| The first
feature-length animated film in history, "Snow White" is
a testimony to Walt's deep commitment to taking whatever
existed and making it better. When he first proposed
creating a cartoon that would run for more than just a
few minutes, critics and nay-sayers abounded. "It'll
blind the audience," said some. "Nobody will watch a
cartoon that's so long," said others. They dubbed it
Disney's Folly. But Walt persisted, risking the
financial future of his studio on the project. And of
course the success was complete. "Snow White" premiered
on December 21, 1937, and provided a financial bonanza
for the Disney organization. It was originally budgeted
for $250,000, wound up costing $1.75 million, and
brought in about $4.2 million in its first release.
Perhaps more important, it proved that animation could
be used not just to amuse but to provoke a far wider
range of emotions. Viewers witnessing the "death" scene
of Snow White -- shown above -- were moved to tears. |
