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51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: Disney set the bar high in 2001 with the `Platinum Edition' release, this `Diamond Edition' sets the bar even higher, October 2, 2009
The Blu-ray looks fantastic. For this classic film from 1937 to look so vibrant, so spectacular, so beautiful 72 years later is a testament towards Disney's restoration and remastering. The picture quality is absolutely pristine. The new lossless 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is magnificent. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition" is highly recommended!
For Walt Disney, seeing a play back in 1916 of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" based on the fairty tale by the Brothers Grimm definitely made the producer to attempt something that has never been done before and that is to create a full-length color animated film.
Known for their "Silly Symphony" animated shorts, the 1937 animated film definitely silenced anyone who thought that Disney was not able to pull off a full-length animated feature. Even Walt Disney's wife thought that no one would want to watch a film that starred dwarfs but needless to say, the film that was called "Disney's Folly" by naysayers would receive critical praise and even demand by fans for a sequel. The film would be not only be a classic animated film which was honored by the American Film Institute as the "Greatest Animation of All Time". Even today, adjusted by inflation, the film is considered one of the top 10 money making films in America of all time.
In 2001, when the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was released on DVD, the DVD was one of the films that were known for its innovation, winning a "Video Premiere Award" for "Best Overall New Extra Features" and nominated for "Best DVD Menu Design" and "Best New, Enhanced or Reconstructed Movie Scenes".
But now in 2009, the film makes its High Definition entry on Blu-ray with 1080p High Definition picture quality and 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound. Also, a Disney Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (two Blu-ray discs and a DVD version of the film) which comes out on October 6, seven weeks before its Deluxe Two-Disc Classic standard definition DVD which will be released on Nov. 24th. It's also important to note that a limited edition collector's set will also be available
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" gets its 1080p High Definition transfer and its absolutely beautiful. Viewers can choose to watch the film in its original 4:3 (1:33:1) format and watch it with DisneyView featuring Tony Bluth's artwork on the side (for those who have widescreen televisions). According to the guide included with this release, restoration experts took full advantage of the newest breakthroughs of digital imaging technologies to produce this classic. The process took nearly a year of cleanup and scanning over 350,000 frames of the original 75-year-old negative. And the digital artists then removed dust and scratches from the cels.
The picture quality is absolutely beautiful for a film that is 72-years old. The restoration and remastering has removed all dust and scratches. I don't think I've seen any blemishes on video. The picture quality is absolutely beautiful as art backgrounds just look absolutely divine. I don't think I have realized how exquisite the backgrounds were, especially the amount of emotion that went into the animation. Picture quality for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition" is definitely magnificent and I look forward to seeing Disney continue this trend of remastering their classic animated films. As for DisneyView, similar to "Pinocchio", Toby Bluth's painted borders that are on the sides of the animation matches the animation quite fine and was definitely my preference over standard black bars.
As for the accompanying DVD, the DVD is featured in an aspect ratio of 1:33:1.
Audio is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit), the original mono presentation and also French and Spanish 5.1 DEHT restored original theatrical soundtrack. The film is dialogue and music driven with the soundtrack being front and center channel driven. Music is also featured during the surround and rear surround channels as well. Dialogue and music is crystal clear and understandable. During the more emotional sequences, such as Snow White running away from home in the forest, definitely makes the room quite immersive, albeit a short while but overall, a good use of utilizing the music of Snow White through all channels. There are other parts that really come through on all channels such as a shriek by Snow White coming clear from the rear surrounds which was quite nice (and surprising). Overall, a solid lossless audio soundtrack for a 72-year old animated film.
As for the audio of the accompanying DVD, the DVD comes with an English, French and Spanish 5.1 DEHT soundtrack.
Subtitles are provided in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition" is absolutely loaded with special features. In fact, I think this is the most special features I have ever seen for any video release of a film ever. Special features range from 1080p High Definition and 480i Standard Definition. Soundtrack is in English, French and Spanish 2.0. Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish. Also is a booklet including a navigational overview of the special features included on both Blu-ray discs.
Special features included are:
DISC 1:
* Magic Mirror - Using the latest in Blu-ray technology, the iconic magic Mirror guides the audience through the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition features with ease, serving as the host for an incredibly immersive experience. The Mirror will recognize viewing patterns, knows where the audience has left off and will even suggest where to navigate next. This marks the first use of this technology in a Disney Blu-ray release and provides viewers with the control to personally create a customized Snow White experience.
* DisneyView - Disney's pioneering animated feature is brought to the modern era of widescreen high definition viewing by allowing the user to expand their viewing experience beyond the original aspect ratio of the film. Utilizing Disney Blu-ray technology, acclaimed Disney artist Toby Bluth was able to draw beyond the borders of the classic full frame cinema and fill the otherwise dark edges of the screen with beautiful custom imagery, giving audiences a new view of the animated classic favorite.
* About DisneyView - Disney artist Toby Bluth tells how the movie inspired him to create the superb DisneyView art.
* Backstage Disney - Snow White Returns - (8:44) - Visiting Disney's Animation Research Library and finding newly discovered storyboards for a Snow White featurette that was never made. Also, the popularity of the dwarfs.
* Deleted Scenes - Two scenes that were cut out of the film. "The Soup Eating Sequence" (4:07) and the "Bed Building Sequence" (6:23)
* Audio Commentary - Featuring rare recordings from Walt Disney discussing "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and audio commentary by animation historian John Canemaker.
* The Princess and the Frog Sneak Peek (7:45) - Featuring a brief sneak peek of the opening sequence of the upcoming Disney animated feature film "The Princess and the Frog" and an intro by Director/Writers Ron Clements and John Musker.
* "Someday My Prince Will Come" music video - (3:34) A music video featuring Tiffany Thornton (actress from Disney's "Sonny with a Chance").
* Family Play - Featuring the following games: What Do You See? (Decipher the Scrambled Image), Mirror, Mirror on the Wall (Which Princess are you most like? - With BD-Live, a personal message from their favorite princess will then call them on the telephone), Jewel Jumble (Test your Matching Skills - Players put jewels from the dwarf's mine in the proper order.).
* Screen Saver - Viewers can activate screen saver and choose the delay (to go on around 5, 10 or 20 minutes).
* Learn How to Take Your Favorite Movies on the Go - (1:01) A trailer of Disney File Disc.
Disc 2:
* Backstage Disney: Hyperion Studios - Audiences are digitally transported to 1937 to discover first-hand Hyperion Studios, the original studio Walt Disney himself built where Snow White was conceived and developed. Viewers will virtually walk the halls of this historic landmark, experiencing life at Hyperion Studios in the 1930s. This lengthy, informative and brilliant"Backstage Disney" feature contains newly dimensionalized archival photos, never-before-heard animator recordings, archival transcripts and rare footage of Walt himself revealing how Disney's gifted filmmakers crafted the very first animated feature.Hours of footage of the original studio that Walt Disney and the animators worked at in creation of the early Disney shorts and their first animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Even the sub-menus have content and comments from the animators who worked at Hyperion Studios back then.
- The One that Started It All - (17:08) Disney's first attempt at a full-length animated feature film and how naysayers responded to the film.
- Family Business - (1:57) Wilfred Jackson talks about working at Hyperion Studios
- View Where it All Began - (11:41) The history of Hyperion Studios
* The Story Room - Ken Anderson and Frank Thomas would talk about working with Walt Disney for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".
- Five Bucks a Gag - (1:46) Discussions of how Walt Disney would pay $5 or $10 for people to submit their gags.
- In Walt's Words: The Huntsman - (3:28) Ron Clements talks about how Walt Disney's meetings were back then and how they differ from how meetings are done today's animated films...
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145 of 163 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disney Magic Makes SNOW WHITE Classic DVD, October 2, 2001
I was extremely excited to receive this DVD.... Upon opening it, one gets the feeling that it is truly a special edition. The packaging is very nice: the DVD box is sturdy with two openings for each disk. The pamphlet inside the DVD is gorgeously produced and very helpful.My first impression is that Disney has spent much time making this DVD user-friendly. There is an abundance of directions and drawings showing you what is on the disk and how to get there. Since there are two disks and a KINGDOM of information to pour through, these directions are very welcome (even to this seasoned DVD-viewer!) Disney pulls out some familiar faces to make the experience as warm as possible: Disney himself appears in various footage; Angela Lansbury narrates the documentary and provides a "tour" of the disks; Michael Eisner shows up; and Barbra Streisand sings a specially recorded version of "Some Day My Prince Will Come". SNOW WHITE, the movie, looks gorgeous and, although old fashioned, is quite wonderful. SNOW WHITE, the double-disk, is a lot of information to wade through. I am amazed at the amount of behind-the-scenes film that exists! Disney must have suspected that he was creating a classic - he filmed every aspect of it! I especially enjoy the HALL OF ART section. There are 3 halls of various story art (i.e. "The cottage"; "The castle"; "the Forest"; etc.) Although initially I found it hard to move from hall to hall, I eventually figured it out. The animated HALLS are extraordinary and the art that "hangs" there is incredible -- various renderings and attempts at bringing the story and locales of SNOW WHITE alive. It's even more incredible that Disney Co. held on to these papers for all these years. Well, in case you can't tell, I highly recommend the special SNOW WHITE disks. You will spend days looking at everything that is included -- or you can opt to spend an hour and a half viewing the original,gorgeous film that started the Disney empire....
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32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless film; handsome DVD package, October 9, 2001
Disney's first "Platinum Edition" DVD is a terrific 2-disc set that every DVD fan should keep for all eternity. (I received an early, free copy from Amazon which allowed me to review it before the Oct 9th release date. This is a promotion by both Amazon and Buena Vista.) The THX-certified video transfer of the movie is blemish-free, almost always sharp, and has only an occasional softness perhaps due to age. Colors look splendid. The sound is clean and without a scratch, although some dialogs lack detail. The 5.1 audio remix provides mildly effective separation and bass for the background music. Otherwise, it is neither better nor worse than the included original mono soundtrack.The supplements on the first disc includes a 40-minute retrospective documentary that actually serves as a nice introduction of the supplements on the second disc. For nearly every aspect mentioned in the documentary, the extras on the second disc cover at length. There is an audio commentary track by historian John Canemaker that includes contemporary recordings of Walt reminiscing about the difficulties and fortunes during the making of the film. The commentary reveals that Deanna Durbin was once considered for the voice of Snow White, but she was deemed "too old". Canemaker, besides introducing each of Walt's recordings, also provides excellent scene-by-scene analyses. After the movie is over, Michael Eisner introduces Barbara Streisand's decidedly more mature rendition of "Somewhere My Prince Will Come". The first disc also includes four games -- two for set-top players, two as DVD-ROM content. The second disc contains a large amount of archival material of the movie. There are over 400 stills (all high-quality scans) of pencil tests, backgrounds, layouts, character designs, photos of the voice talents, photos of the production, the premiere, the 1937 pressbook, merchandise, and posters. There are quite a bit of video content as well. Notable is a new, nicely conceived, 40-minute segment called "Disney Through the Years"; it chronicles SNOW WHITE's theatrical releases in every decade (all trailers are shown) as well as Disney's accomplishments through the years. There are the original credit sequences with the RKO logo. There are deleted scenes that were fully animated and dubbed, one of which is a spectacular soup-eating scene. There are scenes that were conceptualized but were abandoned before animation, such as a dream sequence for one of Snow White's songs. There is a segment about the film's restorations in 1987, '93, and 2001. There are also vintage video of voice actors, models for live action references, techniques used in animation (two excerpts of Disney's "Tricks of our Trade" TV show are included). And there is more! There is a half-hour live radio broadcast of the film's premiere in which many celebrities are interviewed. There is another half-hour radio program in 1938 in which several songs from the movie are performed. There are two 4-minute radio interviews of Walt Disney by Cecil B. DeMille, one of which was recorded on the eve of the premiere. There are eight radio commercials from the 50s and 60s. There are recordings of two deleted songs, one of which, we are told, were only recently discovered in Disney's archives. There are also text screens about the film's production and Walt's life and career. A nice inclusion is the English translation of the Grimms Brothers' "Snow White." Future Platinum Edition DVDs will include BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, THE LION KING, BAMBI, THE JUNGLE BOOK, CINDERELLA, THE LITTLE MERMAID, LADY AND THE TRAMP and 101 DALMATIANS. It disappoints me that DUMBO will not be a Platinum Edition (it will come out Oct 21st as a "Gold Edition" DVD). It irks me even more that only one Platinum Edition DVD will be sold each year for only a limited time; thereafter it will be put on a TEN-YEAR moratorium. This will no doubt lead to buying frenzies, so run, don't walk, to your nearest personal computer and order this SNOW WHITE DVD right away. I do not oppose releasing one Platinum DVD per year, since I understand it takes time and care to produce these great discs. But I do oppose Disney's long-standing policy of putting their video releases on moratorium for long, long periods. Their rationale has been that if people own the movie on video, they may not want to see it in theaters. Not true. Seeing this spectacular SNOW WHITE DVD has actually increased my desire to see the film in a theater.
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