Sunday 10 March 2013

ALL WHITE ON THE NIGHT


It's difficult to believe, but 75 years ago this week, Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs began enchanting and (in the case of the Wicked Queen and her alter ego the witchy old Hag) terrifying British kids when the film went on General Release in the United Kingdom.

I will be celebrating Miss White's anniversary (shared, naturally, with Doc, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful and Dopey) by presenting an illustrated talk at London's Cinema Museum this coming Tuesday, 12 March.

As well as extracts from the film, I will be showing sequences that never made it into the beloved classic, as well as several related short films including, from WWII, the Seven Dwarfs helping to sell war bonds and instructing people how to prevent the spread of malaria!



And as a special, curtain-raiser for Tuesday's event, here are Snow White's Seven Little Men along with Pinocchio, Geppetto, Donald, Pluto, Mickey & Co doing their bit for the war effort...



8 comments:

Chris Sobieniak said...

Nice bringing up one of those Canadian Savings Certificate shorts!

Michael G. said...

The Savings bond carton is so interesting in its use of animation cycles and re-use of animation from 'The Band Concert'. Done relatively inexpensively but it gets the job done!

Brian Sibley said...

In fact, I think it's all recycled animation: Pinocchio on his way to school (not); Geppetto in his pose of manipulating the Pinocchio puppet; Donald and nephews from 'Good Scouts'; Pluto from – er – something (!) and, as you say, Mickey and the Gang from 'The Band Concert'.

Andy Latham said...

Aw I wish I lived closer to London!

Mouse said...

As a fan of Disney behind-the-scenes stuff, I wish I could be there to attend your talk! (funnily enough, i just saw your blog post right after watching a clip of Snow White in the infamous 1989 Oscars opening number)
I'm sure you've probably already seen this, but here's a clip of Adriana Caselotti on the Julie Andrews Hour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJmouyMEq9Y

Brian Sibley said...

Mouse – Thank you!! Mary Poppins and Snow White singing a couple of duets! What utter Disney bliss! A truly magical moment for any Disney fan and having met both ladies and been a friend of Adriana's for several years, this is a most wonderful gift!

To make it easier for readers to watch, I'm embedding the YouTube connection as a clickable link. Enjoy!

catswiskas said...

What a great talk last night!So glad I braved the elements to be there and what a shame that it wasn't a full house because it was a very rare treat. Found myself singing 'Whistle While You Work' this morning. Lovely. Thank you Brian.

Brian Sibley said...

catswiskas – Thank you! I'm not sure if we spoke after the event, but I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for coming.