Original production animation drawing of the Old Hag (The Witch) with the poisoned apple from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937, Walt Disney Studios; Graphite, green, blue, and red pencils on watermarked five peg hole paper; Production numbers stamp lower left and numbered 19 in graphite pencil lower right; Size - Old Hag: 6 3/4 x 5 1/4", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.
"But wait! There may be an antidote." - Old Hag (The Witch)
Development
on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs began in early 1934, and by June
Walt Disney announced to The New York Times the production of his first
feature, to be released under Walt Disney Productions. Before Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs, the Disney studio had been primarily involved in
the production of animated short subjects in the Mickey Mouse and Silly
Symphonies series. However, Disney hoped to expand his studio's prestige
and revenues by moving into features, and he estimated that Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs could be produced for a budget of $250,000 (this
was ten times the budget of an average Silly Symphony).
Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs was to be the first full-length cel animated
feature in motion picture history, and as such Walt Disney had to fight
to get the film produced. Both his brother and business partner Roy
Disney, as well as his wife Lillian attempted to talk him out of it. The
Hollywood movie industry mockingly referred to the film, while is was
in production, as "Disney's Folly." Disney ended up having to mortgage
his house to help finance the film's production, which would eventually
ran up to a total cost of $1,488,422.74; an absolutely massive sum for a
feature film in 1937!
After
a long and difficult four years, on January 13, 1938, Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs made its New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall.
The film ran for five weeks in a row, the first motion picture to do so,
and it could have played longer if not for prior commitments of the
venue. It was to be the theatres' most successful engagement in all of
the 1930s. The film was loved by everyone and Disney, along with his
animation team, had managed to make an animated film that the audience
would believe! The crowd would be sad and cry when Snow White bit the
apple and was placed in a glass casket; and they would laugh, smile, and
be happy during the song and dance numbers with the Dwarfs. However,
Disney was criticized by some for making a very scary film for children.
When
the movie was played at Radio City Music Hall on its first release, the
theater managers had to replace the music played when Snow White runs
into the Dark Forest; because they were nervous that the kids would be
too frightened upon hearing it. Snow White's run into the Forest had
another result; young children were still so scared by the sequence,
that they wet their pants. As a result, the velvet upholstery of each
and every seat held by a child, had to be replaced prior to every
showing of the film.
The Walt Disney film's version of the Evil Queen changing into an Old
Hag is very different compared to the original story. In the Disney
version, the Queen uses her dark magic powers to actually transform
herself into an old woman instead of just taking on a disguise; as in
the Brothers Grimm story. Animation provided a transformation scene that
is truly spectacular and the Disney team even made the event greater by
utilizing the multi-plane camera; to make the room itself appeared to
spin. This sequence along with the flight of Snow White through the Dark
Forest; caused the British Board of Film Censors (now, the British
Board of Film Classification) to give the film an A-certificate
(children had to be accompanied by an adult) upon its original release.
This resulted in a nationwide controversy as to whether the Forest and
the Witch were too frightening for younger audiences. Nevertheless, most
local authorities simply overrode the censor's decision and gave the
film a U-certificate (Suitable for children).
Walt
Disney's response to the idea that the film was too frightening for
children was, "I do not make films primarily for children. I make them
for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty." This may have
been his statement, but he never made another film with such a scary
villain. Every film after Snow White had the main villain accompanied by
a comedic sidekick; such as Maleficent and her Goons, Cruella de Vil
with Horace and Jasper, or Medusa with Snoops.
The
famed animator Joe Grant created the initial sketches of the Witch,
which had some basis in the early Witch drawings from Arthur Rackham's
illustrations from "Hansel and Gretel." After Walt Disney approved the
character design; Norman Ferguson was given the task of animating her.
There were early concerns that the Witch would be viewed by the audience
as more of a laughable and entertaining clown rather than an evil old
hag; however, Norm's animation skill won out and the character seems
even more menacing than her prior Queenly form. The Witch is the only
character in "Snow White" to look directly into the camera and therefore
address the audience. With her one tooth, expressive eyes, and boney
hands; Ferguson had a lot of choices in which to invoke fear and to
scare. Despite her slow movements and apparent frailness, we all know
there is pure evil afoot!
Close up of the Old Hag (The Witch) production drawing.
The
voice of the Queen was provided by Lucille Leverne and she also wanted
to read for the part of the Witch. Leverne was a veteran stage actress
and was perfect for the Queen, with a real regalness to her voice. When
she was in the sound booth and Walt Disney heard her reading the role of
the Witch, he stopped her and said that her voice just did not work for
that role. Lucille said to just wait one minute and left the sound
booth and then quickly returned and started the reading again. Now her
voice had changed to that wonderful raspy, gummy, and single toothed
sounding Witch. Disney was amazed and asked how she had managed to get
that perfect character voice, and Lucille replied, "Oh, I just took out
my false teeth."
Close up of the production stamp.
Close up of the production number.
After
the Evil Queen transforms herself into the Old Peddler Woman or Old
Hag, she prepares the poisoned apple. The apple is created and pulled
out of the Witch's cauldron and turns a bright red, "To tempt Snow White
to take a bite!" The Hag then realizes "But wait! There may be an antidote," to the poisoned apple's "Sleeping Death" spell. This wonderful eyes wide open drawing is from
that pivotal scene. The Witch has her mouth open and you can see her single front tooth; and of course she is holding the poisoned red apple in her right hand! Drawings from this scene are extremely rare, and
represent the best example in animation for the character! This work of
art is a stand out for any vintage Walt Disney animation art collection.
