The Fairest One of All : The Making of Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was first shown to a theatrical audience in December 1937 and brought overwhelming, joyous applause from a house full of hardened film-industry professionals. In subsequent months it would open around the world, happily acclaimed by audiences and critics everywhere as one of the best films of the year, if not the decade.

From today’s perspective, its stature is even greater—named as one of the best movies of all time by the American Film Institute, and still beloved by children and adults around the world, Snow White can be seen as the flowering of an all-too-brief Golden Age of animation as well as a fascinating document of its time.

Such a level of artistic achievement doesn’t happen by accident. Walt Disney and a staff of exceptionally talented artists labored over Snow White for four years, endlessly working and reworking their scenes to achieve an ever higher standard. The result, as we know, was magnificent and game-changing for the Disney Studios and, indeed, for the art of animation itself.

This book is the first to reconstruct that process in exacting detail, with the loving attention it deserves from an internationally noted film scholar. Author J.B. Kaufman spent years researching the film’s history, interviewing participants, and studying the marvelous archival art that appears in these pages. The result is a work that can be appreciated equally as a piece of film history and as a collectable art book, a joy for anyone who loves film, animation, and the magical world that Walt Disney created.

"What a magnificent achievement! No one has ever explored the making of this milestone feature with such thoroughness, or with the ability to place it in the larger context of movie history as well as the Disney timeline. I learned a lot, and I’m sure other Disney aficionados will echo my praise.” -Leonard Maltin

“The Fairest One of All is the astounding chronicle of an unlikely band of cartoonists and their brilliant leader, Walt, who pioneered a new art form in the middle of the great depression. J.B. Kaufman dives deep into this true story of vision, innovation, and grit that brought Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to life and made it one of the most beloved films of all time. It’s an unprecedented look behind the screen at a seminal chapter in the history of American art and cinema." -Don Hahn (Academy Award-Nominated Producer of Disney's Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King)

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the one that started it all, setting such a high bar that animated films today still struggle to match its creative and technical artistry. As this thoroughly researched book reveals, its success was no accident. No detail was too small to escape the scrutiny of Walt Disney and his staff. J.B. Kaufman provides a jackpot of information and stories of the amazing people who made this pioneering film." -Pete Docter (Director of Monsters, Inc and Up)

"Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the true landmarks of film history. J.B. Kaufman's book The Fairest One of All is by far the most complete telling yet of the making of this spectacular film, which paved the way for a medium and industry that has been healthy and vibrant for 75 years. Filled with phenomenal stories, details, and artwork, this book is a treasure equal to that of the movie itself. If you love Snow White, Disney, or animation, this book is a must-have." -John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios)

An in-depth history and work of film scholarship written for a popular audience, this extensive yet compellingly readable book includes fascinating facts and never-before-told stories about the making of the film feature-length cartoon. Filled with amazing art and never-before-published concept sketches. Published in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of Snow White. Published in conjunction with a major exhibit of Disney art at the Walt Disney Family Foundation Museum, and 75th anniversary celebrations of the movie. Marketing support to come from the Foundation.

La sortie de ce livre doit coïncider avec une exposition qui se tiendra au Walt Disney Family Museum de San Francisco pour célébrer le 75e anniversaire du premier long métrage d'animation de Walt Disney.