A 4K remastered version of the original Disney animated studios, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is coming to Disney+. The beautiful 4K restoration of this classic movie will be released on October 16, 2023 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. This is the actual day of the 100th anniversary as well. The restored version of the 1937 classic is the result of the loving work of the Walt DIsney Studios Restoration and Preservation team. This team worked closely with key artists from Walt Disney Animation Studios. This is the same team that recently restored Walt Disney’s 1950 animated classic, Cinderella, as well.
Two Disney Animation artists returned to re-team with their colleagues at Walt Disney Studios on the project. Both Michael Giaimo (production designer for the upcoming animated musical adventure Wish, as well as Frozen and Frozen 2) and animator/director Eric Goldberg (head of hand-drawn animation for Disney Animation’s newest short, Once Upon A Studio, director, Pocahontas, Fantasia/2000) were a part of the team that helped bring this remastered of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to life.
“The opportunity to help restore Snow White was both an honor and a challenge,” said Goldberg. “As the very first Walt Disney feature, Mike Giaimo and I felt we owed a debt to history to get it looking as beautiful, and as accurate to the original colors, as we could. The muted palette and the delicate watercolor backgrounds evoke the illustrated fairy tales that Walt so loved, and the story and characters continue to resonate to this day. I hope our work inspires future generations of animation artists to fully appreciate the masterful talent and care that has gone into this landmark film.”
Kevin Schaeffer, director of Restoration for Walt Disney Studios, said. “We are incredibly excited to go back to Walt’s original negative and use current state of the art technology to restore this stunning classic to its original beauty.”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is an icon in animation history. Not only is it the first full-length cel animated feature in the history of motion pictures, it also was recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences with a special honorary Oscar that included one large Oscar and seven smaller ones. These were presented to Walt Disney by Shirley Temple. It also is ranked as the highest animated feature on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Movies” list. In 1989 it was inducted into the National Film Registry in the registry’s inaugural year.
What do you think about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs getting a 4K restoration and arriving on Disney+? Are you excited to watch this remastered version of the movie? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
