The Most Important Disney Movie Of All Time Is Getting A Fantastic Upgrade

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is being re-released in 4K UHD.

By Douglas Helm | Published

snow white

Disney‘s oldest and most important feature animated film is getting a huge 4K UHD update. According to The Bits, Disney will be releasing the 4K update of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sometime this year. For Disney fans and collectors, this will be a must-have.

It could be easily argued that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the most important movie in Disney’s history. Despite pushback and financial hurdles, the company released the movie in 1937. This would be Disney’s first-ever animated full-length feature.

Without the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney would likely not be the company we know today. At the time, Disney was best known for Mickey Mouse and the Silly Symphony shorts. However, Walt Disney felt that full-length animated features were the only way to grow the studio.

Disney had to battle to get Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made, mortgaging his house to finance the eventual $1.4 million budget that the film cost. This was a huge sum back in the 1930s, but the gamble ended up paying off. The film was a huge success and earned more than $8 million at the international box office during its initial release.

The success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would continue with rentals of $4.2 million. In fact, the movie was the most successful sound film of all time until Gone with the Wind dethroned it in 1939. With re-releases and reissues, the film has grossed over $418 million worldwide and is considered the highest-grossing animated film of all time, adjusted for inflation.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was also critically acclaimed and earned Walt Disney an Academy Honorary Award at the 11th Academy Awards, many years before an Animated category would be introduced. The film also made history as the first full-length cel animated feature in history. It’s safe to say that Disney’s gamble on the film more than paid off.

It’s not hyperbole to say that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs kicked off Disney as the company we know today. The company used the profits to fund a new studio in Burbank, where The Walt Disney Studios still stands to this day. Two years after releasing the film, Disney would go on to complete Pinocchio and Fantasia and begin production on DumboBambiAlice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan.

The release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 4k Ultra HD certainly makes sense, as the company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It seems like the perfect film to re-release to celebrate Disney’s success. It also aligns well with the upcoming live-action remake of the film that Disney will release in 2024.

The live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will omit the seven dwarfs and replace them with magical creatures. The film will star Rachel Zegler in the lead role and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Marc Webb is directing with a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson.