The Seven Dwarfs **Characters Analysis**

Ah, the Seven Dwarfs! We all know them; we all love them! And, as stated by the Nostalgia Critic, without them, Disney could not have made as strong a movie as he did. They're the characters we remember, and the characters we've grown to love. For those of you who've read my analysis on Snow White, you'll see that I didn't give her much points for personality, because purely and simply she's somewhat of a bland character by herself. But the Dwarfs on the other hand, create entirely new opportunities for the plot, and Disney's used them magnificently to his advantage.

Ok, so let's take a look at the Dwarfs individually. First we have Doc, the leader of the dwarfs.

So, out of all the dwarfs it's clear that Doc isn't the funniest one among them, but rather he is the responsible, elder (brother? leader? dwarf?) who is there to hold things together and give the others instructions when they're unsure of something. He is definitely the most sensible one among them, as well as the spokesperson for the lot of them--minus Grumpy in some cases. His only comedic quality may be from the fact that he stutters when trying to say some things, and the fact that even when the dwarves around him are clearly causing trouble, he's still trying to hold it together.

Next, let's take a look at Happy, the third in line.

Despite Doc being the most responsible one from the lot, it's easy to see Happy as the most father-like, happy-go-lucky one. He doesn't have much of a role or impact in the movie with Snow White in my opinion, however at the end when we see him crying, we can just tell that it's unnatural and that he shouldn't be crying. There's not much to say about Happy except that his happiness can be contagious, and that if Snow White was ever in a tough spot, he'd be one of the ones who'd have more success with cheering her up.

Up next is Sleepy, the dwarf who sleeps all the time, yet is still ahead of Dopey in line.

Ok, now I'll be honest, even as a child Sleepy didn't make much of an impact on me, and for the obvious reason: he's asleep through most of what's happening and when he's not asleep, he's either just in the background with barely any dialogue, or fooling around with that fly that's always around him. He's definitely the dwarf with the least screen time, but Disney was fair and decided to give him a slight impact by making him be the first one to realize what the animals are trying to tell the dwarves when they come to fetch them to save Snow White. He stays out of the principle actions as just the observer, but even with just one line we see how this works to his advantage. In other words, he's wiser than he seems.

Just ahead of Sleepy, we have Bashful, whom I always thought to be his identical twin brother--because of their hats.

Out of all the dwarves--besides Dopey of course--I always thought Bashful to be the sweetest. He's shy a lot of the time, but provides a lot of funny aspects about him. He's always blushing red and tying up his beard to show how nervous he is, but he also knows when to be serious. The most timid of the dwarves, you'd thing that he'd have less lines than he did, but it's clear that despite his entire being, he's able to make friends with others and then be comfortable around them. Out of all the dwarves, I find him the most relatable because a lot of people are shy at first in real life and then have to fight through their shyness.

Another favourite of mine, Sneezy.

I've always loved this guy and his sneezes. They just brought laughs to the screen and so I found him almost as sweet as Dopey. He and Dopey could be best friends--since they became taller together--and so maybe Dopey's childish demeanor might've had an impact on him since you can see some of it reflected in how Sneezy reacts to his sneezes. He knows that he sneezes a lot--and often too--but he accepts this and tries to give out warnings to when he feels a sneeze coming on. His sneezes literally blow people away, and give all the characters on-screen laughs as well. Me personally, I just love him!

Now for one of the favourite, Grumpy.

His scowl has become a Disney trademark, and everyone recognizes Grumpy out of all the dwarves. He's in some cases one of the most lovable dwarves, because he undergoes the most change by the end of the movie towards Snow White. He's the stuck up one, the one that's always getting himself in trouble by not just admitting that he's wrong, the one who doesn't like the "feminine touch", and the one who's just plain tough. Throughout the movie we all want him to love Snow White and be on her side, and by the end of the movie we see that he really loved her as well, and he just loses his tough demeanor and cries at one point, something that got teary reactions from all of us as well. I think the guys can relate to him the most because he's the most "manly" one per say, or trying to be. A sourpuss and a grouch at first, Grumpy's change is an unforgettable one.

And last but not least, the world's favourite, Dopey.

Out of all the dwarves, this one made the most impact on the world and also became Snow White's favourite in a way. He loved her the most, he was attached to her the most, and in some cases it's clear that he needed affection the most. He's the youngest of the dwarves, and the most childlike and innocent one. He's even more innocent than Snow White, but this works more to his advantage than hers because he's the one always messing up by accident, the one who's always picked to go the dirty work, and the fact that he can't talk just makes him even funnier. His crying at the end is the only time we hear a sound from him and just tell me, how does that not summon up a paternal instinct in us, particularly a motherly one for the women? We just want to protect him, we feel bad for him if things don't work out ok for him. But, from the dwarves, he's the funniest one and the screen time is gets is just never enough for us!

Ok, so now I think it's time to conclude with:

Seven Dwarfs Character Scores

Design: 8/10; while they all have trademark expressions and qualities, they do look somewhat similar in attire and with beards--for the most part--and whatnot, so that's why I can't give them a higher score
Personality: 10/10; reflected perfectly in their names, and fun to watch. They summon up so many different emotions in us and just want to make us see what they do next.
Actions: 7.5/10; good for comedy, but not much else. Can you imagine them in an action movie or a mystery movie?
Lovability: 10/10; completely lovable and memorable!
Realistic-ness: 3.5/10; How many dwarves have you seen in your life?

Overall Score (/10): 7.8

Snow White **Character Analysis**

Snow White, the fairest one of all, and the first ever Disney Princess. So what do I think about her? Admittedly, she is not the best Disney Princess around.
Now, I know a lot of people might really love Snow White and I do too, it's just that I don't see anything particularly great about her, at least not compared to some of the future Disney Princesses that we'll see. So, what is it that's bad about her?
Well, as mentioned by some people--I forget who, but just to be clear, this is not my original idea--Snow White`s character is a bit bland per say, because what do we have? A cute, childlike-character of a princess who, after some other princesses that Disney dishes out, isn't really the fairest one of all.

Not to say that she isn't beautiful at all, but even on the DisneyWikia it states that she's actually only 14 years old, so she can't exactly be called "womanly" in this sense. What I somewhat disagree with is her design which reflects the fashion sense of the 20s and 30s with short, somewhat boyish hair. Besides Snow White, what other princesses have you heard of with short hair? Cinderella appears to have short hair, when actually it's just past shoulder-length, and Mulan of course barely counts since she cut her hair from its original length. So Snow White's character design in this sense was kept onto to reflect those times, while giving her longer hair would have reflected centuries of the norm. Given the fact that Disney is emphasizing Snow White's childishness though, her Shirley-Temple-like looks suit her well.
Personality-wise, not much is given to us about her except that she's kind, innocent, caring, and extremely gullible. She only has a bit of spunk or daring with the way she teases Grumpy just a bit, but other than that we just get the "goody-goody-princess" feel about her. It's a perfectly acceptable personality for the first Disney Princess that's ever been made, but at the same time the time this movie was released must also be kept in mind since back then women weren't respected as they are today.
Her dress is beautiful of course, though not the most glamorous dress that Disney has designed, and nor should it be.
Snow White is a simple, kindhearted, beauty and although all this seems--and in some senses is--a bit bland, it ties in perfectly with the movie where so many other memorable personalities are shown. All in all, her score is:

Snow White Character Scores

Design: 7/10; reflecting only 20s & 30s
Personality: 6/10; a bit dull and bland
Actions: 7/10; she is easily gullible and this turns out to be her downfall with the poisoned apple
Lovability: 10/10; maybe it's because she summons up the parental instinct in us all, but overall we want her to win and we're all definitely on her side. There's just a really lovable quality about her.
Realistic-ness: 4/10; you won't find people as kind as her around much anymore. And even if they are kind, not kind and childishly innocent.

Overall Score (/10): 6.8

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) **Overall Synopsis**

Ah, the very first animated movie ever made! What better way to start off the world on full-length animated movies, than with an innocent fairy tale? Produced by Walt Disney--a genius at work--the film introduced a whole new form of entertainment to the world that brightened up the end of the depressing 30s. While in the character design of Snow White herself we see a hairstyle taken right out of the 20s, at the same time we can also relate to the childhood innocence that is the very being of this first Disney princess! But, before we get into specifics with characters, let's take a look at the general plot.
So, plot-wise, we start off with the centuries-old fairy tale of beautiful princess Snow White, forced to work harshly because of the jealousy of her evil stepmother, the Queen. The Queen of course has an eerie Magic Mirror,

which daily tells her the name of the "fairest one of all". The movie is brilliant in explaining this simple aspect the way it was intended: simply and without any complicated back-story involving Snow White's real mother or father. She has a stepmother; she's being mistreated; that's it and that's all children should understand out of it. Any unnecessary back-story might've confused the younger ones altogether.
We see the Queen's reaction at finding out that the stepdaughter she's worked so hard to keep hidden is actually the fairest one of all, and then the scene reverts to Snow White working innocently in the courtyard. She meets a Prince--who has no mentioned name--and they fall in love, which only further provides proof to the Queen that Snow White is a "danger" to her.
The jealous Queen commands her royal huntsman to kill Snow White, however he is unable to do it due to Snow White's innocence. He tells the girl to flee, which she does into a forest of seeming nightmares.

Now, I don't know what Disney had in mind when making such a creepy forest, but I can guarantee that it gave plenty of children nightmares. Personally, I never found it as scary as the Old Hag, but we'll get to that later.
The movie has perfect timing, and uses it to drastically change the tone from something scary, lonely, and helpless, to something calm, friendly, and happy when Snow White makes new animal friends. The images you get of her being surrounding by innocent--and cutely designed--animals just emphasize more on how much of a "good guy" she is and how she's the victim throughout the movie--both points that need to be emphasized. Some people--I'm not sure who--might not see the point in bringing the animals to the picture, but they do have their uses as they lead Snow White to the Dwarf's cottage, and then help her clean it up afterwards.
And to introduce our lovable seven characters--on which the movie is also focused--what better way than through the song "Heigh Ho" and a cheerful representation of their workplace in the mines?

The dwarfs: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Bashful, Sleepy, and Dopey, are all lovable characters whose names represent their personalities, but only to a limited amount. Of course they find Snow White in their house and are surprised--but not before getting frightened and bringing more than a few laughs to the screen--however they all--give or take Grumpy--agree to let her stay after hearing her story and smelling her delicious soup.
A hilarious scene follows when Snow White sends the dwarfs to wash up for dinner--for the first time "recently"--during which time Grumpy continuously refuses to be accepting.
The bigger horror finally comes when we're taken back to the eerie palace where once again the Queen asks her Magic Mirror the question, only to find out that she's been tricked by the huntsman and find out that Snow White is still alive. Outraged, she hurries down to a secret laboratory of potions and there transforms herself into a fearsome and ugly old hag.

She then finds a spell for a poison apple and, contented, she gives a wicked smile before fading out.
We hear cheerful music come from the dwarfs' house in the next scene, and we see that almost in commemoration of Snow White's visit to them, they throw a party and simply enjoy themselves together. After yet several more laughs, they settle down and Snow White sings to them the story of her love for the Prince. Bedtime comes and we see the last of them for the day.
The next scene yet again revolves around the Queen, now an old hag, as she poisons the apple and then makes her way out of the palace in a cautious way so that no one can see her or find out what she intends to do. A creepy and shiver-worthy scene, it shows us the real gruesomeness of what is on her mind.
One again--as a clever break between the creepiness--we cut to the cheerful dwarfs' cottage where Snow White bids them all farewell as they go to work. They all advise her to beware of strangers, but we all know too well how cunning and crafty the wicked Queen is. Snow White is baking for the dwarfs when the Queen appears, an evil look on her face so as to scare Snow White.

It does not take her long to coax Snow White into taking a bite of the apple, meanwhile the animals have realized what is happening and have brought the dwarfs back to the cottage. But it is too late as the evil deed is done, yet luckily fate punishes the evil Queen, and her fate I will leave as a surprise for those who haven't watched the movie yet.
A tear-jerking scene follows, and then finally the ending we've all been waiting for. Singing a song of love, the Prince comes into the forest, and seeing Snow White dead is reduced to tears, but not before he plants a simple kiss--love's first kiss--on her lips.

As the story goes, Snow White awakens and the dwarfs happily celebrate. She is then taken away by the Prince, and then Disney ends the movie in a perfectly fairy-tale-like way with a castle in the clouds.
What makes Snow White a great movie is just in how Disney presents it. It's funny, it's epic, it's childish, it's even scary at times, and it's romantic with Snow White and the Prince. All in all, here are its overall movie stats in my opinion:

Snow White Movie Stats

Animation: 9/10; even though it was old animation, there's just a quality about it that no one can deny
Story-line: 10/10; it lacks nothing and has perfect breaks inbetween the scenes
Timing: 9/10; not too long, not too short, just enjoyable
Characters: 8.5/10; character analysis-es and relationship links below
Soundtrack & Details: 8.5/10 not all of the songs ("With A Smile and A Song") are as memorable as others ("One Song"), but they are catchy and the details are quite good

Overall Total (/10): 9
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Further Movie Information Links

Snow White Character Analysis
Seven Dwarfs Characters Analysis
The Evil Queen Character Analysis