Snow White, a princess of noble birth, is forced into rags as a scullery maid by her jealous stepmother, the Queen. Blessed with an innocent's indomitable spirit, the fair maiden never loses faith that one day the wishing well will grant her wish for a true love to come and take her away. When her dream is answered by a serenading young prince, the evil Queen orders Snow White killed. Faced with the girl's innocence, the huntsman assassin can't kill her, and begs her to flee deep into the forest, never to return. Once again her innocence saves her as the forest animals lead her to the Seven Dwarfs' cottage, where she takes the role of their adopted mother. The Queen, however, will use the girl's naiveté against her as she dons the guise of a helpless peddler hag to lure Snow White into taking a bite from a poisoned apple. Falling into a sleeping death, Snow White can only be awakened by love's first kiss.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Dopey is the youngest of the seven dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He is often joked about by the other dwarfs, and his silly, playful actions often annoy the pompous Doc and the short-tempered Grumpy. He is not dumb, but merely acts like a toddler or a dog. Though he occasionally wimpers, laughs or hiccoughs, he does not talk. Dopey is the most popular of the seven dwarfs among audiences. Eddie Collins performed live-action reference and provided any vocal work needed for the character.

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 were moved to
tears.

Doc is the self-appointed leader of the seven dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A pompous, pot-bellied fellow, Doc often bumbles and stammers, losing his way mid-sentence; however, he appears to hold complete authority over all dwarfs except for Grumpy, who often objects to his decisions. He was voiced by Roy Atwell.

Sleepy is one of the dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. True to his name, he is always weary and droopy-eyed, and is always eager to fall asleep. Despite his laziness, he often proves to be the most observant and sensible of the dwarfs. He is constantly pestered by a fly. He was voiced by storyman Pinto Colvig, who also provided the voice of Grumpy.

Happy is one of the seven dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Happy is a very fat, jolly fellow, with a bubbly personality. Happy was originally conceived as a more comically tragic character, as is indicated by the first draft of the story in November 1935. The voice was played by Otis Harlan.

Sneezy has hayfever, and often sneezes during the most inconvenient moments. He was voiced by Billy Gilbert. Sneezy's name is earned by his extraordinarily powerful sneezes, which are seen blowing objects (including his brothers) across a room. He has the shortest beard of the seven (besides the beardless Dopey).

Bashful was voiced by Scotty Mattraw. Bashful is the shyest of the dwarfs, and is therefore often embarrassed by the presence of any attention directed at him. He frequently annoys Grumpy, though not as much as Doc. In Walt Disney's own words, according to one of the film's original theatrical trailers, Bashful is "secretly in love with Snow White".

Grumpy was voiced by Pinto Colvig. Grumpy is as his name suggests him to be. He has the biggest nose of the seven and he automatically disapproves of Snow White for the mere fact that she is a woman. However, though initially too proud to show it, deep down he cares perhaps the most for her safety. He repeatedly warns her of the threat posed by the Queen and rushes to Snow White's aid upon realizing that she is in danger, leading the charge himself.