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"Come on, perk up. Won’t you smile for me?" - Snow White

Snow White is the titular main protagonist of the 1937 Disney animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She is the first official Disney Princess.

History

Snow White was born in her Kingdom as a princess, for she was the daughter of the King and Queen. Her skin was as white as snow, her lips were as red as the rose, and her hair was as black as ebony wood. But early in her life, her mother died. After some time, her father the King remarried a cold-hearted and cruel Queen. No long after their marriage, the King tragically died, leaving his daughter as an orphan.

As a young child, Snow White's vain and wicked stepmother feared that one day Snow White's beauty would surpass her own. So, she dressed Snow White in rags and forced her to work as a scullery maid to try to quench her growing beauty. Each day, the Queen consulted her magic mirror asking, "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" As long as the Mirror answered, "You are the fairest one of all," Snow White was safe from her stepmother's cruel jealousy. Snow White may have been a maid, but she never complained when she worked and whenever she was sad she would always hum a tune to cheer herself up and her animal friends would visit. The people of the kingdom felt sorry for their princess when the Evil Queen made her a servant, but they could not rebel due to the Queen's power.

Disney History

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Princess Snow White lived under her wicked and vain yet beautiful stepmother, the Evil Queen, who forces Snow White to engage in menial labor, fearing that one day Snow White's beauty might become greater than her own. After many years, the Queen's magic mirror confirms Snow White as being the "fairest of them all", which causes the Queen to cast Snow White out and send a huntsman to kill her. When he refuses to do so, the huntsman helps Snow White escape into the forest. Snow White stumbles upon the home of the seven dwarfs, who happily aid her. The Queen discovers that Snow White has survived and uses magic to disguise herself as an old hag and creates a poisoned apple that will kill whoever that eats it will be put into "Sleeping Death" and only a kiss of true love could revive her. When the dwarfs are away the hag arrives at the dwarfs' cottage and offers Snow White the poisoned apple, unbeknownst to her that it is the Queen in disguise.

Snow White bites into the apple and falls into a deep sleep. The dwarfs, discovering what had happened, track down the Queen and a short fight ensues and the Queen is killed. Believing her dead, the dwarfs build an open grave for Snow White to rest on. Time passes and the Prince comes across Snow White. Saddened by her apparent death, he kisses her, causing her to awaken. As the Seven Dwarfs dance with joy, Snow White and the Prince go off to live in his castle.

The Evil Queen, jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty, forces Snow White to work as a scullery servant in her castle; even in rags and clogs, however, her beauty shines through, causing the Queen to worry that Snow White's beauty may one day surpass her own. She has such vanity that she consults her Magic Mirror every day, ordering the slave within to reveal the name of the fairest in the land.

Every day the spirit says that the Queen is the fairest, and she is content until the mirror informs her that Snow White has finally become the fairest in the land. Outside, as Snow White works, she then tells a group of doves a secret about the well she is drawing water from and tells them it's a wishing well and then sings "I'm Wishing", attracting the attention of the Prince, who is passing by. As she sings into the well, performing a duet with her echo, she is startled as the Prince suddenly joins in. She runs indoors, and watches from a balcony as he sings "One Song". The two are immediately infatuated with each other. Watching from above is the Queen, who angrily closes the curtains of her window in jealousy.

The Queen summons her huntsman to her and orders him to kill Snow White. The Queen asks him to bring her heart back in a special box as proof that he has succeeded in the task. The Huntsman takes Snow White to a secluded glade and, checking that no one else is present, advances on the princess as she is helping a young bird return to its parents. Snow White sees the Huntsman's shadow on the rock in front of her, turns around and screams in terror. However, the Huntsman cannot bring himself to kill her upon seeing the beauty in a princess such as herself and begs Snow White for forgiveness. He tells her of the Queen's insane jealousy and tells her to run away and never come back.

She takes his advice and flees through the forest, and her fright is manifested in the plants around her; branches suddenly resemble claw-like hands, and floating logs resemble crocodiles. Overcome by terror, she eventually collapses, sobbing. As light enters the forest, the woodland creatures cautiously approach Snow White while she cries, and she befriends them. Together they sing "With A Smile And A Song". No longer frightened, Snow White asks the animals if they know where she can stay. They lead her to the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs; she enters and finds that no one is home. Noticing that the whole cottage is a complete mess, she cleans the house, with the help of the animals. She hopes that its residents, whom she believes to be children due to the size of the furniture, will let her stay if she cleans up for them. At this point she sings "Whistle While You Work". Later that evening, she and the animals go upstairs to find seven little beds. Feeling sleepy, she falls asleep over three of them.

The Seven Dwarfs return home from a day's work at the Dwarfs' Mine. They see light coming from the window of their cottage and smoke coming from its chimney. They enter the house, creeping around as they search for the 'monster' they believe that has invaded their home. They hear a noise (some birds from the forest, joking about) coming from upstairs, and, after an unsuccessful attempt by Dopey to chase the thing down, they enter the bedroom together. The dwarfs approach the three beds that are being slept in, and are about to strike when Doc removes the bed cover to reveal Snow White sleeping. They are all infatuated with her, but Grumpy grumbles about her unwelcome presence, waking her up. She is first startled by the dwarfs, but soon befriends them, guessing the names of Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Dopey and Grumpy because their names are carved on the beds.

All the dwarfs except for Grumpy agree that Snow White is welcome to stay if she does the housework for them. A noise from downstairs reminds Snow White that she has left some soup boiling. She rushes downstairs, and tells the dwarfs that it is almost ready, and that they will have time to wash. She asks the dwarfs to see their hands and, upon seeing that their hands are dirty, insists them to march straight outside and wash; otherwise, they will not get anything to eat. The dwarfs reluctantly march outside and wash while singing Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum (The Dwarfs' Washing Song). They have just finished washing themselves when Snow White calls to them that supper is ready.

After supper, the dwarfs perform "The Silly Song" for Snow White, and she dances with Dopey (who reaches her height by standing on Sneezy's shoulders). She then repays them when she sings "Some Day My Prince Will Come" as the dwarfs listen. The dwarfs then declare that Snow White will sleep upstairs, and that the dwarfs will find somewhere to sleep downstairs. Before Snow White goes to sleep, she says her prayers, blessing the seven little men for being so kind to her and wishing to make her dreams come true, as well as asking to make Grumpy like her.

At the Queen's Castle, the Queen, after being told by the Magic Mirror that Snow White still lives, descends into her laboratory and transforms into the Witch. She prepares the Poisoned Apple, one bite of which will send its victim into the Sleeping Death, which can only be cured by 'Love's First Kiss'. Believing the dwarves will bury the princess alive, the Witch leaves the castle and proceeds towards the Dwarfs' Cottage.

The next morning, Snow White kisses each dwarf goodbye as they leave for the mine. Before Grumpy leaves (being the last one to depart), he warns her not to let anyone or anything in the house. Touched that he cares despite his negative exterior, Snow White decides to bake a pie for Grumpy with help from her animal friends. She is then startled by the appearance of the Queen, disguised as an old peddler selling apples, peering through her window. She offers Snow White the apple but is attacked by the woodland creatures, who recognize the danger. Snow White shoos the animals away and takes the old woman inside for a drink of water. Meanwhile, the animals rush off to fetch the dwarfs. Thankful toward Snow White for being so good to "poor old Granny," the Queen tells her that the apple (which has been poisoned) is a magic wishing apple, capable of making all of Snow White's wishes come true with a single bite.

Snow White takes the apple and, before taking a bite, wishes for the Prince to carry her away to his castle, where they will live happily ever after. The Queen then persuades her to take a bite before the wish grows cold. Snow White does so, and feeling the poison's effects, she falls into a deep sleep. As the Queen is leaving, the dwarfs chase her up a rocky cliff, where she falls to her death to be eaten by vultures. The dwarfs find Snow White and they grieve her "death" as they return home. In mourning, they hold a funeral for her at their cottage. Finding her so beautiful, even in death, they cannot find it in their hearts to bury her, and instead place her in a handmade coffin carved of glass and gold, and keep a year-long vigil.

As time goes by, the Prince hears of Snow White's deep sleep and rides to the clearing where her coffin has been placed. The dwarfs make way for the Prince to approach Snow White. He then gives the princess "Love's First Kiss", which breaks the curse, reviving Snow White. She wakes up and, upon seeing the Prince, extends her arms out to him as he scoops her up in her arms. The dwarfs rejoice, as the Prince carries Snow White to his horse. She kisses each dwarf goodbye before leaving with the Prince for his castle (the outline of which is shown in the clouds above), where they live happily ever after.

House of Mouse

As with many other Disney feature animated characters, Snow White made many cameo appearances as one of the guests on House of Mouse. She is usually seen with the Seven Dwarfs. She figured prominently in the episode "Pluto Saves the Day", in which Pete dressed up as her as part of his plan to put the House staff to sleep with some magic sleeping apples that he bought from the Witch. Snow White finds out about his plot, however, and helps Pluto save the day by telling him that he needs to kiss the sleeping staff members in order to wake them up.

In "The Stolen Cartoons", she was shocked to find an apple served as her evening meal. In "Jiminy Cricket", she was indirectly advised by the episode's titular character not to take food from strangers, prompting Grumpy to grumpily snatch the poisoned apple from her hands. In "Where's Minnie?", when the lights briefly go out, Snow White responds to Chernabog's love for the dark by stating sheepishly "I don't..." as the menacing trees from the film look down upon her. She can also be seen in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, and in Mickey's House of Villains.

Other History

Sofia the First

Snow White appears in the series Sofia the First, in the episode "The Enchanted Feast". Here, Snow White briefly tells the story of how a seemingly feeble old woman offering an apple turned out to be her wicked stepmother in disguise, telling Sofia to trust her instincts and that people aren't always who they seem to be; tying into Sofia's suspicious feelings toward a visiting sorceress (who is actually an evil fairy in disguise). At the end of the episode, Snow White briefly appears again in a magic morpho mirror, smiling proudly at Sofia. She is the second princess to not have a special song for Sofia after Aurora. She is also the second princess to make a double appearance in the same episode; first in the courtyard, and second in a magic morpho mirror.

Once Upon a Time

A live-action version of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin, Bailee Madison as a young girl) is one of the central characters of the ABC series. Here, is the daughter of King Leopold and the stepdaughter of the Evil Queen Regina. When she is a little girl, Regina rescues her from a runaway horse. As a result, Leopold wants to marry Regina and provide Snow with a mother after the death of her biological mother, Queen Eva. However, Snow discovers that Regina loves the stable boy and reveals this to Regina's mother, leading to his death. Regina wanted Snow dead for revealing this secret and prevent her from having true love as she was forced to marry King Leopold instead. Years later the Huntsman is enlisted by the Queen to kill Snow, like in the Disney film, but he spares her for her selflessness.

She continues living in the forest, stealing from the nobles of the Queen's domain in the hopes of collecting enough money to move out of the realm. She meets Prince James while robbing him, and she nicknames him "Prince Charming" when he captures her to regain his stolen engagement ring, which she already sold. The pair fall in love on their journey to buy back the jewels, but he returns to his fiancée. Realizing she and James can never be together, she receives from Rumplestiltskin a potion that will erase all her memories of James. Shortly after, she gets a letter from James telling her to meet him at the castle if she loves him so they can run away before he is married.

She goes to meet him, but his father King George catches her in the castle and forces her to tell James that she does not love him. She then goes to live with the seven dwarfs. James breaks off his engagement, but she drinks the potion shortly before the news reaches her. The potion changes her into a mean-spirited and cruel person, and she realizes that her anger stems from the death of her father. Snow tries to kill Regina, the person responsible for her father's death, but James takes the arrow meant for the Queen. He tells her that he would rather die than let Snow become evil, and she realizes that no one else is willing to die for her. She kisses him and regains her memory.

However, the pair are again separated when George's knights capture James. She and the dwarfs then set out to rescue James. Sometime later, Snow is poisoned by the Queen and James kisses her and brings her back to life. They are married, but the Queen arrives at the wedding and announces that she will place a curse on everyone to destroy Snow's happiness. Snow is soon pregnant and gives birth to Emma just as the curse begins to take hold. In Storybrooke, she is Mary Margaret Blanchard. She is Henry's favorite teacher, and she gives Henry his book of fairy tales to instill him with hope. She also invites Emma to live with her upon realizing that Emma was thrown out of the bed and breakfast.

Mary Margaret volunteers at the hospital and reads Snow White and Prince Charming's tale to the comatose David Nolan, who is really James. He wakes up, and the pair instantly fall in love, despite David's marriage to Kathryn. Mary Margaret resigns from the hospital because of the heartache she feels from being around David and tries to start a relationship with Dr. Whale. However, she develops stalker-like behavior: she knows David's daily schedule and tries to be where he is. She finally tries to avoid David, but she and David find they cannot stay away from each other and begin a secret relationship. After the affair becomes public and David's marriage breaks down, Mary Margaret is labeled a tramp and becomes an outcast. However, some of the residents reach out to her after she sells candles to help the local nunnery pay its rent. Later, she is arrested for Kathryn's apparent murder after Mary Margaret's fingerprints are found on a box containing a human heart shortly after Kathryn's disappearance. The box is later found to be Mary Margaret's, and the heart is proven to be Kathryn's. Emma believes that Mary Margaret is being framed and asks her to wait and to trust Emma until she can be proven innocent.

However, Mary Margaret finds one of Regina's skeleton keys in her cell and uses it to escape. It is later revealed that after her escape, she was captured and held captive by Jefferson. She is found by Emma, and the pair are able to escape when Mary Margaret kicks Jefferson out a window. Then Mary Margaret willingly returns to her jail cell to face her trial. When Kathryn reappears, Mary Margaret is released. Consequently, her relationship with David becomes strained since he did not believe she was innocent. He eventually decides to leave Storybrooke when Mary Margaret does not give him a reason to stay. They are reunited when the curse is broken, and they regain their memories.

Descendants

Snow White appears in the 2015 Disney Channel Original Movies, played by Stephanie Bennett. She appears at the coronation of Prince Ben as a reporter for the Auradon news network. She is surprised to learn that her step-mother's daughter, Evie, designed Mal's coronation gown. It is also revealed that the Evil Queen still has disdain towards her saying that Snow White must've had work done.

Songs

Gallery

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Disney Princess Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Snow White.

Trivia

  • In the original story, Snow White was 7 years old when the evil queen tried to kill her.
  • In the original story, Snow White wasn't awakened from her sleep by true love's kiss, but when one of the prince's servants accidentally stumbles, causing the piece of poisoned apple to be dislodged from her throat.


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