The original Disney princess: 75th anniversary of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’

A statue of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs owned by Michael Jackson is seen on display in Beverly Hills, California, April 13, 2009. Thousands of items owned by Jackson will be auctioned off starting April 22, 2009 by Julien's Auction and could raise between 10 and 20 million dollars.The jewel-encrusted glove is the most iconic piece, it's estimate is between 10 and 15,000 dollars, but it could easily sell for something in the region of 100 to 200,000 dollars. The Beverly Hills exhibition of Jackson items going under the hammer give a rare insight into the pop star's former life at Neverland. Extraordinarily elaborate costumes, a customised Rolls Royce limousine, antique furniture, lifesize statues of superheroes and Star Wars villains, from Batman to Darth Vader, and a fully equipped computer game arcade are among the lots. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Even at 75, the answer is still the original Disney princess, Snow White.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Even at 75, the answer is still the original Disney princess, Snow White. In 1937, Walt Disney produced his first full length feature production, kicking off what would become the largest entertainment franchise in history.

While everyone knows Snow White and the lovable dwarfs, most people don’t know that Disney had the entire future of his career riding on the film’s success. Obviously, the gamble paid off. To celebrate, Disney created the Cathay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, a replica of the Carthay Circle Theater at which the film originally premiered 75 years ago.

What did the movie do for Disney and his company? What did it do to legitimize animation as a film genre? What do you love most about this historic and timeless film?

Guest:

Charles Solomon, film critic and animation historian for KPCC, author for amazon.com