In 1934, when Marge Champion was 14, she was approached by the Hyperion Studios to dress in a mock-up Snow White costume and become the live-action model for animators to study and draw inspiration for their upcoming release, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Over the next year, she posed and danced, creating not only the Snow White character, but also what would ultimately become the signature style of every Disney Princess to follow. With her famous red, blue, and yellow dress with the tall white collar, jet black hair and pale white skin, Snow White has become a highly recognizable symbol of the Walt Disney Company alongside the castle image and of course, Mickey Mouse.

In 1937, Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the studio’s first full length animated feature, a box-office smash and a profound accomplishment in film, animation, and art. Celebrating the 75th Anniversary a little early to coincide with the popularity of Blu-ray, Disney re-released the classic film on October 6th. The fully restored Blu-ray format also includes a DVD companion and enough Special Features to fill your entire day. To follow on November 24th, a DVD Diamond Edition will be released for those not quite ready for Blu-ray, stocked heavily with DVD Special Features.

Snow White first appeared in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, appropriately titled "Snow White"; her character also appears in another Grimm tale in which she has a sister named Rose Red. The classic fairy tale, along with a 1933 Snow White themed Betty Boop cartoon, were the inspiration for the Disney version. Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tells the story of a wicked Queen who is jealous of her beautiful step-daughter, Snow White, keeping her out of sight and subjecting the poor Princess to palace cleaning duties. Every day the Queen’s Magic Mirror assures her that she is indeed “the fairest of all” until the dreadful day when it is revealed that Snow White has now surpassed her in beauty.

Enraged, the Queen orders a Huntsman to take Snow White deep into the woods to kill her, and to bring back her heart as proof. The Huntsman does as he is told but instead of killing Snow White, he sends her deeper into the woods. Running and scared, Snow White discovers a cottage in the woods home to the Seven Dwarfs; Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey. Snow White begins her new life with them, cooking and cleaning while they work in a mine nearby. Together they dance and sing songs, and Snow White entertains them with stories of someday finding her Prince. But Snow White is still in danger. The Huntsman who released her brought back an animal heart to fool the Queen, but the Magic Mirror knows the truth, and informs the Queen that Snow White is alive and is still the most beautiful. The Queen then begins to plot her revenge and sets out to rid herself of the Princess who is upstaging her, once and for all.

The film includes the iconic songs, "I'm Wishing/One Song" (heard inside Snow White’s Wishing Well at Disneyland), “Heigh-Ho”, “Whistle While You Work”, and “Some Day My Prince Will Come”. Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White was forbidden to use her voice for any other production so as not to spoil the illusion of Snow White. This seems to have worked, as Snow White’s voice has become just as distinguished and recognizable as her image.

Special Features:
As the first of no doubt many Diamond Edition Disney Blu-ray releases to come, this sets the bar very high with seemingly endless Blu-ray extras. You can begin your immersive voyage to the past at Hyperion Studios, clicking from one hotlink to the next and watching dozens of mini documentaries. Maybe if you look hard enough you'll find the one where Walt tries to convince his benefactors at RKO Radio Pictures that he should call it "Snow White and the Infinite Special Features" They of course were baffled at this idea, but the man ahead of his time goes on to wow them with his futurist ideas about 1080p graphics and 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and interactive games that children of all ages could one day play on their Blu-ray remote or their Playstation 3 controller… Hey, would you be surprised at that level of Disney magic? Special Features include…

• First time ever in High Definition 7.1 Sound
• DisneyView – This is awesome. They take what was a 3×4 aspect ratio film and make it widescreen by ingenious use of complementary static artwork along both sides. It's really beautiful.
• All-New Music Video – Snow White and the Dwarfs break it down to some hip-hop. Seriously. It's even well done and entertaining for all ages.

• What Do You See? – Cute for little kids, but wouldn't be interesting for those whose age exceeds the number of dwarfs.
• Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall… – Invites us to discover which Disney Princess we're most like.
• Jewel Jumble – Journey to the Dwarfs' gemstone mine to help grumpy play Bejeweled, or something like it.

• Snow White Returns – Storyboards for a sequel short
• Hyperion Studios – Explore tons of mini-documentaries in a virual tour of Walt's original studio.
• The One That Started It All – See how this feature changed the world of animation forever.
• Exclusive Sneak Peek at Disney's upcoming Feature: The Princess and The Frog – Looks like a Little Mermaid level hit is on its way.

• Dopey's Wild Mine Ride Game
• "Heigh-Ho" Karaoke Sing-Along
• Disney Through The Decades
• "And More"…

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a necessary edition for any Disney collector but also a charming film for all ages to enjoy. Snow White herself is sweet and happy (although a little naïve), the dwarfs are loveable and entertaining, and even the Wicked Queen, a favorite amongst the Disney Villains, has acquired her own cult following. The re-release on Blu-Ray/DVD is a celebration of the early achievements of Disney animation, a visual piece of art, and a part of filmmaking history.

ComicsOnline gives Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-ray 5 out of 5 legendary features.