Snow White Character Bio

Once Upon a Time...

Last updated August 1st 2024

Once upon a time, there lived a lovely little princess named Snow White...the first Disney Princess from the classic animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - the one that started it all - and one of the most iconic Disney characters of all time.

Read on to learn all about Snow White and her story, including a detailed analysis of her dress and appearance, complete with fun facts and pictures!

Snow White with the Apple

Table of Contents



About Snow White

Snow White is a kind and gentle young princess, the first-ever Disney Princess. She made her first appearance in the 1937 movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, based on the story Schneewittchen by the Brothers Grimm, published in 1812 as part of their collection of fairy tales.

She was inspired by actress Hedy Lamarr, voiced by actress and singer Adriana Caselotti and modelled after dancer and actress Marge Champion.



Snow White's Appearance

Snow White is around 14 years old, with "hair as black as ebony, lips as red as the rose and skin as white as snow".

She has a sweet, plump face with small lips, large brown eyes and thin, arched eyebrows. Her hair is short and curled in the style of 1930's Hollywood starlets, accented with a red headband with a bow.

Her iconic dress, which she wears for the better part of the movie, features a blue bodice, puffed red and blue slashed sleeves, a flowing yellow skirt and a high white collar with a dark maroon cape. She also wears pale gold shoes with small bows.



Snow White's Story

Snow White's father, a widowed king, remarried a woman practised in witchcraft. Following the king's death, this woman, known as Queen Grimhilde, the Evil Queen or simply the Queen, grew so fearful that Snow White's beauty would surpass her own that she forced the princess to work as a scullery maid.

The Queen would consult the slave in her Magic Mirror day after day, asking it again and again "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" At last, the Magic Mirror proclaimed young princess Snow White "the fairest one of all", sending the Queen into a jealous rage.



Snow White washing the castle steps

In the movie, Snow White first appears in rags, scrubbing the steps in the castle courtyard. This leads to the movie's first song "I'm Wishing", which Snow White sings while drawing water from a well. The Prince arrives soon after and begins to serenade her with "One Song".

The Queen sees all this from her window and, consumed with envy, orders her huntsman to kill her stepdaughter. But the hunstman can't bring himself to kill the innocent girl. He reveals to her the Queen's wicked plot, and urges her to flee for her life into the nearby forest.

Eventually lost and overcome with fear, Snow White collapses and begins to cry, but is soon approached by many animals, such as rabbits, birds, deer and racoons, who comfort her and lead her to the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs. They help her clean the cottage to the tune of "Whistle While You Work" and cook a meal in preparation for the return of the dwarfs, miners by trade.



Snow White arriving at the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs

When the men return to find her asleep in their beds, they are instantly charmed by her beauty. She wakes up and, after introducing herself and telling her story, begs them to stay, offering to continue to cook and clean for them in exchange, and they agree.

It isn't long before Snow White becomes good friends with the seven dwarfs, even winning over the suspicious, cynical Grumpy. They all have a great deal of fun together, dancing cheerfully while singing "The Silly Song", and later Snow White tells them about her true love, the Prince, and sings to them the song "Someday My Prince Will Come".



Snow White dancing with Dopey and Sneezy


After the Queen finds out that Snow White is alive and well and in hiding at the cottage, she disguises herself as an old beggar woman and creates a poisoned apple that sends its victim into "sleeping death", a curse that can be broken only by "love's first kiss".

The witch slowly makes her way to the cottage with the apple in a basket on her arm. She appears at the kitchen window, startling Snow White, who is baking a pie. Offering her a "magic wishing apple", she tricks the trusting girl into taking a bite of the poisoned apple, which sends her into a death-like sleep.



The Witch offering Snow White the poisoned apple

Witnessing this, the animals immediately alert the dwarfs, who rush home from their work at the diamond mine to find the Queen on her way out the cottage door. They chase furiously after her to the edge of a cliff. Trapped, she attempts to roll a boulder over them, but a bolt of lightning breaks the rock where she's standing, and sends her over the edge.

The dwarfs can't find it in their hearts to bury Snow White and instead place her in a glass coffin in a clearing and keep vigil by her side.

Months later, in the Spring, the Prince learns of the maiden who sleeps in the glass coffin and rides to her. He gives her "Love's First Kiss" which breaks the curse and awakens the princess. The two ride off to his castle, where they live happily ever after.



The Prince kissing Snow White


Snow White Quick Facts
Also known as: The Fairest One of All
Personality traits: Gentle, kind, sweet, romantic, optimistic, motherly, hard-working
Movie appearances: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Mickey's Magical Christmas; Ralph Breaks the Internet
TV appearances: House of Mouse; Sofia the First
Parents: Unknown
Best friends: the seven dwarfs (Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy and Sneezy) and the forest animals
Birthplace: Unknown
Age: 14
Occupation: Princess (one of 13 Official Disney Princesses)
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, baking, singing, dancing


Snow White Fun Facts

Walt Disney personally hired Adriana Caselotti, daughter of music teacher and voice coach Guido Caselotti and opera singer Maria Orefice, to be the voice of Princess Snow White. Her operatic training allowed her to hit the high notes written into the film's music.

Walt Disney won an honorary Academy Award in 1939 for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was recognized as a "significant screen innovation".

Snow White became the first fictional female character to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' 50th anniversary in 1987 (Mickey Mouse being the first fictional male character in 1978).



Snow White

Disney Characters

PinShareShare
×

Search Disneyclips.com