Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is regarded as one of the greatest animated movies ever made, but the movie could have looked completely different had it not been for one short cartoon released three years prior. Released in 1937, it made history by not only being Walt Disney’s first full-length animated movie, but also the first animated movie produced in the United States. The movie was adapted from the 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale, and while there are several notable differences between the book and movie, it is still regarded as one of the best adaptations.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is credited with having changed film animation and solidified Walt Disney’s legacy as a film producer and animator; Snow White’s success led to the Academy breaking two award rules and awarding Disney a unique Oscar. It inspired different merchandise, video games and an upcoming live-action Snow White remake starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. More than eighty years after its original release, Snow White is still considered the best Disney Princess movie, but it probably wouldn’t have reached the same levels of success, had it not been for a cartoon released three years earlier.

The Goddess Of Spring Was Disney’s First Cartoon To Use ‘Realistic’ Human Figures

The Goddess Of Spring Was Inspired By The Greek Myth of Hades and Persephone

In 1934, Disney released the 9-minute animated short movie, The Goddess of Spring, as part of its Silly Symphony series. The Goddess of Spring sees the тιтular goddess ruling over a land of eternal spring, when she is abruptly abducted by the Devil and taken to his underground kingdom. After some time, the two negotiate a deal where she will spend six months in his kingdom and six months above ground. The cartoon was inspired by the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone and was used to explain seasons to younger viewers (via D23).

Although The Goddess of Spring was the 48th entrant in Disney’s Silly Symphonies catalog, it was the first Disney animated cartoon to depict “realistic” human figures. By 1934, Walt Disney Studios had proven its skills in animation of animals, as seen through its successful Mickey Mouse shorts, but it had yet to master animating humans. Disney decided to use The Goddess of Spring to test out the studio’s skill at animating human characters, and during production, the animators used a new method of model sheets to depict human characters in different poses, expressions and positions (via Walt Disney Family Museum).

The Goddess Of Spring Proved More Work Was Needed For Snow White

Disney Animators Underwent Training Before The Production On Snow White

Upon its initial release, The Goddess of Spring was praised for its depiction of Greek mythology, but received criticism for its animation of its two human characters. In particular, the cartoon was criticized for its unrealistic human animation and the goddess’ “rubber arms” in the opening segment. One of the cartoon’s seven main animators, Les Clark, later admitted the difficulty he faced in animating the goddess and apologized to Walt Disney for the final results (via Cartoon Research). The overall disappointing results of The Goddess of Spring made Walt Disney understand that there was more work required for future animations.

In the months following the cartoon’s release, Disney hired Don Graham, a professor at the Chouinard Art Insтιтute in California, to teach anatomy classes to his animators. For eight years between 1932 and 1940, Graham served as the head of internal training and examined over 35,000 portfolios of potential animators (via Animation Resources). Disney’s animators improved their skills in human animation in time for the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The movie would undoubtedly not have been as big a success, had the studio not learned from the animation mistakes depicted in The Goddess of Spring.

Sources: D23, Walt Disney Family Museum, Cartoon Research, Animation Resources,