Write an article for a movie review magazine, giving your critical opinion on a movie you saw when you were younger and have re watched recently.
Two months ago, I visited a video library back in my hometown after several years of living in the city. A wave of memories washed over me as I passed the “Children’s section”. Eager to reminisce in the joys of my past, I picked up one of my all time favorite movies “Snow White”.
Watching the movie again, I expected it to be laughs and fun, but in turn I was left speechless, unable to digest the Grimm fairytale before my eyes. As a child watching the animation of “Snow White”, my main focus was the little dwarves and the (rather premature) romance between Snow White and her prince. Having an innocent, uneducated mind of ignorance, that’s the most you would expect from a child.
However, 10 years later after phases of interest in symbolism, my eyes were open to a completely different story behind the story... Now you may accuse me of reading too much into a fairytale, but I do believe that “Snow White” was much more than a children’s story; in fact I believe Snow White was an allegory.
Let’s begin with some background information; Walt Disney was a Christian man who believed in the use of symbolism. He would occasionally put symbols into his animation to either encourage a belief or raise awareness of a situation. He couldn’t possibly have gotten into trouble for this for his silent messages were always hidden behind the happy faces of his cartoons. You may be wondering what I’m going on about, but think about it; could the rescue of Geppetto from the whale be a reference to Jonah in the Bible, or purely coincidence? In the movie Lion King, was Scar’s promise to the hyenas (and their Gestapo-like march in the song “Be Prepared”) a connection to the rule of Hitler in Germany
Going back to Snow White; much of the symbolism in this movie is based on Christianity, even paralleling some stories from the Bible. Let’s begin with the three colors she is associated with- White, Red and Black. These are the three colors of the life cycle. I have chosen to relate Snow White to Jesus’ life. White being the colour of birth and his pure nature, Red being the color of his life and passion, Black used to refer to his death and the cruelty against him.
The next significant thing I noticed in the movie was the names and number of dwarves. There are 7 dwarves, possibly representing the seven days of the week, or the time in which God made the earth (including his final day of rest). These dwarves in the original fairytale had no names; the names were added for the Disney version. These names show the seven moods of man, such as grumpy, dopey, happy etc.
Snow White encourages work and wash with her constant smile as she sings her way through her chores. On one occasion, she convinces all the dwarves that they must wash properly in order to be clean and healthy. After this “washing” the dwarves seem to have changed, seeing life in a brighter light and enjoying every moment together. This is a clear message of baptism, a life-changing experience involving cleansing through water.
Altering the plot of the Grimm brothers’ tale, the evil stepmother only visited Snow White once, offering her a poisoned apple. If we remember back to the Old Testament, the downfall of Eve was a bite from the apple of a forbidden tree. This can be seen very clearly as Snow White falls into a deep trance after eating a bite of the poisoned apple. There is an obvious link between the story and the Christian religion.
Towards the end of the movie, death and resurrection is displayed in its mild form. Snow white falls into a deep sleep leaving her dwarves mourning her loss. After a period of waiting, the prince comes along and wakes her. Thinking back to the time of Jesus, he too rose again after a period of waiting (3 days to be exact, this number is related to the primary colors of the tale).
This movie has left me amazed with the fact that children’s movies may not always be what they seem. Watching it again, I was no longer following the plot, but I understood the humor, grasped more of the dialogue and searched for a deeper meaning that Walt Disney may have been trying to send.
Again, you may accuse me of reading too much into a fairytale, but I do believe that “Snow White” was much more than a children’s story; in fact I believe Snow White was an allegory.
Amy Abraham
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Amy Abraham is a 11th grader who studies at the Hebron School, Ooty, India.
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