Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was nicknamed 'Disney's folly' but became a hit that's still as popular today



When Snow White first took up with the seven dwarfs, it could have been so different.



Sneezy was originally called Deafy; Bashful could have ended up as Baldy and one can only wonder at the kind of film that would have a character called Chesty.



But 70 years after its release, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs arguably remains the greatest animated feature of all.



Disney classic: But even Walt's own wife thought people wouldn't like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Made in 1937, it was the first full-length animation from the Disney studios. It was dubbed 'Disney's Folly', with many predicting a costly failure. Instead, it went on to become the year's highest grossing film.



The Disney studio had made its name through shorts starring Mickey Mouse, but Walt believed that through features it could expand.



For a long time, he was the only one who felt that way. Even his wife remarked: 'No one's ever gonna pay a dime to see a dwarf picture'. But they did, and still do.

Snow White continues to be re-issued every few years - this month it's out on Blu-ray - and manages to gross about $40m each time.



The film took three years to make - it took weeks to shoot just 20 seconds of the hour and 23-minute-long film and Dirty, Cranky, Flabby and Burpy were some of the names under consideration for the dwarfs.

J.B. Kaufman, a Disney historian, says: 'Deafy was in the running and a typical exchange would've been, "Are you going fishing?" to which he would reply, "No, I'm going fishing".'



It was the first time the studio animated a human and they enlisted 14-year-old Marge Champion to act as Snow White.



Now 90, Marge's graceful movements were captured on film to aid the animators, while unlucky menfolk spent hours on their knees as dwarfs.



It was also the first film to have its own soundtrack and merchandising campaign.



Adults outnumbered children in the cinemas. It would not get off the ground today.



Feminists would denounce Snow White's subjugation of her rights to the demands of her seven male oppressors.

And Dopey and Bashful replaced by Intellectually Deficient and Socially Maladjusted? It hardly bears thinking about.



