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The first
feature-length animated film in history, "Snow
White" is a testimony to Walt's deep commitment
to taking whatever existed and making it better.
When he first proposed creating a cartoon that
would run for more than just a few minutes,
critics and nay-sayers abounded. "It'll blind
the audience," said some. "Nobody will watch a
cartoon that's so long," said others. They
dubbed it Disney's Folly. But Walt persisted,
risking the financial future of his studio on
the project. And of course the success was
complete. "Snow White" premiered on December 21,
1937, and provided a financial bonanza for the
Disney organization. It was originally budgeted
for $250,000, wound up costing $1.75 million,
and brought in about $4.2 million in its first
release. Perhaps more important, it proved that
animation could be used not just to amuse but to
provoke a far wider range of emotions. Viewers
witnessing the "death" scene of Snow White --
shown above -- were moved to tears. |
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