Dr. Seuss' storybooks have always captivated children with their remarkably detailed illustrations, often reminiscent of the Dutch Renaissance painter Peasant Bruegel - all of the maddeningly deep detail of little objects with little intricacies painted on them. In a way, modern 3-D animation for movies like Up or Ratatouille do follow the philosophy of true and detailed representation - but of a different kind. The detail today is in fidelity to the real character of a scene, not in the profusion of fussy complexity on display. Pinocchio or Bambi from the 40's had complexity beyond measure in the sheer amount of detail shown in the hand-drawn art. The 1937 Disney release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs belongs to that era. And now, Disney releases the Snow White Disney DVD in high-definition Blu-Ray format.
Children today are interested in detail too - in clear depth not in fussy complexity. And the new high definition DVDs are exactly the ticket. Images come off on the screen in Blu-Ray, with mesmerizing detail, in a way that almost feels vertiginous. The Snow White Disney DVD takes full advantage of the rich artistry poured into the hand-drawn animation by its talented creators a half-century ago. It becomes apparent watching a quiet animated scene on-screen, that a sense of action doesn't have to come from excessive exclusive movement at all. The gentle bouncing creatures in the movie have such a laser-etched sharpness and depth of color to them that one gets the distinct feeling that the impact obtained is more often seen in the high octane car chase.
The Snow White Disney DVD in Blu-Ray runs just over 80 minutes. It was the first animated feature-length movie when it was released, and with considerable departure from standard practice at the time when cartoons never went longer than 10 minutes. Walt Disney's strategy in introducing audiences to full-length cartoons was to tone down the pace a little; the story progresses slowly and daintily, and the colors, while deep and beautiful, are only vibrant, never strong. Disney's movies are often criticized for the traditional pre-feminist roles its protagonists have. Snow White in this movie, for example, the moment she sets foot in the dwarfs' cottage, quickly takes charge and bustles about cleaning house and rustling up a dinner for the returning troops. Granted, Disney doesn't take pains to make obvious a feminist leanings in that movie, but tastefully done expression of her feminine role certainly does not preclude the possibility of a stronger person within.
The Snow White Disney DVD first came out in standard definition in 2001. That original DVD contained a lot of bonus material, and most of it now appears in Blu-Ray. But a few well loved extras on the DVD I saw, have not been brought over on Blu-Ray. There are coming attractions, and a few simple entertaining games for small children. Disney's Snow White when it was released was proclaimed an absolute phenomenon. With Blu-Ray, you get to see why Disney has stuck by the hand-drawn art form to this day.
The Snow White Disney DVD Now in Blu-Ray
