Special thanks to blog reader, Kata, for sharing her Vilkas (Dopey) card with us.
Showing posts with label finland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finland. Show all posts
Monday, May 22, 2017
Finland Wartime Seven Dwarfs Postcards
This series of postcards was issued in Finland probably during the Continuation War with the Soviet Union (1941-44). The dwarfs are dressed in military uniforms and the text references support for the war effort. It's possible the cards were used as premiums to aid in the campaign. Not licensed by Disney. It's likely there were eight cards total in the series if Snow White was included. So far we've come across five of them.
Special thanks to blog reader, Kata, for sharing her Vilkas (Dopey) card with us.
Special thanks to blog reader, Kata, for sharing her Vilkas (Dopey) card with us.
Monday, February 24, 2014
"The 7 Dwarfs and King Arbor's Crystal" by Romano Scarpa (1986)
Well-known Italian comic book artist Romano Scarpa began his long career creating comics for Disney and publisher Arnoldo Mondadori Editore with a 1953 story, Snow White and the Green Flame (Biancaneve e Verde Fiamma). Over the years, he did several tales involving our
favorite princess, some with Guido Martina, another
well-known Italian comic book writer.
The 7 Dwarfs and King Arbor's Crystal (I 7 Nani e il Cristallo di Re Arbor) is one of Scarpa's later pieces. Published in Italy on January 5, 1986, this comic first appeared in the Mickey Mouse Magazine (Topolino) No. 1571. The 33-page story was both written and drawn by the artist.
In 1989, the comic was re-issued in Finland (by Sanoma Osakeyhtiö) as King Puukkelin's Crystal. It appeared in an Uncle Scrooge (Roope-Setä) comic book, No. 124.
The front covers from the original Italian version and the Finnish reprint...
Later reprints also occurred in Brazil (1994), The Netherlands (1996), and in Portugal too. Plus all of Scarpa's comics are currently being re-released in Italy today.
King Arbor's Crystal is a sequel to the Snow White film and picks up with the Old Witch tumbling off the cliff. Let's have a look at a few pages...
The Finnish title page.
With the help of some branches and bushes, the Witch survives the fall, and we have ourselves a story. She is rescued by her royal guard.
When returning to her castle, she finds that the Huntsman is burning it. Her laboratory and library are gone and so she's unable to turn herself back into the Queen.
In desperation, she travels to King Arbor (Puukkelin), one of her biggest admirers.
There she learns that Snow White has survived the poison apple. Angry and jealous, the Witch conceives a plan to use a magic crystal device to switch her body with Snow's.
The Witch has her royal guards kidnap Dopey (Cucciolo) and Bashful (Mammolo) so she can test the crystal on them.
With their bodies switched, the royal guards now as the two dwarfs go to Snow White. They lead her out of the castle and to the Witch.
But before the Witch can switch bodies with Snow, the other dwarfs come to the rescue. The princess gets away, Dopey and Bashful are changed back to their own bodies, the crystal devise is destroyed, and the Old Witch's plan is foiled.
This 1986 story of The 7 Dwarfs and King Arbor's Crystal would not end there but was continued later that same year in Topolino No. 1622. The new tale (possibly released only in Italy) was entitled The Seven Dwarfs and the Wonderful Fountainhead (I Sette Nanni e la Fonte Meravigliosa). It was one of Romano Scarpa's last Snow White-themed works. Maybe we'll have a look at it in a later Archive entry.
Image scans for this post are courtesy of the Nunziante Valoroso Collection and the Titania Collection. Also special thanks to both for providing additional information about the Italian and Finnish versions.
The 7 Dwarfs and King Arbor's Crystal (I 7 Nani e il Cristallo di Re Arbor) is one of Scarpa's later pieces. Published in Italy on January 5, 1986, this comic first appeared in the Mickey Mouse Magazine (Topolino) No. 1571. The 33-page story was both written and drawn by the artist.
In 1989, the comic was re-issued in Finland (by Sanoma Osakeyhtiö) as King Puukkelin's Crystal. It appeared in an Uncle Scrooge (Roope-Setä) comic book, No. 124.
The front covers from the original Italian version and the Finnish reprint...
Later reprints also occurred in Brazil (1994), The Netherlands (1996), and in Portugal too. Plus all of Scarpa's comics are currently being re-released in Italy today.
King Arbor's Crystal is a sequel to the Snow White film and picks up with the Old Witch tumbling off the cliff. Let's have a look at a few pages...
The Finnish title page.
With the help of some branches and bushes, the Witch survives the fall, and we have ourselves a story. She is rescued by her royal guard.
When returning to her castle, she finds that the Huntsman is burning it. Her laboratory and library are gone and so she's unable to turn herself back into the Queen.
In desperation, she travels to King Arbor (Puukkelin), one of her biggest admirers.
There she learns that Snow White has survived the poison apple. Angry and jealous, the Witch conceives a plan to use a magic crystal device to switch her body with Snow's.
The Witch has her royal guards kidnap Dopey (Cucciolo) and Bashful (Mammolo) so she can test the crystal on them.
With their bodies switched, the royal guards now as the two dwarfs go to Snow White. They lead her out of the castle and to the Witch.
But before the Witch can switch bodies with Snow, the other dwarfs come to the rescue. The princess gets away, Dopey and Bashful are changed back to their own bodies, the crystal devise is destroyed, and the Old Witch's plan is foiled.
This 1986 story of The 7 Dwarfs and King Arbor's Crystal would not end there but was continued later that same year in Topolino No. 1622. The new tale (possibly released only in Italy) was entitled The Seven Dwarfs and the Wonderful Fountainhead (I Sette Nanni e la Fonte Meravigliosa). It was one of Romano Scarpa's last Snow White-themed works. Maybe we'll have a look at it in a later Archive entry.
Image scans for this post are courtesy of the Nunziante Valoroso Collection and the Titania Collection. Also special thanks to both for providing additional information about the Italian and Finnish versions.
Monday, May 20, 2013
1969 Finnish Snow White Book
In an earlier Archive entry, we examined a Snow White book from 1960. While not a Disney produced title, it nonetheless closely followed the story version told in the Disney film. Nardini, the illustrator of that book, filled the pages with dynamic compositions, some of it quite reflective of the original Disney studio artwork.
Today, Snow White collector Titania Hill shares a few scans from another book, this one printed in Finland in 1969. It too shares similarities with the original Disney work, as well as with the 1960 Nardini book.
The text is in Finnish and is marked "Copyright © 1969 by ED. G. Malipiero Bologna. All Rights Reserved. Printed in Finland. All Rights Reserved in Finland to ARTOKO Inc."
G. Malipiero is the author/editor, and the artwork was created by Canaider, who signed most of his illustrations.
To avoid copyright infringement issues with Disney, the publisher/artist would certainly have to make the dwarfs as non-Disney as possible. Still, it's interesting that one of the little men was given "Doc" glasses.
Aspects of the artwork do clearly draw from Disney. Add a red bow in the hair and some color to Snow White's shoulders and you have a Disney princess. A black babushka instead of yellow would just about give us the Disney Witch.
As with the earlier book, the story also follows closely to the Disney version, particularly when it comes to such details as the Witch's demise.
Disney-influenced or not, these storybook illustrations from the 1960s are some nice examples of Snow White artwork.
Today, Snow White collector Titania Hill shares a few scans from another book, this one printed in Finland in 1969. It too shares similarities with the original Disney work, as well as with the 1960 Nardini book.
The text is in Finnish and is marked "Copyright © 1969 by ED. G. Malipiero Bologna. All Rights Reserved. Printed in Finland. All Rights Reserved in Finland to ARTOKO Inc."
G. Malipiero is the author/editor, and the artwork was created by Canaider, who signed most of his illustrations.
To avoid copyright infringement issues with Disney, the publisher/artist would certainly have to make the dwarfs as non-Disney as possible. Still, it's interesting that one of the little men was given "Doc" glasses.
Aspects of the artwork do clearly draw from Disney. Add a red bow in the hair and some color to Snow White's shoulders and you have a Disney princess. A black babushka instead of yellow would just about give us the Disney Witch.
As with the earlier book, the story also follows closely to the Disney version, particularly when it comes to such details as the Witch's demise.
Disney-influenced or not, these storybook illustrations from the 1960s are some nice examples of Snow White artwork.
Illustrations copyright Canaider/Ed. G. Malipiero. Scans courtesy of the Titania Hill Collection.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Finnish Snow White Posters
The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs poster from the 1962 Finnish dub that was directed by Ms. Ritva Laatto. Distributed by Suomi-Filmi Oy.
One of the film enthusiasts of the website Afureko holds the poster at the public screening of Matti Ranin's Lumikki earlier this year in Helsinki.
In 1982, the Matti Ranin-directed Snow White release featured this poster. It utilizes artwork that's also seen in a British quad. The Finnish text in the yellow box translates approximately into "Walt Disney's most beloved animated motion picture arrives now as a new print and as a complete Finnish version". This indeed points to Mr. Ranin's picture which was the first dubbing to include both the Finnish-language dialogue and songs. Distributed by Suomi-Filmi Oy.
One of the film enthusiasts of the website Afureko holds the poster at the public screening of Matti Ranin's Lumikki earlier this year in Helsinki.
Image courtesy of Afureko. Used with permission.
_______
In 1982, the Matti Ranin-directed Snow White release featured this poster. It utilizes artwork that's also seen in a British quad. The Finnish text in the yellow box translates approximately into "Walt Disney's most beloved animated motion picture arrives now as a new print and as a complete Finnish version". This indeed points to Mr. Ranin's picture which was the first dubbing to include both the Finnish-language dialogue and songs. Distributed by Suomi-Filmi Oy.
1982 British Quad Poster (for artwork comparison)
Friday, July 8, 2011
Disney's Lumikki and the Three Finnish Dubs
In Finland, Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or as it's called in Finnish, Lumikki ja seitsemän kääpiötä, has had no less than three distinct and separate dubbings. Add to this the earliest 1938 Finnish "cover" versions of the Snow White songs plus the 1966 LP recordings by Reino Bäckman, and it seems that nearly each new generation has had their own version of the movie and/or songs.
1930s-1950s...
According to the IMDb theatrical release info (which is not nearly a complete list), Lumikki first premiered in Finland on the 16th of October, 1938. This version, however, was not in Finnish. It featured the American soundtrack with subtitles in both Finnish and Swedish. Since Swedish is the national second language for Finns, the Swedish dub, with Finnish subtitling, was also released throughout Finland.
Kenneth Sundberg, a resident of the greater Helsinki area and creator of the KenNetti Snow White Database, shares this anecdote about the 1938 premiere..
1960s-1970s...
The first Finnish-language dub premiered in December of 1962, and it was directed by Ms. Ritva Laatto. This is unprecedented! It was the early 1960s. Women directors were not common, especially when it came to working within the male-dominated Disney strata. Yet, Laatto at age 31, proved an exceptionally strong leader. When she took the reins for Snow White, it could very well have been the first time this film was creatively controlled by a female. (Twenty years later, Sweden's Doreen Denning would translate and direct the 1982 Swedish dub.)
This first dub is interesting in that only the dialogue was translated into Finnish. The the songs were still in Swedish, apparently from the original 1938 Swedish dub. This omission may simply have been due to budgetary constraints.
Form Kenneth Sundberg...
The speaking voice of Snow White was played by actress Eeva-Kaarina Volanen who was around 40 years of age at the time. Just as a comparison, her English-speaking counterpart, Adriana Caselotti, was 19 when Walt Disney picked her for the role.
Eeva-Kaarina Volanen
The Evil Queen and Old Witch were voiced by Rauni Luoma, an accomplished actress of both film and stage.
1980s...
The second dub was released at least twenty years later in what is thought to be December of 1982. (The actual premiere may have occurred somewhere between '82 and '86.) Directed by nationally known actor/director Matti Ranin, this was the first complete version to include both Finnish dialogue and songs.
Not only did Ranin translate the script and direct the film, he also played the role of Viisas, or as he's known in English, Doc. (Viisas literally means wise in Finnish.)
Ranin and Forssell in Hedda Gabler, 1957.
Photo © Suomen Kansallisteatteri (The Finnish National Theatre).
The warm speaking voice of Jaana Oravisto who played Snow White was perfectly matched in song by opera singer Johanna Nurmimaa.
It's interesting that in this Ranin version, the Finnish names for Happy and Dopey--Lystikäs and Vilkas--were mixed up so that the non-speaking Dopey became Happy and Happy was Dopey.
Here's the reason why from Kenneth Sundberg...
1990s-Present...
The third Finnish dub came in 1994 for the first home video release. Director Pekka Lehtosaari worked with new voice actors for each of the characters. Matti Ranin returned to reprise his role as Doc, although the performance was totally different than his original in 1982.
From Kenneth Sundberg...
2011 Ranin Screening...
While Matti Ranin 's 1982 version is now in danger of being lost to obscurity, many fans in Finland still feel that the "Golden Age" occurred during the Ranin era. While some of his dubs, like Beauty and the Beast still exist on DVD, his original versions of Snow White along with The Little Mermaid and Mickey's Christmas Carol are no longer available. Yet these are among some of the most cherished of Finnish-dubbed Disney films.
Back in February of this year, a special screening was arranged in Helsinki by Kenneth Sundberg. The guest of honor was none other than Mr. Ranin himself. Nearly three decades have passed since the release of Ranin's Lumikki ja seitsemän kääpiötä and almost twenty years since it had been seen on the big screen. Yet, for one evening only, a select audience of about 30 dedicated fans were invited to hear Matti speak and to watch his Snow White masterpiece.
Matti Ranin's Small World...
- Ms. Ritva Laatto (director of first Finnish dub) also directed Matti Ranin as an actor in two plays for the Finnish National Theatre in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
- In Ranin's 1982 dubbing, the role of Snow White was played by his daughter-in-law, Jaana Oravisto.
- Kerttu Hämeranta, who provided lyrics to the Finnish version of "I'm Wishing" (for Reino Bäckman's LP recordings), was Matti Ranin's mother-in-law.
- In Laatto's 1962 dubbing, the role of Snow White was played by Eeva-Kaarina Volanen who was Matti Ranin's big crush and a life-long friend.
1982 CREDITS:
Directed by Matti Ranin
Translation by Matti Ranin
Song translations by Matti Ranin, Reino Helismaa & Kerttu Hämeranta
Song recordings supervised by Heikki Laurila
Dubbing produced by Suomi-Filmi Oy and Finn-Kasper, Matti Ranin ky
Actors:
Jaana Oravisto - Lumikki (Snow White)
Johanna Nurmimaa - Lumikin laulut (Snow White's songs)
Matti Olavi Ranin - Kertoja/Prinssi (Narrator/The Prince)
Markku Runne - Prinssin laulut (The Prince's songs)
Kyllikki Forssell - Kuningatar/Noita (The Queen/Witch)
Matti Ranin - Viisas (Doc)
Aimo Tepponen - Jörö (Grumpy)
Olli Tuominen - Nuhanenä (Sneezy)
Martti Pennanen - Unelias (Sleepy)
Uula Laakso - Ujo (Bashful)
Esa Saario - Taikapeili (The Magic MIrror)
Ari Piispa - Metsästäjä (The Huntsman)
Pekka Autiovuori - Lystikäs (Happy/Dopey)
Special acknowledgment goes to Kenneth Sundberg for the sharing of his extensive research on the Snow White Finnish dubs. Much of the information found herein comes directly from him and his KenNetti website.
Title Plate in Finnish
_____
1930s-1950s...
According to the IMDb theatrical release info (which is not nearly a complete list), Lumikki first premiered in Finland on the 16th of October, 1938. This version, however, was not in Finnish. It featured the American soundtrack with subtitles in both Finnish and Swedish. Since Swedish is the national second language for Finns, the Swedish dub, with Finnish subtitling, was also released throughout Finland.
Kenneth Sundberg, a resident of the greater Helsinki area and creator of the KenNetti Snow White Database, shares this anecdote about the 1938 premiere..
Although the actual date was October 16, the movie's first showing started at midnight between a Saturday and Sunday. Since people tend to live "Saturday" even after midnight, the premiere date is sometimes ascribed to the 15th of October....as in this original 1938 Finnish newspaper ad (pictured below). "KESKIYÖNESITYS" translates literally into "Midnight First Performance".
1938 Newspaper Ad for Snow White.
_____
Ms. Laatto (pictured later in life)
Image and info via Helsingin Sanomat.
Image and info via Helsingin Sanomat.
This first dub is interesting in that only the dialogue was translated into Finnish. The the songs were still in Swedish, apparently from the original 1938 Swedish dub. This omission may simply have been due to budgetary constraints.
Form Kenneth Sundberg...
In his biography, Markku Kivekäs [a Finnish Disney expert] mentions that the Disney Company "demanded the dub to use only the cream of Finnish actors." Hence most of the actors of Laatto's version came straight from Suomen Kansallisteatteri--The Finnish National Theatre.
The speaking voice of Snow White was played by actress Eeva-Kaarina Volanen who was around 40 years of age at the time. Just as a comparison, her English-speaking counterpart, Adriana Caselotti, was 19 when Walt Disney picked her for the role.Eeva-Kaarina Volanen
Rauni Luoma
______
1980s...
The second dub was released at least twenty years later in what is thought to be December of 1982. (The actual premiere may have occurred somewhere between '82 and '86.) Directed by nationally known actor/director Matti Ranin, this was the first complete version to include both Finnish dialogue and songs.
Matti Ranin, late 1980s
Not only did Ranin translate the script and direct the film, he also played the role of Viisas, or as he's known in English, Doc. (Viisas literally means wise in Finnish.)
Actress Kyllikki Forssell embodied the parts of both the Queen and Witch. As it happens, Forssell and Ranin had worked together before, 25 years earlier as stage actors in the 1957 play "Hedda Gabler" written by Henrik Ibsen. Now they were reunited in the characters of a dwarf and evil villain.
Photo © Suomen Kansallisteatteri (The Finnish National Theatre).
The warm speaking voice of Jaana Oravisto who played Snow White was perfectly matched in song by opera singer Johanna Nurmimaa.
The two voices of Snow White: Jaana Oravisto and Johanna Nurmimaa
It's interesting that in this Ranin version, the Finnish names for Happy and Dopey--Lystikäs and Vilkas--were mixed up so that the non-speaking Dopey became Happy and Happy was Dopey.
Here's the reason why from Kenneth Sundberg...
Since Matti Ranin has a somewhat poetic talent in handling the Finnish language, the mistake can be his alone. That is, the word Lystikäs, meaning almost hilarious, suits the Dopey character somewhat better than Vilkas which means nearly wild.
_____
1990s-Present...
Pekka Lehtosaari
From Kenneth Sundberg...
Matti Ranin passed the baton to Mr. Pekka Lehtosaari in the early 1990s. The approach of these two directors was very different. While Ranin made his dubbings to sound good in Finnish, Lehtosaari emulated the English originals. As a result, Lehtosaari became the favourite of Disney Character Voices International, and also became the most celebrated Finnish dubbing director.This third dub has been the one used in all of the home video releases--VHS/1994, DVD/2001 and Blu-ray/2009.
1994 VHS. Iimage via Renaya.
2009 Blu-ray. Copyright Disney.
_____
2011 Ranin Screening...
While Matti Ranin 's 1982 version is now in danger of being lost to obscurity, many fans in Finland still feel that the "Golden Age" occurred during the Ranin era. While some of his dubs, like Beauty and the Beast still exist on DVD, his original versions of Snow White along with The Little Mermaid and Mickey's Christmas Carol are no longer available. Yet these are among some of the most cherished of Finnish-dubbed Disney films.
Back in February of this year, a special screening was arranged in Helsinki by Kenneth Sundberg. The guest of honor was none other than Mr. Ranin himself. Nearly three decades have passed since the release of Ranin's Lumikki ja seitsemän kääpiötä and almost twenty years since it had been seen on the big screen. Yet, for one evening only, a select audience of about 30 dedicated fans were invited to hear Matti speak and to watch his Snow White masterpiece.
Ken Sundberg and Matti Ranin, Helsinki screening, February 2011.
_____
Matti Ranin's Small World...
- Ms. Ritva Laatto (director of first Finnish dub) also directed Matti Ranin as an actor in two plays for the Finnish National Theatre in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
- In Ranin's 1982 dubbing, the role of Snow White was played by his daughter-in-law, Jaana Oravisto.
- Kerttu Hämeranta, who provided lyrics to the Finnish version of "I'm Wishing" (for Reino Bäckman's LP recordings), was Matti Ranin's mother-in-law.
- In Laatto's 1962 dubbing, the role of Snow White was played by Eeva-Kaarina Volanen who was Matti Ranin's big crush and a life-long friend.
Matti Ranin and Eeva-Kaarina Volanen on the stage, circa 1952.
Photo © Suomen Kansallisteatteri (The Finnish National Theatre).
All images courtesy of KenNetti Database unless otherwise noted. Used with permission.
_____
1962 CREDITS:
Directed by Ritva Laatto
Translation by Lea Joutseno
Actors:
Eeva-Kaarina Volanen - Lumikki (Snow White)
Rauno Ketonen - Prinssi (The Prince)
Rauni Luoma - Kuningatar/Noita (The Queen/The Witch)
Pentti Irjala - Viisas (Doc)
Pentti Riuttu - Ujo (Bashful)
Risto Mäkelä - Jörö (Grumpy)
Martti Tschokkinen - Lystikäs (Happy)
Jukka Sipilä - Unelias (Sleepy)
Heikki Savolainen - Nuhanenä (Sneezy)
Mauno Hyvönen - Taikapeili (The Magic Mirror)
Ritva Ahonen - Kertoja (Narrator)
Directed by Ritva Laatto
Translation by Lea Joutseno
Actors:
Eeva-Kaarina Volanen - Lumikki (Snow White)
Rauno Ketonen - Prinssi (The Prince)
Rauni Luoma - Kuningatar/Noita (The Queen/The Witch)
Pentti Irjala - Viisas (Doc)
Pentti Riuttu - Ujo (Bashful)
Risto Mäkelä - Jörö (Grumpy)
Martti Tschokkinen - Lystikäs (Happy)
Jukka Sipilä - Unelias (Sleepy)
Heikki Savolainen - Nuhanenä (Sneezy)
Mauno Hyvönen - Taikapeili (The Magic Mirror)
Ritva Ahonen - Kertoja (Narrator)
_________
1982 CREDITS:
Directed by Matti Ranin
Translation by Matti Ranin
Song translations by Matti Ranin, Reino Helismaa & Kerttu Hämeranta
Song recordings supervised by Heikki Laurila
Dubbing produced by Suomi-Filmi Oy and Finn-Kasper, Matti Ranin ky
Actors:
Jaana Oravisto - Lumikki (Snow White)
Johanna Nurmimaa - Lumikin laulut (Snow White's songs)
Matti Olavi Ranin - Kertoja/Prinssi (Narrator/The Prince)
Markku Runne - Prinssin laulut (The Prince's songs)
Kyllikki Forssell - Kuningatar/Noita (The Queen/Witch)
Matti Ranin - Viisas (Doc)
Aimo Tepponen - Jörö (Grumpy)
Olli Tuominen - Nuhanenä (Sneezy)
Martti Pennanen - Unelias (Sleepy)
Uula Laakso - Ujo (Bashful)
Esa Saario - Taikapeili (The Magic MIrror)
Ari Piispa - Metsästäjä (The Huntsman)
Pekka Autiovuori - Lystikäs (Happy/Dopey)
_________
1994 CREDITS:
Directed by Pekka Lehtosaari
Translation and song translations by Pekka Lehtosaari
Dubbing produced by Tuotantotalo Werne Oy
Dubbing supervision by Kirsten Saabye, Disney Character Voices International
Actors:
Riikka Väyrynen - Lumikki (Snow White)
Kukka-Maaria Ahonen - Lumikin laulut (Snow White's songs)
Tom Nyman - Prinssi (The Prince, and his songs)
Terhi Panula - Kuningatar (The Queen)
Seela Sella - Noita (The Witch)
Matti Ranin - Viisas (Doc)
Veikko Honkanen - Jörö (Grumpy)
Tom Wentzel - Nuhanenä (Sneezy)
Antti Pääkkönen - Lystikäs (Happy)
Pekka Lehtosaari - Unelias (Sleepy)
Juha Muje - Ujo (Bashful)
Juha Hyppönen - Taikapeili (The Magic MIrror)
Markku Riikonen - Metsästäjä (The Huntsman)
Esa Saario - Kertoja (Narrator)
Translation and song translations by Pekka Lehtosaari
Dubbing produced by Tuotantotalo Werne Oy
Dubbing supervision by Kirsten Saabye, Disney Character Voices International
Actors:
Riikka Väyrynen - Lumikki (Snow White)
Kukka-Maaria Ahonen - Lumikin laulut (Snow White's songs)
Tom Nyman - Prinssi (The Prince, and his songs)
Terhi Panula - Kuningatar (The Queen)
Seela Sella - Noita (The Witch)
Matti Ranin - Viisas (Doc)
Veikko Honkanen - Jörö (Grumpy)
Tom Wentzel - Nuhanenä (Sneezy)
Antti Pääkkönen - Lystikäs (Happy)
Pekka Lehtosaari - Unelias (Sleepy)
Juha Muje - Ujo (Bashful)
Juha Hyppönen - Taikapeili (The Magic MIrror)
Markku Riikonen - Metsästäjä (The Huntsman)
Esa Saario - Kertoja (Narrator)
__________________________
Friday, February 11, 2011
The KenNetti Snow White Database
Inset: Finnish Director Matti Ranin
It all started for Kenneth Sundberg when he was about 8 or 9 years old. He was sitting in a café of a big department store with his mother...
It was the magic moment - my very first glance at the movie's beautiful trailer. As I remember it, there was a small silver screen on a wall on which movie trailers were projected. All of a sudden a sunny forest, lush with colour, grabbed my attention. On top of a little hill, among some animals, there was a beautiful young woman in a yellow dress, stretching her arms. For me, it was love at first sight.
It was the early 1980s, and the theatrical trailer he saw was for the re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A lifelong interest in Disney's first princess had begun. It wasn't long after that Ken went to see the film all by himself as a kid.
After seeing it the first time, I spent nearly all following weekends in the same movie theatre, watching SNOW WHITE at least ten times during the following month or so.
I was enthralled by the whole of the motion picture. The sights, the sounds, the story and soul of SNOW WHITE captivated me entirely.
Ken lives outside of Helsinki, so the Disney version he watched back then was the Finnish dubbed and directed film by Matti Ranin, a legendary actor-director in Finland.
In the new dub (of 1982 or 1983), Matti Ranin really gave the character a distinct amount of credibility by choosing Jaana Oravisto in the speaking role. And the singing - provided by opera singer Johanna Nurmimaa - matched the speaking voice beautifully.
Ranin clearly stayed away from emulating the original 1937 voices. Actress Jaana Oravisto breathed significant new life into Snow White's character with a beautifully warm voice that even had a touch of maternal quality.
_____________
Many years have passed since Ken's introduction to Snow White, but his fondness for the film hasn't waned. He is the creator of the KenNetti Snow White Database, a website he developed to share information about his interests.
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Ken a few questions via email about his site. Here's what he had to say...
If I have one true obsession, it is the obsession for information. Despite a vast amount of information on the Internet, the quality and the presentation are often questionable. And even if good information is found here or there, the continuous searching usually bugs me. Thus I began collecting comprehensive databases that would make it easier for myself to talk about things I love. Yes, KenNetti is basically a database for my own use. Because it contains only the things I find interesting, it tells shamelessly about myself and features quite unusual perspectives. So, it's actually a mixture of a blog, a fansite and a serious database.
The name of KenNetti is a combination of my name and the Finnish slang word "netti" (meaning Internet). I wanted the domain name to be as simple as possible. Simplicity is also a guiding force in everything I do. I actually hate websites that are too complicated in their structure and with everything flashing, blinking and moving with very little actual content to be found.
Character illustrations copyright Disney. Enhanced by KenNetti.
The SNOW WHITE'S SCARY ADVENTURES TRIBUTE is only one part (though an enormous one) of the KenNetti site. The "SWSA Tribute" is actually a subsection of KenNetti's SNOW WHITE DATABASE, that includes several smaller sections about the movie. Another enormous section is THE FAIREST...AND THE SCARIEST OF THEM ALL, offering a thorough look to the more epic SNOW WHITE movie that was planned but eventually not made.
Though the site is currently very incomplete (especially its English sections), my future vision of it is really a database where everything will eventually connect to everything (with thousands of links) - exactly like in my very own head... ;)
Other subsection samplings from the Snow White Database include info on the movie soundtrack, Disneyland's Snow White's Grotto, and the 1980s Finnish film version by Matti Ranin.
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