CELEBRATING DISNEY’S ORIGINAL PRINCESS WITH RELATED COLLECTIBLES FROM THE HERITAGE ARCHIVES
When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in Hollywood on December 21, 1937, it was the first full-length animated movie, and it remains one of the most beloved films of all time. But not everyone was onboard with Walt Disney’s vision in those early days. In fact, naysayers dubbed Snow White “Walt’s Folly,” predicting that the ambitious project would bankrupt the still young studio. The cynics soon would find out how wrong they were when the movie went on to become the top-grossing film of 1938 and, for a while, the top-grossing film of all time, until it was supplanted by Gone With the Wind in 1939. In honor of the groundbreaking movie’s 85th anniversary, we rounded up related items from the Heritage Auctions archives.
THIS HAND-INKED and hand-painted original production cel setup from the 1937 animated classic features Snow White in a character-defining moment as she sings “With a Smile and a Song” with the birds of the forest. It sold for $14,400 in a February 2022 Heritage auction.
THE DISNEY STORE opened its first location in Glendale, California, in March 1987, and by 1997, there were 749 outposts in the chain. Each store was decorated with large-scale displays showcasing famous moments in Disney animation history, including this display featuring the magnificent seven: Doc, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Grumpy and Dopey. The display sold for $43,200 in a June 2020 Heritage auction.
THIS OVERSIZE POSTER for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs practically tells the movie’s story in its entirety, with delicate watercolor scenes surrounding a gathering of all the characters. These 40 x 60 pieces were typically intended for front-of-house displays and, due to their difficult-to-store size, were rarely saved, making this poster a rare find. It realized $65,725 in a November 2007 Heritage auction.
GUSTAF TENGGREN’S ORIGINAL art for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ 1937 movie poster perfectly captures the major characteristics of each of the Dwarfs, as well as the timeless beauty of Snow White. It realized $59,750 in a February 2011 Heritage auction.
THIS ORIGINAL MODEL sheet was created to compare the sizes between Snow White, the average size of the Dwarfs, and the tallest and shortest Dwarfs. These character images were later printed and distributed as reference material to production artists. The original art realized $15,600 in a February 2022 Heritage auction.
THIS HAND-INKED, hand-painted production cel features the Evil Queen as she walks the stairs to utter one of the most famous lines in all of film history: “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” It sold for $59,750 in a December 2016 Heritage auction.
AFTER LEAVING DISNEY in 1946, animator Campbell Grant illustrated several Little Golden Book editions featuring Disney stories and characters, including a 1952 storybook in which he gave the Snow White tale his own personal touch. A set of eight original illustrations for the book sold for $10,200 in an April 2021 Heritage auction.