That success kickstarted a series of films that continues to this day.
During its original run in the ‘30s, Snow White took in over $7 million, more than four times its extravagant budget. You probably guessed that, seeing as how roughly 50% of every article at every entertainment website today is about something Disney owns. If Snow White tanked, Disney’s entire company could have collapsed, and with absolutely no precedent for feature-length animation at the box office, there was no reason to think the film would succeed. Not even Disney’s wife or brother (who was also his business partner) believed in the idea the company made shorts, not features, and that’s what American audiences expected, not just from Disney but from animation in general. The first American full-length animated feature-and the first full-length feature to use cel animation-was one of the most expensive movies ever made when it was released in 1937. Walt Disney took a massive risk with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
