streptococcal bacteria living in the crevices of their skin (visible under the electron microscope), which could perhaps infect them, with undesirable symptoms. It's for their own good, the dirty blighters!

[Jack Skellington]

Adriana Casseloti said her voice will never die, and she was right, her voice survived for 60 years and is heard every day all over the world. So I hope Disney doesn't spoil that.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

I'm not really enthusiastic about the idea, since I'm all for the originals. But I can understand your point and adding new sound could be all right as long as the original is kept available on the same disc.

[Luke]

Cool idea for a thread series! And yes, re-dubbing the film would be another excellent idea. Perhaps they could also get rid of that dated operatic sound and get a cool modern cast... I'm thinking Zac Efron for the Prince (or Drew Seely if ZE wants too much money), Miley Cyrus for Snow White, Paige O'Hara for the Wicked Stepmother, and the kids who do the <i>Air Buddies</i> voices for the Seven Dwarfs. They could give it more of a Broadway/pop feel so that it could be more consistent with the Eisner era hits. They should probably also make it in widescreen so that people with 16x9 TVs don't need to have those annoying side bars. And maybe redo some of those effects... I mean they may have been cool in 1937, but just think what they could do with a little CGI!




(as if that was needed)

[Simba3]

Cool idea for a thread series! And yes, re-dubbing the film would be another excellent idea. Perhaps they could also get rid of that dated operatic sound and get a cool modern cast... I'm thinking Zac Efron for the Prince (or Drew Seely if ZE wants too much money), Miley Cyrus for Snow White, Paige O'Hara for the Wicked Stepmother, and the kids who do the <i>Air Buddies</i> voices for the Seven Dwarfs. They could give it more of a Broadway/pop feel so that it could be more consistent with the Eisner era hits. They should probably also make it in widescreen so that people with 16x9 TVs don't need to have those annoying side bars. And maybe redo some of those effects... I mean they may have been cool in 1937, but just think what they could do with a little CGI!




(as if that was needed)

Hilarous! You had me laughing the whole time.

[BrianG]

I agree with everyone else in saying the movie is fine as is. I have the platinum edition and I really don't know what else could be added to make this set better.

[Ariel'sprince]

No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no.NO!.
I"ll kill them if they'll do it! the classic should stay classic and Snow White's voice should stay as he allways was,and Snow White has a wonderfull voice,i have no idea what do you have againts it.

[Disneykid]

It's annoying how she treats men over three times her age as pre-schoolers.

Don't exaggerate! She only wants them to wash as a means of ridding themselves of the various streptococcal bacteria living in the crevices of their skin (visible under the electron microscope), which could perhaps infect them, with undesirable symptoms. It's for their own good, the dirty blighters!

How about when she literally SHOOS them upstairs to get to bed? Or how she always talks down to them in a pandering way? Or when, in the famous deleted "Music in Your Soup," she makes them eat soup her way (and Dopey nearly chokes to death as a result of this)? Nevermind that she trespassed into their home, re-arranged all their belongings, then proceeded to SLEEP on their own personal beds.

[SpringHeelJack]

Very true. What Snow White did is known amongst law types as "breaking and entering". Had Grumpy decided to bludgeon her to death with the blunt end of a pick ax then and there, it would be completely legal.

[leuchtmuschel]

glowing clam: “Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

Magic mirror: “Cough, cough…”

glowing clam: “One moment, I wipe the dust from you…”

Magic mirror: “The dust on history lays on a beauty one, remove it from her face and skin, what under there is shining trough, and the public think she is beautiful as ever. But clean it and you see what generations before you have seen…”

glowing clam: “Who is it?”

Magic mirror: “It’s Snow White, but I don’t want tell you this story again…”

Disney has done it already
The Walt Disney Company has done a lot to restore the old classics. The digital restoration of films usually already been done in HDTV. I think that Disney has done this already. Disney has two advantages of this common strategy:

* Every film has only restored one time

* HDTV can be downgraded to SDTV to create DVDs

Disney only needs to push the copy buttons for Blu-ray!

Let the originals!
Don’t touch the film or soundtrack. They don’t need any improvements. This is necessary for future generations. Without this the Disney archives will be lost forever!

Save the originals for getting lost! This task is very special. I cut it out. There exists special literature how to save archives.

These suggestions are only what the public should get from the archives!

Restore the original with all equipment we have. The computers can be a lot today.

Restore important originals pixel by pixel by hand on the computers.

Let the cel animation alive, but make the colors beautiful.

Use the original sources!

The originals have lot more colors in it as visible in the cinemas for certain decades. On home cinema we can show it!

The soundtracks exist often separately. You can mix multi channel sound with them! There only was mixed together to a mono soundtrack because the cinemas of yesterday could only play one channel.

[starlioness]

since we're redubbing movies. why don't we re-dub Song of the South to appease critics? /Sarcasm/