There was a definite feeling of both anticipation and anxiety when Quinn and I sat down to begin this marathon. Neither of us really knew what to expect from a project like this, long and involved as it will probably prove to be. In my specific case, I knew that these movies were even more popular and beloved than the stuff I've tackled on this blog so far, and that correspondingly the pressure I'd place on myself to write about them with care would be far greater. Would it even be worth doing it when they've all been talked to death already? When challenged to say something original, it's best to speak from the heart, something that I find appropriate to do when considering the importance Disney's animated movies have had in my life.
Despite that, Snow White (1937) and Pinocchio (1940) were a bit of a blank spot for me. Like many movies that will feature later on this marathon, I had at the very least seen Pinocchio as a kid, but never again since. In fact, where Snow White is concerned, I had a much clearer memory of the trailer for the original 2001 DVD release that played before the feature on the home release we had of Dinosaur (2000) than the actual movie itself. That trailer made it seem very dark and mysterious, its ominous music and its shots of the Evil Queen's disguise causing that crone face to feature in a few of my early nightmares.
Of course, the movie didn't live up to my dark and frightening childhood imaginings. Although the movie isn't afraid to play with the grotesque (such as in the aforementioned disguise of the Queen or the scene where Snow White flees through the forest), it is decidedly light in its tone elsewhere, as well as its content. It is clear to see that the art of animated storytelling was still in its infancy, as the story mostly passes from incident to incident until the plot decides to happen in the last ten minutes. It seems that they cared a little more about comic relief with the dwarves than about Snow White as a character. But still, I don't mean to make this sound like too much of an indictment. Although it's nothing special as a story, it is undeniably something special as a work of art. The sophistication of the animation techniques used is doubly impressive considering the age of the movie, and the colors and composition of each shot were a treat.
Pinocchio is in a similar boat in some ways, showing its age in a lot of areas (and not just the culturally insensitive parts), but the progression from Snow White is clear. On a beat-by-beat basis it holds together as a story much better than its predecessor. It all serves to impart a pretty didactic "do the things you're supposed to do and don't be selfish" lesson for kids, but at least it's something. The lush forest setting of Snow White is replaced by an intricately decorated world which, between Geppetto's workshop, the town it inhabits, and the carnival, seems like a pretty full and well-realized setting. The scene where Pinocchio and Geppetto escape from Monstro's maw is also head and shoulders above any animation that Snow White had to offer.
All that being said, I find that I do slightly prefer Snow White, simply for its daring. Although it wasn't the first animated film per se, it certainly laid the foundation for all others to follow. Disney gambled with Snow White and it paid off in a big way; for that achievement, I salute it.
At the end of the day, Quinn and I agreed that both of these movies are solid and worth watching at least once. However, we're both much more excited for the next movie on the playlist, which went somewhere else entirely.
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