Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (VHS, 1994)

I recently saw this video tape (yes, I said I watched a VIDEO TAPE) and was completely blown away by how superb it is. There's a reason Walt Disney's name is synonymous with quality family entertainment, and this movie exemplifies that in spades.

This is the first ever full-length animated feature, but that doesn't mean the people who produced it were novices. At the time this movie was released, the Disney studio had been producing high quality animation for many years. Some of the Silly Symphony shorts produced during the mid to late 1930's are among the greatest animated shorts ever made, even to this day.

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs leaps off the screen in vibrant color, and how many 1937 films can you say THAT about? From the first frame to the last, it will completely dazzle you with intense characters, phenomenal songs, and memorable imagery. Every hand-drawn, hand-painted frame is a masterpiece, and there are 24 per second, 60 seconds per minute for 83 minutes. (That's 119,520 for those of you scoring at home.)

Snow White is such a magnificent animated film that it's often overlooked that this is one of the greatest musicals of all time. Such songs as "Whistle While You Work", "Heigh Ho", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "I'm Wishing" and "With A Smile And A Song" rate with the best songs from the greatest Broadway or Movie musicals. If you want a treat, check out Barbara Cook's version of "With A Smile And A Song" on her "Disney Album" (if you can find it), and Diana Ross and The Supreme's rocking version of "Heigh Ho", which is also tough to find but worth tracking down.

Unfortunately, this movie is sitting on a lot of people's shelves, sometimes even in its original shrinkwrap. The owners of those tapes and dvd's will scramble to the movie theaters and video stores to watch vastly inferior movies, while one of the greatest masterpieces of all time is just sitting there.

My recommendation - if you don't own this movie, BUY IT. A gently used copy can be had on eBay for less than the price of a cup of coffee at one of those fancy coffee joints, even WITH postage. Even the DVD, while pricey, will set you back less than dinner and a movie for two. With all the extras the DVD has, you could be busy for days.

If you do own this movie, WATCH IT. Gather up the family, call some friends and enjoy this true cinematic Masterpiece together. Preferably with some soup, some gooseberry pie, and a nice, juicy, shiny red apple.