Disney+ Reveals New Version of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'

Disney is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a restoration of its oldest animated feature film.

By Michael Hein

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs just got a makeover not just on Blu-ray, but on Disney+ as well. Last week, Disney announced an all-new 4K restoration of the classic movie, with artists and film preservation specialists helping to carry this movie into the modern age. It was added to Disney+ on Monday, Oct. 16, where it is streaming now.

The Snow White restoration was a part of the Disney100 Anniversary Celebration – denoting the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. The restoration was carried out by the Walt Disney Studios Restoration and Preservation Team with leading artists from Disney Animation Studios, including Michael Giaimo and Eric Goldberg. In addition to heading up some of the company's modern hits like Frozen and Once Upon a Studio, they worked on the recent restoration of Cinderella, and were pleased to get the team back together for Snow White.

"The opportunity to help restore Snow White was both an honor and a challenge," Goldberg in Disney's press release. "As the very first Walt Disney feature, Mike Giaimo and I felt we owed a debt to history to get it looking as beautiful, and as accurate to the original colors, as we could. The muted palette and the delicate watercolor backgrounds evoke the illustrated fairy tales that Walt so loved, and the story and characters continue to resonate to this day. I hope our work inspires future generations of animation artists to fully appreciate the masterful talent and care that has gone into this landmark film."

Director of restoration Kevin Schaeffer added: "We are incredibly excited to go back to Walt's original negative and use current state of the art technology to restore this stunning classic to its original beauty."

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937 as Disney's first animated feature film. It was based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, but the Disney version has become the dominant depiction in popular culture. The movie played in theaters frequently in the decades after its release, and was highly coveted when when home video technology became ubiquitous.

The timing for this re-release also works well with Disney's plans for a live-action remake of Snow White, which is currently slated for release on March 22, 2024. The new version stars Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. In the meantime, fans can brush up on the animated version on Disney+ now.

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