Yesterworld: How Walt Disney's Snow White Changed Animation Forever - A History of "Disney's Folly"

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Hey all! I hope you enjoy this exploration of a time when feature length animated films were thought of as “unprofitable”, and how Walt Disney changed that perception forever with a little film called “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. It was a fascinating journey to dig through newspaper articles from the 1930’s talking about the film from it’s early production, to it’s February release, and impact in the following months and beyond. Remember, if you can dream it, you can do it! Mark/Yesterworld

[@Viking_Luchador]

A damn shame that the only features he ever won Oscars for were his nature documentaries, and Mary Poppins was the only film to get nominated for Best Picture (Snow White and Fantasia only getting "honorary" Oscars)

[@Rocketfoot7]

Fun fact... Disney had a bracelet created for his wife that had charm replicas of each of his Oscars that he received on it, with the name of the awarded film stamped on the base of each tiny statue :) Did a rather extensive project on Walt for a psychology course; he's a fascinating man to learn about!! Thanks for sharing Mark, great video as always!

[@flamingoliz]

If you go to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, you can see the bracelet there. It's pretty neat.

[@DistoryDan]

Yeah!!!! I just Pace back and forth waiting for new Yesterland videos Haha

[@gojoPart2]

Hi Disney Dan

OMG That gives me an idea, one of you should do a video on Yesterland.com

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

You are just the most awesome person!

[@thejurassicman661]

Walt Disney was a very influential man. Now if only the company itself can learn something from the creator

[@MrHEC381991]

Correction, he was an influential asshole that took all the credit. Just like Steve Jobs.

[@matheus5230]

MrHEC381991 He don't have all the credit. He was a creative force and all was primarily his Vision. He deserves most of the credit, of course.

[@MarkyMatey]

Snow white, a timeless classic.

[@raphaelmarquez9650]

Sheesh, even in the 30's, the Oscars still won't give animated films nominations for best picture.

[@roberthpilesund384]

Not the only Oscar snub for Disney, in 1982 movie Tron, the film was disqualified from receiving an Academy Award nomination for special effects, because the Academy felt at the time that using computers was "cheating".

[@raphaelmarquez9650]

lol, that kinda reminds me of the people today complaining about CGI and want stop motion to come back.

[@Abbimation.]

And especially 2D animation and mature CGI movies

[@hotwax9376]

They've since given two or three of them a Best Picture nomination, but none have won.

[@flamingoliz]

Tron's computer special effects weren't as easy as today either. It was quite a process that definitely deserved recognition.

[@BrokebackBob]

Absolutely wonderful Yesterworld episode! I saw this film in a re-release re-mastering in our city's finest theater in 1962 with my sister and it was one of the happiest days of my life. Thank you for the wonderful memory.

[@Riz2336]

Even though it's the earliest Disney film it's among my all time favorites, I even named my white pet rabbit Snow White because I liked it so much as a kid.

[@tballin92]

Your vids are always worth the wait, keep it up! 👏

[@jZ0357]

Originally the Disneyland castle who is going to be inspired by the snow white castle but they decided to go with sleeping beauty

[@SirBlackReeds]

Interestingly enough, Walt Disney Studios's first animated feature was nearly The Snow Queen.

[@ToonLink1210]

Another great video!!! Keep it up, man!!!!

[@AssassinKillua15]

0:50 50 cents to buy a dinner at a restaurant? How times have changed. I can't think of a single thing you can get at a restaurant nowadays that's 50 cents. Not even an extra side is that inexpensive. And snow white was destined to succeed. It was the most innovative piece of animation at the time. It broke boundaries in every way regarding the process in how it was made. I know it was happening through the great depression, but still. The rich still made it successful and even those who weren't rich were intrigued enough to spend money to view it in a theater. And it had Disney behind the name.

[@JBuddis]

50 cents of 1930s money is around 8 dollars in today's fare. Still cheap, for sure.

[@Midoriventure]

Er...maybe extra cheese on a burger? Maybe. Or like, an extra tomato slice....

[@LittleJoeTheMoonlightCat]

Okay The Thumbnail is Walt saying "I'm so happy, I could just bust." with Snow White by his side and the witch with a basket full of Awards. a few slight Changes for Snow White (2025) Walt with his Eyebrow cocked like Yensid The Sorcerer from The Sorcerer's Apprentice his Name is Disney Spelled backwards, And Disney says I'm So Disappointed in you as he looks a Rachel Zegler's Snow White. And Gal Gadot as The Witch is holding a Basket of Golden RAZZIES. Well The Nay Sayers were right, They just got the year wrong. Snow White (2025) is Disney's Folly.

[@Musicradio77Network]

This movie was released around the same time, “The Cinnamon Bear” was a children’s radio serial where it lasted 25 episodes from late November until Christmas Day, 1937, the episode was called “The Bad Dolls”.

[@TheRadical42]

Excellent video! I was surprised it wasn't specifically about a theme park attraction but it was still a great, fun and informative video to watch. Good job!

[@zahirsookoor2673]

Great video and well researched..I knew SWatsd was big but not on this massive level of success. Good job covering that

[@freddyrichards878]

Never thought you'd ever make this but I'm so happy!

[@AdamWeissbradley]

Even if I already know a lot about the topic, I always learn something I didn't know before, whenever I watch one of your videos. Great Job!

[@hotwax9376]

If only more animators today were willing to take the kind of gutsy rusks that Walt Disney did with Snow White...

[@Austinator0630]

It shouldn't be surprising that Walt Disney Animation is to this date the king of all feature animation. Not even Studio Ghibli could even achieve that title.

[@hotwax9376]

And Snow White is a big reason for that.

[@AOA14]

Amazing content!

[@PlanetZoidstar]

Can we all just admire the sheer BALLS Walt had to basically gamble EVERYTHING on Snow White? Despite the negative reactions from his brother, wife, staff, and the media, he stuck to his guns even when his movie failing would basically RUIN him.

[@thehobovampire]

I just wanted to tell you, you're so great!! Thank you for making videos and feeding my theme park obsession! Good stuff, good content 10/10 always recommend. :>!!

[@colesinness2501]

I stayed up for this

[@Dr170]

Damn Academy of Motion Picture Farts and Incontinences. Holier-than-thou elitist snobs then, now, forever.

[@supernintendo6983]

Dr170 So Nothing has changed huh except for the politics. There still snobby douchebags. Who think they can tell us what to do with our freedoms

[@benjaminbowman1866]

What a wonderful story. Thank you

[@DigitalMetal]

At 4:21 did you mean to say 1938? The next shot says 1937.

[@darylturcott]

Great topic, I would have liked to have had time to read the newspaper articles.

[@supernintendo6983]

daryl turcott I’m sure you can find it on the internet or local libraries if they have a paper search machine

[@Midoriventure]

I was pausing it every other frame 😂

[@AndrewB..]

Awesome video as always!

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Thanks, truly appreciate it!

[@JohnathonBarker]

The Movie is now 80 Year's Old :)

[@SaraHouck461]

Johnathon Barker I can see why Freeform decided to marathon that film on Super Bowl Sunday a couple of months ago (as of the time I posted this reply).

[@JohnathonBarker]

Sara Houck Okay then, cool.

[@cooperwolfe5478]

Walt Disney was truly one of the greatest innovators when it came to entertainment. Not only did he popularize the idea of full length animated films, but in the early 50’s when nearly every movie studio was afraid that television was going to hurt them, Walt used it to his advantage and used it to help fund Disneyland. I know that he wasn’t always politically correct, and there are some instances where they are indefensible, but I hope that it doesn’t take away from what a brilliant man he was and how he helped shape the entertainment industry forever.

[@BeaufortRyan]

I like this story, because people thought it was gonna fail, yet became a hit.

[@DangerMouse-wc1bo]

tbt, the real reason for it's success is because they were calling it a flop, meaning more people would go and see why is suggested this way

[@maximus1023]

Best youtuber ☺

[@supernintendo6983]

Why hasn’t a movie have been made about this film? The history behind it would be cool.

[@weckar]

6:20 Can someone explain this list to me? It appears in the list twice...

[@judibickford5306]

Saw this in May but who cares! Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs is my favorite Disney film! Thanks ABunches, Mark!

[@jeffreylaveaux2254]

I am so excited that the snow white movie is the 1th walt disney of all in the us 🇺🇸

[@Manusmith]

Great video. At 6:17 I'm confused why your chart has "worldwide" stated twice and Snow White shows up twice. Was one of them supposed to be domestic or am I reading it incorrectly?

[@DigitalMetal]

I noticed the same thing, I do think that one of the titles was suppose to say "domestic".

[@yvonneesmeralda-yw8xf]

Snow White is a classic ❤❤❤

[@mattdisney1132]

I love Snow White

[@spmscout]

one day they're all mocking you for your "folly" the next day you created a massive entertainment empire.

[@55twintv39]

6:08 I get the first two.

[@55twintv39]

4:57 King Kong was the first to do it.

[@jonesyoungblood3420]

How genius is Walt disney

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

You might not like him but Disney has style

[@Viking_Luchador]

A damn shame that the only features he ever won Oscars for were his nature documentaries, and Mary Poppins was the only film to get nominated for Best Picture (Snow White and Fantasia only getting "honorary" Oscars)

[@cooperwolfe5478]

Yeah he won a couple Oscars for some of his short cartoons too, but it would have been nice to see him win a Oscar for one of his full length animated films.

[@Viking_Luchador]

@@cooperwolfe5478 yeah, if you count the awards for short films (animated and documentary) than he has won more awards than anyone else ever has or will

[@cooperwolfe5478]

@@Viking_Luchador Yeah I agree. I’ll say this, It would be interesting if Disney decided to make a biopic about Walt Disney.

[@Viking_Luchador]

@@cooperwolfe5478 there was a movie called "Walt Before Mickey" a few years ago, but it wasn't produced by Disney. It stars Thomas Ian Nichols as Walt Disney (who as a kid starred in the Disney movie "A Kid in King Arthur's Court", along with the non-Disney "Rookie of the Year") as well as Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) as Roy Disney. It wasn't that good. I'd give it a 4/10 Before that, there were rumors that Disney was making a movie simply called "Walt" and would star Ryan Gosling. Unfortunately, like so many other projects (especially Disney projects) this never left the planning stage. I worry that is Disney was to make a movie about their founder, they'd too easily gloss over some of the less flattering details about his life, and just reinforce his public image. I think that happens all too often when people are producers in movies about their own lives. I'll give "Bohemian Rhapsody" as an example. Great film, wonderfully acted. But Brian May & Roger Taylor were executive producers. So even though it's well known to rock historians than Queen was one of the wildest partying bands of their era, the movie only portrays Freddie Mercury as the one drinking, doing coke, and having random sex, while they are the sensible voices of reason in his life. This isn't always the case though. Johnny Cash and Ray Charles both knew they were at the ends of their lives, so when they were asked permission to make movies about them, they both insisted that the directors show everything, even when they were at their absolute worst -- don't romanticize me.

[@cooperwolfe5478]

@@Viking_Luchador I completely agree with you. I think it also depends if the company that a figure was associated with supervises the film. I don’t know if you’ve seen the film The Founder (which is a great movie, I definitely recommend). but that was about how Ray Kroc essentially stole McDonald’s away from the McDonald’s brothers, and while it makes him out to be the villain, because it doesn’t criticize the company McDonald’s was cool with the film.

[@danshull1331]

Can you do a video on how Shrek ruined animation forever?

[@austinreed7343]

Dan Shull Despicable Me finished the job.

[@VonFisch1]

3:48 you had to plug in a scene from A Beautiful Mind? I thought it looked familiar! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2mVm6R9psSnn9E

[@thevorum2906]

Who got the other unofficial oscar?

[@WillScarlet16]

It disgusts me to think how Walt nearly drove himself to ruin to create something new, and now Disney shoves their CGI "Snow White" into theaters just because it's familiar and an easy moneymaker, and nobody needs to waste time being creative. Thank God Walt isn't around to see that.

[@ApolloVIIIYouAreGoForTLI]

Do a video on that camera

[@ApolloVIIIYouAreGoForTLI]

plz

[@Aurora-Welch]

Yeah, It’s changed animation It was the first full Animated film.

[@CT--lj9ck]

Are your videos monitized?

[@CT--lj9ck]

If they aren’t we should make a petition to get your videos monetized.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Most of them are, though I'm extremely careful to make sure I don't violate any terms. Sometimes have to submit for a personal review based on generic flags. Appreciate your words, but thankfully I've been ok thus far.

[@CT--lj9ck]

You should label your videos as education so you don’t get flagged because there is no reason these videos should be flagged, you don’t even do KZbin for the money so they need a new system.

[@pink-a-palouza7888]

Watching cartoon in color is bad for your eyes....aaahhh that doesn’t make sense because we see color in our life out side of movie. 1:48 for contact

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

Color in films back then was a complicated process Example 3D Though successful the technology used to make it was primative

[@jorgecameras1]

disney. disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. y donald. oscar

[@55twintv39]

4:23 1938

[@litigioussociety4249]

Videos like this make me that much more annoyed when I see shows like Family Guy mock Walt Disney.

[@autobotstarscream765]

Those who hate beauty and love ugliness not only draw cartoons as hideous, spiteful nightmares but also hate and want to destroy beauty and those who love beauty, hence why John K. lashed out at CalArts, the animation college Walt founded to pass on the Disney way, not for making the cheap garbage CalArts gets blamed for but for raising up quality animators such as Don Bluth that wanted to carry on Disney's way, as John K. is a meticulous creative in his own right but incredibly cynical and wanting the world to see everything as ugly, repulsed by the likes of Walt Disney and Don Bluth, and one could say that Family Guy's creator Seth MacFarlane also pushes ugliness and cynicism, condemning sweetness as saccharine and beauty as unrealistic.

[@holdenmiller4193]

notication squad

[@ZGryphon]

To be fair, the last line could stand to be qualified a little bit: "If you can dream it, and you have a million and a half dollars and 600 talented artists who aren't in a ton of demand at the moment, you can do it." :)

[@Mariojinn2]

Walt literally put everything he had on the line to make it work. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He hired the animators, kept everyone on the same page and working towards a vision. He made it happen. Those who dare win. You'd be surprised what people can accomplish when they give a damn.

[@tedebear818]

INCREDIBLES 2

[@pedrogabrielduarte4544]

Jeepers his rivals don t even make a animated movie

[@loser7528]

...so did they have fake actors then??? Hmmmm

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

In short No Snow White NO ANIMATED FILMS

[@tyleranimated2334]

Early

[@MrHEC381991]

If it weren't for Max Fleischer, Snow White wouldn't have looked like that. All the credit belongs to the artists, writers, actors and musicians. NOT Walt Disney. He was the Steve Jobs of his time.

[@howtubeable]

Did you watch the video? Walt Disney acted out the entire story of Snow White for his imagineers. Clearly, this was Walt's vision.

[@MrHEC381991]

So what? All he did was look at all the hard work that he asked his employees to do and gave it the thumbs up. Also, if it weren't for rotoscoping(Fleischer), Snow White probably would've failed.

[@matheus5230]

MrHEC381991 You are understimating Disney's influence and artistry. Besides, no man in this movie must receive all credit. All the staff AND Walt Disney deserve credit. Not only the staff or only Disney himself. A project of this magnitude could not have been made by a single person. This was a very hard project with many people. But the biggest head behind the whole movie was Disney, it was his film, his risk.

[@tyleranimated2334]

1st

[@nowandaround312]

Kids in the 90's: Cried during the tragic scene when Simba's dad dies and he pitifully curls up next to him begging him to wake up. Adults in the 30's: Cried when a 31-year-old man magically woke up a 14-year-old girl by kissing her and then takes her as his wife when her pubic hair hadn't even fully grown in yet. Maybe they didn't know how young she is, but even so it's clear to any adult watching that Snow White is just a teenager, not an adult woman old enough to marry a man in his 30s. Most people just didn't care back then.