Snow White "Moon Cake" Tins from Hong Kong

This set of Snow White tins originally held moon cakes. Moon cakes are a traditional food eaten in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures during the Mid-Autumn Festival--a harvest fest usually celebrated on the night of the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox.

The Snow White tin is slightly larger and is surrounded by the seven smaller dwarf tins. This is symbolic of the Chinese idiom "七星伴月" which means the moon (月) is accompanied by seven (七) stars (星).

The set of eight was sold at Hong Kong Disneyland as well as in other stores in Hong Kong. The Snow tin measures approximately 4" diameter x 2" high (10 x 5 cm). The dwarfs are 3.5" x 1.75" (9 x 4.5 cm).

The side panel design on the Snow White tin differs from that on the Seven Dwarfs'.

Images from the Filmic Light Collection.

I bought this set in April 2014 from an ebayer in Hong Kong. He couldn't recall what year he'd purchased them new, but Hong Kong Disneyland did not open until September 2005. So they probably date from about this time period.

The Three (Disney) Graces by Stephen Cargil

It is thought that Italian painter Raphael created his oil painting, The Three Graces, around the start of 16th century. His subject matter, three goddesses from ancient Greek mythology, has been the focus of numerous paintings and sculptures by other well-known artists for hundreds of years.

Enter the 21st century. Stephen Cargile--Principal Show Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering in California--creates his version. It features Snow White flanked by Cinderella and Aurora. Each holds the iconic symbol from their individual tales. No, we're not saying this belongs in the Louvre, but it does have a fresh style not often seen in the rendering of Disney characters.

This art print was purchased in November of 2014 at Disneyland by collector drj1828. It was available at the Disneyana shop on Main Street for $39.95.

Special thanks to drj1828 for use of his photos. 

In an earlier Archive entry, check out Snow, Cindy, and Briar Rose all having tea together on the cover of the 2004 Disney Catalog Spring Preview.

"Fairest of All" Book

Published by Disney Editions, Serena Valentino's hardcover Fairest of All hit the stores last year, August 18, 2009. The author is known for her work on the comic book series GloomCookie and Nightmares and Fairy Tales.

The idea behind Valentino's book is an intriguing one--the telling of the Snow White tale from the Evil Queen's perspective. Where did this monarch come from? How is it that she's so wicked? An alluring concept for the curious intellect, but wait, on second thought, do I really want to know?

The story takes us into the life and mind of the Queen before she became a queen. The daughter of a verbally abusive father, she suffers the dysfunction of a low self-esteem. We learn of her home life, how she met the King (Snow White's father), and her loving relationship with the little princess--then only 3 or 4 years of age at the time of the royal couple's wedding. While the writing is generally aimed at a young adult audience, darker segments may not be suitable for the more sensitive teen.
Valentino tosses a few unexpected twists our way, e.g. the identity of the face in the Magic Mirror. Overall though, I found myself most interested when the story paralleled the time period of the actual film rather than before. Also, I couldn't help feeling a little dispirited by the domesticity of the main character's issues. She was living more in an everyday reality of neuroses rather than in a world of fairytales. OK, she was being manipulated by conniving witch sisters and a talking mirror, but still it seemed as if all the Wicked Queen really needed was a good therapist. Where's the fun in that?

Title Page.

So the question still begs, "Do I really want to know her past?" Do we want a human side to one of Disney's most perfect villains--one rivaled only by the likes of such evilness as Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent or The Little Mermaid's Ursula?

A couple of top-notch Villains (desktop wallpapers).

The problem is not [entirely] the fault of the author, Serena Valentino. The issue is deeper. Mythological tales are all about the inner workings of the human psyche; the characters within the stories represent the different aspects of our own selves. Evil is evil because it needs to be in order to satisfy the archetypal symbolism that it represents. Once you start looking to domesticate it, that is, to place ordinary explanations on the reasons for its existence, the bubble begins to burst.
A perfect example of this is in the Star Wars saga. George Lucas was an inspired individual when he wrote and created the original trilogy. Throughout the first three films, the mystery and mystique are kept intact for the quintessential villain, Darth Vader. Yes, we have revelations and even redemption at the end, but the archetype is not spoiled. Vader was an agent of the dark side and fulfilled his mythic role perfectly. However, the prequel films set the character in everyday situations with ordinary human emotions. This may satisfy our curiosity about his early years, but the power of the archetype is diminished (and the overall story suffers).

Darth Vader addresses Princess Leia, Star Wars: Episode IV, 1977.

Image copyright Lucas Films, Ltd.

Of course, for those not interested in the archetypal symbolism, you may find that Fairest of All will indeed satisfy your curiosity about the Queen's early life. After all, the mythic world is not for everyone. It's a quick read and probably available at your local library. If not, it can be gotten dirt cheap through any number of online book dealers.

Sample Page.

Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1423106296
ISBN-13: 978-1423106296

The Snow White Archetype or Why I Like Snow White

Snow White's Scary Adventures at WDW

Today is a propitious day for me personally, so I will reflect a little on just why I am drawn to the Snow White story. As mentioned in an earlier post, for most of my life I'd experienced no affinity with this fairytale. At my first viewing of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I felt nothing. Yet, everything changed a decade ago with the events (A, B, C) leading up to and then the riding of Snow White's Scary Adventures at Walt Disney World. A door opened inward for me on that day, and I began to see the significance of the story--especially in the way Walt Disney presented it.

Snow White as told by the Grimm Brothers is a fairytale, one of the most beloved of them all. As we know, fairytales can, and often do contain life truths, lessons for living, such as the difference between "right" and "wrong". Walt Disney, however, was a visionary. His version of Snow White transforms the story from a simple fable into something more reminiscent of deep mythology. The characters transcend into archetypes, symbols for the multifarious components of the human psyche.

The Queen, and later as the witch, epitomizes the mental body or more precisely, the mind out of whack. While the ego is an ever important player in the day-to-day world we live in, when it's allowed to dominate and control to extremes, it becomes out of balance to the detriment of the whole. The Queen's infatuation with her own looks as well as her desire to kill Snow White is symbolic of a linear mind disconnected from the understanding of the other aspects of itself.

The Magic Mirror. It only speaks the truth.

The employment of a magical looking glass in storytelling is as old as mirrors themselves. The reflection does not lie...usually. So the mirror makes for the perfect representation of that still small voice within each of us. It knows the truth even if we don't care to hear it. As the Queen becomes more and more obsessed with being the most beautiful in all the land (that is, the most dominant force within the human psychological landscape), the Mirror does not hesitate to set her straight. There is another..."more fair than thee".










Over the seven jeweled hills, beyond the seventh fall, in the cottage of the seven... Why Seven Dwarfs?

Image copyright Disney.

Scratch the surface on the number seven and you'll soon discover just what an auspicious quantity it is thought to be. There are seven days in a week, seven wonders of the ancient world, and even the seventh inning stretch in Major League Baseball. In astronomy, it is the number of Atlas' daughters in the Pleiades--the Seven Sisters. In Japanese mythology, the Seven Lucky Gods refer to the seven deities of good fortune. In Hinduism, the endocrine system is made up of seven spiritual energy centers (or chakras) that, when opened and balanced, lead to enlightenment. In Christianity, there's the seven days of creation and in Islam the seven heavens. And seven is a highly symbolic number in Judaism, alluding to in the Torah, the infusion of spirituality into the physical world.

The Seven Dwarfs "allude" to the other worldliness of the physical, as to say, "Pay attention because there's more going on here than meets the eye." Could it have been six dwarfs or eight? No way. It had to be seven because they are the "infusion" of magic and enchantment into everyday life. It had to be seven because there really is much more going on in this story--translation--inside us than meets the eye.

When one thinks of Walt Disney's inspired interpretation of Snow White in mythological terms, all the characters are brought into perspective and seen as representations of the multifaceted parts of ourselves. Together they make up the whole of our being. Yet, there is something uniquely special about the Prince and Princess.

The Prince, embodying the masculine virtues of the self, is movement within the world. He serenades the Princess. He goes in search of her after she has run off. He finds her, kisses her, and leads the newly awakened maiden back to his castle. The Prince in Disney's Snow White doesn't, however, do much more than this. But then again, he doesn't need to. He acts when it is necessary. The Prince is action within the physical world.

So what role does Snow White fulfill?

Toto, we're not in Kansas "1937" anymore.

It's been over seventy years since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and its count of admirers is greater than ever. Yet, there are some who view the Snow White character as antiquated, a weak, helpless female, a girl who required the aid of a male in order to be rescued. They have declared her irrelevant to the ways of today's world. Others see the character as naive and the story as nothing more than "Disneyfied" entertainment for children.

In response, I must first reiterate that to me the story is mythological, and as such, the characters are not to be taken simply at face value. Just as the Queen, Dwarfs, and Prince are all symbolic of deeper elements within the human subconscious, so too is the Snow White character. I see the Princess as a wonderful manifestation of such feminine virtues as gentleness, kindness, and beauty. Her grace and poise are attributes to be admired.

And still, there is something in Snow White even more compelling, something that I'm certain Walt Disney worked very hard to create and maintain throughout the 83 minute film. When critics label the Princess as naive, they miss the mark. Naivety carries with it a negative connotation, but Snow White is not naive. She is innocent. We live in a cynical world today, so it's understandably difficult for some to get this, but above all else, Snow White is the perfect embodiment of childlike innocence.

It may lie dormant, hidden deep in the forest of the subconscious. We may think it dead and gone forever. Yet, no matter how far we might stray in adulthood, she is there to remind us that this essence still breathes inside us all.

I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty. Call the child innocence. The worst of us is not without innocence, although buried deeply it might be. In my work I try to reach and speak to that innocence, showing it the fun and joy of living; showing it that laughter is healthy; showing it that the human species, although happily ridiculous at times, is still reaching for the stars. --Walt Disney

What could be more powerful than to take action in the world and all the while see it through the eyes of childlike innocence? The Prince and the Princess. The masculine and feminine. These two opposites reside in each of us and when in harmony, operate together as a whole and complete entity.

Original production cel and background setup, 11"x22". Sold at Sotheby's in 1991 for $209,000 (US).

Picture, if you will, a fully functioning human being living a life to its highest potential. The Snow White archetypal equivalent of this can be witnessed in the film's finale. The Seven Dwarfs have brought an end to the antics of the Evil Witch. The Prince carries the Princess to his horse, and from there, they head off toward the horizon to live happily ever after. It is Action and Innocence, after being lost and asleep, finally united in harmony.

Of course this story doesn't speak to everyone. People are unique, and thus drawn to narratives which appeal to their own individual tastes--Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Wizard of Oz, Superman. Whatever it may be, we all have one-of-a-kind histories, and what makes one heart sing may fail to be heard by another. But for me, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is my story. It's my archetypal blueprint, a road map pointing toward the destination to which, one day, I will arrive.

The Goddess of Spring

Image copyright Disney via The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts

What could be better than the Silly Symphony return of Persephone here on the Spring Equinox? It is well known that in 1934, three years before the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney's The Goddess of Spring served as a testing ground for his animators. Since they'd had only limited experience with drawing believable human characters, practice on Persephone would eventually lead to perfection--but not at first.

The characters were designed by Albert Hurter [the studio's first inspirational sketch artist], who suggested certain poses and gestures that the animators were not yet skilled enough to emulate. After realizing that a greater knowledge of anatomy was required in order to produce believable human animation, [Walt] hired Don Graham, who held anatomy classes in order to prepare the animators for their first feature.
Source: The Disney Wiki

Artist Model Sheet. Copyright Disney.

Video copyright Disney provided by Pokellan

From Stephanie Stewart :

I just wanted to let you know that for the record, my Grandmother, Diana Gaylen, was the one who did the singing for this particular Disney short...It seems that they didn't give those kind of credits back then. Diana Gaylen was widely known in the 30's and 40's, for both her stage performances and her behind the scenes work in many movies singing for the stars. Anthony Adverse is one you might have heard of, she did the singing for Olivia DeHavilland. Source: The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts

Snow Nouveau - Goddess Pin

The Vernal Equinox is fast approaching here in the northern hemisphere and with it comes images of the Goddess of Spring, Persephone. Let's revisit a couple of the "goddess-themed" works of Alphonse Mucha, one of the main visionaries responsible for the birth of the Art Nouveau movement during the late 19th and early 20th century.

Image of Mucha in his Rue du Val-de-Grace studio, Paris 1903

Many of his works evoke a certain female deity appreciation.
Model posing in his studio, 1898

















Two in particular, Ivy and Laurel, could have been patterned from subjects right out of the Greek Pantheon.

A. Mucha, Ivy, color lithograph 1901 + Laurel,color lithograph1901

Just over a century after Mucha created these two lithographs, it appears that the Disney artist who designed this 2004 Snow White pin was influenced by the original pieces.

"Halo of Hearts" Princess Profile, limited edition 1,000 gold-finished pins, Disney Auctions, 2004. 

I'm certainly a fan Snow White depictions in goddess form. See another 2004 princess deity design in earlier post.

Part V - Snow White Awakens!

[CONTINUED FROM PART IV]

One of the notable distinctions about the Snow White ride is that for the most part, it is presented from the perspective of the young princess herself. In the original 1955 Disneyland design, Snow White was never seen. As the rider, you were her. Your experience was what she experienced. This is how the WDW version was designed as well. But during renovations in 1983 and 1994 at the two respective parks, imagineers decided to change it a bit, to make the ride less frightening for younger children. In addition, they sought to quell the inevitable question that guests would ask upon exiting the ride, "Where the heck is Snow White?" With the redesign, the princess would now makes a few appearances at certain points in the story. Nonetheless, the ride would still lead guests on an adventure--Snow White's adventure.

Now as rides go, the mechanics and special effects of this one are not the latest, greatest state-of-the-art. The audio-animatronics of Pirates and the simulated universe of Star Tours are much more sophisticated and advanced in their technological wizardry. But four days of sun, palm trees, and fun had opened a door for me. My childlike nature was ready for anything. And while I was still ignorant of the fact, this Snow White mythological tale was mine, that is, it would speak directly to my archetypal core. So for me, this experience would prove way more powerful than any other I'd had at WDW.

Ti and I were not the only adults in the queue for this ride. Many had kids in tow, but substantial numbers did not. We boarded our vehicle, waited for the bar to release, then lower, and headed off into the bowels of this "dark" ride.

The WDW ride begins by taking guests through the Queen's courtyard where Snow White is seen on the steps outside. The Queen is watching her (and us) from a castle window.

We then enter the castle and are greeted by the speaking Magic Mirror. As we turn a corner, we see the Queen standing, gazing upon her reflection in the mirror. Suddenly she spins to face us, but instead of the Queen, we see the green-eyed, nearly toothless Hag.

The ride continues into the dungeon where the cackling Hag stands over her frothing cauldron, poison apple in hand. The Queen's huntsman suddenly urges Snow White to run away and we escape into the dark forest. A thunder bolt flash reveals the princess, she screams as her dress gets caught by claw-like branches. The trees have eerie scowls and floating logs loom in the swamp like lurking crocodiles. Creepy eyeballs fill the shadows.

We hear the Dwarfs' "Silly Song" in the distance as we reach the safety of their cottage.

The refuge doesn't last long as we pass the Witch giving Snow White the apple, and upon exiting the cottage, hear her crowing that she is 'Now the fairest in the land'.

The ride heads into the Dwarfs' mine where we hear them calling out that the Witch is getting away. They head off in pursuit, scrambling up a rocky ledge. She stands upon a precipice over us and attempts to dislodge a boulder on our heads. But a bolt of lightning strikes and the Old Hag meets her demise.

It was at this point that the music kicked in--the finale reprise of Someday My Prince Will Come from the original 1937 film. The hairs on the back of my neck stiffened, and a chill ran up my spine.

We return to the forest where Snow Whites lies still on her bier. The prince is bending over the sleeping princess as he's about to kiss her.

Above two images © Disney via Walt Disney World website.

In the final scene, we hear Snow White saying "Goodbye" to the dwarfs and us as she and the Prince head to their castle in the clouds.

I don't know how to explain it exactly, but upon exiting the ride, I was in a bit of a quasi-daze. The imagery coupled together with the music had in a manner of speaking tapped into my inner circuitry. It was as if a light was suddenly turned on inside. This archetypal fairytale now had meaning for me, and the deeper symbolism of it all somehow made sense.

Nine years after the fact, the Snow White mythology continues to exert influence over me, hence the writing of a blog dedicated to Miss White.