And I find myself asking, “Is this really the state our world finds itself in? Must we now ask whether Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs deserves its status as a cinematic landmark?”

Do I honestly need to bother acquainting you with the history of this movie? You were born on planet Earth, weren’t you? …

Long before the existence of home video releases, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs continued to rake in money across the decades through countless theatrical rereleases. Originally gracing screens in 1937, it, like many other high-grossing films, continued to be watched in theaters into the 1950s and beyond. This is one of the reasons that, if inflation is accounted for, Snow White is still the highest-grossing Disney film in terms of box office.

And every princess movie, Disney-made or otherwise, shares DNA with this film. Like a grandmother who birthed eight litters of octuplets, each of which birthed eight such litters of their own, the film’s descendants are destined to outnumber the stars in the sky. Every fairy tale adaptation, every animated picture, and every epic story of true love in modern movie canon can trace its roots back to Snow White.

[Alan sent this to me in response to my ‘Hollywood fairy tale,’ and it’s a great read. I didn’t realize that Disney used rotoscoping for its character animation, but it’s impossible to miss once pointed out. Alan’s assessment of silent-movie influence on it is not to be missed either. — Ed]