Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film. Not only was it a box office smash hit, but it also created a whole new genre of entertainment. But did you know the dwarves originally had different names?
In Disney’s Snow White, one of the original dwarves was called “Deafy,” and his main characteristic was misunderstanding others. This concept was eventually abandoned in favor of “Sneezy.”
Snow White and the Original 16 Dwarves
In the wildly successful animated feature, Disney’s first princess had Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey as roommates, but original concept art from the 1937 film now reveals that there were 16 other dwarfs who were almost part of Snow White’s posse.
You might be wondering how they ended up on the cutting room floor. Because of their potentially objectionable names, this collection of almost characters was mixed.
The 16 would-be dwarfs were given names based on their appearances or limitations rather than their personalities or attitudes. Tubby, Baldy, Deafy, and Shorty are some of the most extreme examples.
Wheezy, Lazy, Jumpy, Dizzy, Hickey, Gabby, Nifty, Sniffy, Swift, Puffy, Stuffy, and Burpy are the other 12 who didn’t make it. Not exactly the right company for the fairest of them all. These names were recently revealed due to Bonham’s in New York, auctioning 32 pieces of original artwork from Disney’s 1937 production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
Snow White is Disney’s first and most successful full-length animated picture. It is one of the top ten grossing films in North American history, has been saved in the National Film Registry, and is listed among the American Film Institute’s top 100 films. In other words, Disney’s decision to remove the 16 polarizing dwarfs was appropriate. (Source: Glamour)
The German Fairytale
Snow White which is formerly Schneewittchen is a German fairy tale included in the Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales collection in 1812. The story was transformed into a Broadway play, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1912 and produced by Winthrop Ames pseudonym Jessie Braham White.
This was when the seven dwarfs received their original names: Blick, the eldest, Snick, Flick, Plick, Whick, Glick, and Quee, the youngest.
In 1916, the fairy story was transformed into a silent film called Snow White, directed by J. Dawley, Searle. When a 15-year-old Walt Disney saw the movie, he was inspired to make his first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was released in December 1937. (Source: Owl Find Out)
Who Were The Seven Dwarfs?
The seven dwarfs are miners in the film who work all day and then sing and dance at night. After escaping the evil Queen’s plot to kill her, they invite Snow White to live with them.
Snow White is envious of her evil stepmother, who aspires to be the fairest of them all. The evil Queen orders the huntsman to kill Snow White and bring her the heart as proof.
Because he cannot do so, the huntsman spares Snow White’s life, and she flees into the forest, never to be seen again. This is where she discovers an empty house belonging to the seven dwarfs and settles in.
When the dwarves return to their cottage, she is seen sleeping in their bed. They eventually agreed to let her live with them in exchange for cooking and cleaning. (Source: Owl Find Out)