According to The Walt Disney Family Museum, not only was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” Disney’s first debut feature, it was also the first feature-length animated film in the U.S. Its innovation was due to several things, one of them being something called personality animation (via The Library of Congress). In other words, each character was individualized and had their own personality (such as each of the seven dwarfs).

Furthermore, scenes were often studied, analyzed, and recreated until they were perfected (via American Cinematographer). Live actors, usually in costumes, were photographed doing the desired action. Using a Moviola (a viewing machine), this would then guide animators with their drawings. To create the illusion of depth, a multi-plane camera was used (via Filmsite). According to E! Online, the film included only 250,000 sketches of the more than 2 million that were completed.

When the film was released, it made over $8 million dollars, a previously unimaginable amount during the Great Depression (via History). Disney won an honorary Academy Award for the film and, delightfully, seven smaller ones. It was also the first film to release an official soundtrack for purchase. In 2008, AFI named “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” as the best animated movie of all time.