The first of Walt Disney’s new Diamond Collection, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition, is thoroughly restored to the highest level of picture and sound. It features  groundbreaking, state-of-the-art immersive bonus content and includes unprecedented levels of interactivity, personalization and customization made possible only by Blu-ray technology.

“Walt Disney’s gift of telling captivating and engaging stories was matched only by his passion for presenting them in the most spectacular way,” said Walt Disney Studios’ Chairman Dick Cook. “We are proud to continue his pursuit of excellence with ‘The Diamond Collection,’ which brings the films that are the foundation of our Company to audiences of all ages across the globe.”

The Diamond Collection will continue with releases of Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, The Lion King, Bambi, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, Sleeping Beauty, and Pinocchio.

Snow White was a year-long project. The negative is 75 years old. Experts cleaned 120,354 frames after having scanned 361,062 frames and then did the digital combination. Several Disney experts and executives participated in an interview about the new Snow White release and provided an inside look into the historical past of the film and the newest technology that helped create this newest treasure.

“Disney has been making films since the ‘30s and many of these films from other studios and ours are at high risk and are beginning to disappear, due to several things that happen,” said Sara Duran Singer, Senior VP in charge of post production at the Walt Disney Studios and Executive Director of the Restoration Committee. “Some of the things that we’re suffering from is Vinegar Syndrome. Basically the film is beginning to dissolve and eventually it will become this gooey mess.”

Singer explained they found problems with Snow White when they retrieved the original negative. “Splices were basically beginning to fall apart; so the handling of the film had to be done very carefully. We worked very closely with Kodak Pro Tec and Technicolor Preservationists, who go through the film and fix all the splice damages so we can use that original negative. Not only do we restore, but we also preserve them.”

Dave Bosser, the Creative Director of Walt Disney’s Animation Studio Special Projects and the Artistic Supervisor of the restoration and preservation efforts at the Disney studios, explained animated films are shot on successive exposure film. “This is essentially a black and white negative and each frame of film is represented by three color records on that black and white negative,” he said. “What’s really interesting and exciting about the combining of the three color records now, is that we’re doing that combination digitally so it’s a lot more accurate, and we wind up getting a much crisper image than if it was done mechanically at the Technicolor lab.”

While some classic movies seem dated, animated films like Snow White has stood the test of time. “They’re fairy tales,” Singer said. “They’re all about good triumphing over evil and purity and happiness and joy and everybody needs a little bit of that in their life. And to some extent they’re all part of our childhood memories. They’re all embedded in us.”

Taking these extraordinary steps ensures that a film will not only maintains its entertainment value but also continue to evolve and mesmerize audiences. Bosser believes the effect they have on audiences spurs experts to spend years on the restorations. “I think what’s special about the Disney feature films and the reason why they endure through the years, is that they touch all of us emotionally on some level,” he declared.  “And most of these films, in my mind, speak of hope, that there is hope.”

With exciting scenes of Snow White and the dwarfs merrily dancing, singing and enjoying life beautifully restored, the joy Walt Disney intended with this film will continue to entertain and astound generations to come.

(Photo credit: WDSHE)