Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which premiered in 1937, was the first feature-length animated film by Walt Disney (1901–1966; see entry under 1920s—Film and Theater in volume 2). Based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm (Jacob Ludwig Carl, 1785–1863; Wilhelm Carl, 1786–1859), the film depicts the romance and adventure of a beautiful princess. The princess, named Snow White, escapes the murderous intentions of her evil stepmother, the Queen, by finding refuge in the forest with the Seven Dwarfs (Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, and Dopey). Learning Snow White is alive, the Queen disguises herself as a peasant and tricks the girl into eating a poisoned apple. Snow White apparently dies, but she is later awakened from her comalike state upon being kissed by a handsome prince.

Walt Disney began his animation career in the early 1920s. By the...