From the start, Snow White was acclaimed as Hollywood royalty. On February 23, 1939, Walt was presented by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences with that now-famous honorary Academy Award (one regulation sized Oscar statuette and seven “dwarf” Oscars) for Snow White. The Academy stated that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was “recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon.”
Since that singular honor, Snow White’s star has continued to shine, but never more brightly than on June 28, 1987, when she was honored with the 1,850th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As nearly 1,000 fans thronged in front of the El Captain Theatre (now the Hollywood showcase for Disney films) on Hollywood Boulevard, the shiny new sidewalk star was unveiled in the presence of the fair princess, the first human animated character to be so honored. Also on hand were the Seven Dwarfs and the handsome Prince, as well as Snow White animators Ward Kimball, Marc Davis, and Art Babbitt; Roy E. Disney; and the voice of Snow White, Adriana Caselotti.
Another Hollywood celebration was held across the street at the famed Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on February 5, 2004, when the young royal and her short consorts arrived via limousine. After leading the collected crowd in a “whistle-a-long” to “Whistle While You Work,” Disney’s beloved cinematic celebrities placed their handprints in the cement in the theatre’s famed forecourt to fete the premiere of Snow White—An Enchanting Musical at Disneyland. The distinctive prints were then displayed inside the lobby of the Chinese 6 Theatres.
The House Snow White Built | The Snow White Reunion | Snow White on Stage | A Smile and a Song | Who’s the Fairest Star of All? | Snow White at Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom |
Now Don’t Tell Me Who You Are—Let Me Guess | Happily Ever After
Unveiled at a star-studded world premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood on December 21, 1937, Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been holding audiences spellbound with its enthralling characters, unforgettable music, and timelessly artful animation. Through 75 years of fairy-tale magic, this motion-picture masterpiece has inspired all sorts of honors, commemorations, and merriments. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art adding Snow White cels to its collection in 1938 and the Magic Mirror “hosting” One Hour in Wonderland, Disney’s very first television special, in 1950, to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train scheduled to open at the New Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom park at Walt Disney World Resort in 2014, Walt’s original princess is never far from the heart of Disney.
By D23: The Official Disney Fan Club’s Jim Fanning
