Snow White (Disney character)
Originally, Disney could not find what they thought was a suitable voice for Snow White. Around 150 girls auditioned for the role of Snow White, including well-known actresses such as Deanna Durbin, whose voice seemed too old to Disney. One assistant to Disney called music teacher Guido Caselotti, complaining that Hollywood had no singing girls. Caselotti wanted to offer to send their best to listen to the students, but it turned out that his 20-year-old daughter Adriana overheard a conversation on another phone in the house, and she began to sing in a young girl's voice. Her father was confused and told his daughter to get away from the phone, but the casting director liked her voice and invited her to audition. After Walt Disney heard her, he immediately gave her the role. The studio signed a multi-page contract with Adriana Caselotti: she was forbidden to sing in a movie or on the radio before or after the movie premiered because Walt Disney did not want the voice of Snow White to be heard anywhere else. Instead, she received $970 (now worth approximately $).
Criticism of The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company has also been criticized for the lack of feminist values seen on the older, original Disney Princesses. Snow White in particular, is under constant criticism for her lack of feminist ideals. The film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)" features a main protagonist whom at the time, fit the domestic and docile expectations of women in the pre-World War 2 era. Snow White is displayed on screen covered in a long dress, embelished with a white collar, puffy sleeves, red cape, and a red bow constraining her hair; a traditional, modest look on feminity by revealing minimal skin. Through her actions portrayed in the movie, she draws on the traditional femininity that was encouraged in 1930's American culture. In the midst of The Great Depression, women were encouraged to return to the home and care for the household; a theme that is widely displayed in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)." However, with the second resurgence of Disney movies, known as the Disney Renaissance, beginning in 1989 until 1999, Disney transformed the damsel in distress into a strong woman with the desire for adventure. This new approach ushered in a decade of go-getting, proactive heroines, who possessed character traits that coincided with the new era of acceptable sexual roles in a society where women hold the same jobs as men. This is evident in princesses such as Ariel from "The Little Mermaid (1989)", and Belle from "Beauty and the Beast (1991)".