The Bottom Line
Pros
- Uses Blu-ray technology more fully, offering a richer, more interactive experience
- Includes games and activities that are actually worth doing and enhance the value of the release
- Presents Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fully restored in high definition
- Contains a wealth of "making-of" and "Backstage Disney" material that is interesting and educational
Cons
- Navigation around the Hyperion Studios menu may take some time to figure out, but is well worth it
Description
- "Snow White Returns": Disney animators present newly discovered storyboards and show what the featurette might have been like
- "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall": Answer a few questions and get a phone call from the princess who is most like you!
- "Hyperion Studios": – Audiences are digitally transported to 1937 to discover Hyperion Studios and the making of Snow White
- "The One That Started It All": Feature on Walt Disney's bold vision and how Snow White forever changed the industry
- Audio Commentary hosted by John Canemaker
- Fun family games: "Jewel Jumble" and "What Do You See?"
Guide Review - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition - Blu-ray Review
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition marks the first ever Diamond Edition Disney release. Disney has stated that the new Diamond Edition line will set a new standard in home entertainment saying, "The most immersive and highest level viewing experience ever available, it includes unparalleled features, exclusive and updatable high definition content, superior picture and sound, and much more." So, does the new Snow White Blu-ray live up to this description? While I have been impressed with Blu-ray overall, Snow White is the first Blu-ray release that actually made us sit back and say, "Wow!"
BD technology is employed like never before from the first moment the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs menu comes up. When we put the movie in, Magic Mirror pointed out the fact that this was the first time we had viewed the movie, and he even commented on the weather. Magic Mirror serves more as a guide than a mere menu, which was very impressive to our kids.
What impressed them even more, though, was the "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall" bonus feature. Our girls had a blast answering questions to determine which princess they were most like, and they were astounded to have that very princess call them on the telephone shortly thereafter. The phone call is just a pre-recorded message, of course, but they were dancing around the living room with joy over it.
Of course, the Blu-ray edition offers the remastered movie in the excellent quality we've come to expect from the format, along with the optional Disney View feature to enhance the screen and make it appear that the movie is taking up the whole TV. Also similar to previous Disney Blu-ray releases, the Diamond Edition contains a wealth of Backstage Disney material with amazing footage about the history and making of the movie. The Snow White Diamond Edition presents the interesting and historical features within a unique and complex menu that guides viewers around 1937 Hyperion Studios. The featurettes include actual audio interviews from the animators and others who worked on the film and much more, giving audeinces a real appreciation for Walt Disney's bold vision and how he changed the industry forever with the production of a feature-length animated movie.
The Hyperion Studios menu may be hard to get used to at first, as there are no good instructions on how to find the index and figure out how to navigate around the features in each "room" of the studios. Don't worry though, if you miss anything, Mirror will probably point it out and urge you to go back.
