The Inspiration for Disney’s Original ‘Snow White’? Horror Movies, of Course
Disney's original animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had scenes influenced by films of the German Expressionist movement like Nosferatu.
Horror may not be the first word that comes to mind when most people think of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but all it takes is a quick look back at Walt Disney's 1937 classic to realize the film is much darker than most fans probably remember. Nowadays, Disney is largely synonymous with the same family-friendly fairy tales that have inspired multiple generations, and as a character who is arguably the studio's first princess, Snow White is synonymous with the classic image of a wholesome heroine. What most people forget is that the movie that started it all for the company is also brimming with equally unsettling visuals, which is what makes it all the more surprising to learn that Disney actually took inspiration from horror classics like Nosferatuwhen developing his feature-length fairy tale.
