On this day in 1938 the classic Disney film Snow White hit the big screens across America.  It premiered in Hollywood with much success in December of 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theater.  Here are some fun facts you may not know about the film-

• This was the first full length animated feature in English and Technicolor

• The film grossed $8 million which was unheard of during the great depression and was the highest grossing film at that time.
  • It held the title of highest grossing film for a year until Gone with the Wind was released.
• The original film budget was $250,000.  It ended up costing $1.5 million and Walt Disney had to mortgage his home to fund the film’s production.
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first film to ever release a motion picture soundtrack
  • In fact the composers (Frank Churchill and Larry Morey) wrote 25 songs for the film, with 7 making the final cut into the movie

• To animate the film it took 750 artists creating 2,000,000 sketches, and 240,000 separate final drawings.
• During production there were live animals in the studio for the animators to use as reference.

• Lucille La Verne voiced the Evil Queen and the witch.  To achieve the unique voice of the witch she removed her front dentures.
• Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Academy Award for the film.  The Academy discussed nominating it for Best Picture, but opted to award a special Oscar for the film’s unique contribution to film history.  The award has one large traditional oscar, and then 7 smaller oscars on a staircase to represent all of the title characters.

• Snow White has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Happy 80th Anniversary Snow White… and Doc, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, and Dopey as well.

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com