‘Snow White’ Director Marc Webb Discusses Inspirational Trip to the Walt Disney Archives
Nearly 88 years after Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and changed the course of Hollywood history, the studio is bringing the iconic story back to theaters with their live-action remake Snow White.
After a series of incidents and accidents that sparked numerous controversies, Disney has done a great job highlighting the new film’s connection to the animated classic in recent weeks.
In a new interview with Disney, director Mark Webb could not contain his excitement when discussing the modern twist on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Photo: Disney
“Snow White is iconic, obviously, and the opportunity to look at that character and her story through a slightly new lens was thrilling,” Webb said.
“I kept thinking about my daughter and what messages I want to send her way; I want her to be proud of what her dad is working on, and this was a great way to do that. There’s something elemental about Snow White’s kindness, but she’s also quite brave. She finds the best in people, and so I think Snow White is a reminder that there’s real value in being kind and having good faith.”
Drawing Inspiration From the Walt Disney Archives
When setting out to create the new version of Snow White, Webb visited the Walt Disney Archives to find inspiration.
Photo: D23
“One of my favorite discoveries was an early sketch of the prince in the dungeon,” Webb said.
“There’s not much of a storyline in the original film about him. It’s all very lovely and graceful and so beautifully rendered. So, we went back and we used what Walt Disney had started to build and expanded on that in our movie. The storyline with Jonathan, who’s the love interest in our movie, really began with that one image of the prince stuck in the dungeon. It felt like we were reaching into the past and connecting with the incredibly talented animators who had come before us.”
The Film Reuses Instruments From ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’
Another invaluable treasure Webb and Jeff Morrow, who scored the new film, found in the Disney Archives were instruments used on the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs soundtrack.
Photo: Disney
“The Archives brought out the old jugs that were used in ‘Silly Song’. Jeff and I actually got to play them on the Disney studio lot,” Webb said. “We recorded them, and you can hear them in ‘Silly Song’ — and in ‘Whistle While You Work, by the way! You can hear the calliope bit as Sneezy is sneezing his way through the song.”
A Mix of New and Old
When asked about Snow White’s new songs, which were penned by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Webb was adamant that the soundtrack was made to be heard in a theater.
Photo: Disney
“You want to be surrounded by all the emotion; it makes for a thrilling, completely profound, fun time at the movies,” Webb explained. “It’s like going to a concert or a live show. You get to experience it with a crowd and hear the excitement. I just experienced it at the premiere, and the response was humbling. It was wonderful to hear the laughs, the cheers, the sighs, the applause. That was as good of an experience as I’ve had in my career.”
Snow White is in theaters now.
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