When Snow White and the Seven Dwarves made its first theatrical debut at Carthay Circle Theatre on December 21, 1937; it was an instant hit for Disney. Critics and audiences alike praised this animated film to the stars hailing it as a work of art for both children and adults. And by “stars”, I mean that literally. You know, since stars like Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton were in the audience at the time. Thus, you can understand why the Walt Disney Company ordered a 4K restoration of this classic. You can also understand then why Disney wants to stream this version on Disney+.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves 4K Restoration on Disney+: Details

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves restoration comparison.
What do you mean the sky isn’t supposed to be yellow-tinted?

The Walt Disney Company is proud to bring Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to Disney+. Not just any version of Snow White though. This version will be a 4K Ultra HD version that Disney ordered specifically for their turning 100 this year in 2023.

Apparently, the Walt Disney Studios Restoration and Preservation team worked with key artists from Walt Disney Animation Studios just for this restoration. Note that this was the same team that restored Cinderella (1950). Thus, we can expect good things from them. In fact, animator/director Eric Goldberg (head of hand-drawn animation for Disney Animation’s newest short, “Once Upon A Studio,” director, “Pocahontas,” “Fantasia/2000”) has a few words about this Snow White and the Seven Dwarves 4K restoration, which he’s work on with Michael Giaimo (production designer for the upcoming animated musical adventure “Wish,” as well as “Frozen” and “Frozen 2”). You can check out Goldberg’s exact words below:

The opportunity to help restore Snow White was both an honor and a challenge. As the very first Walt Disney feature, Mike Giaimo and I felt we owed a debt to history to get it looking as beautiful, and as accurate to the original colors, as we could. The muted palette and the delicate watercolor backgrounds evoke the illustrated fairy tales that Walt so loved, and the story and characters continue to resonate to this day. I hope our work inspires future generations of animation artists to fully appreciate the masterful talent and care that has gone into this landmark film.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves 4K Restoration on Disney+: When?

This 4K restoration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves will arrive on Disney+ on October 16, 2023.

Alas, Disney+ needs a paid subscription to access. Thus, if you want to watch this Snow White and the Seven Dwarves restoration, you will need to shell out cash for it. It’s $7.99/month for Disney+ with ads, and $10.99/month for the no ads version. Note though that on October 12, 2023; Disney+ will raise the price of the latter to $13.99/month. Just as a heads-up.

Tune back in to THS for more Disney news as we get it.