Snow White: Part 4

'Snow White' is one of the most famous fairytales and one of Brothers Grimm's most beloved stories for very good reason, and is something of a timeless classic. It is easy to make Snow White bland when it comes to adapting the story, but the evil queen is a very memorable character and one that is easy to make much out of if done right. Do like the dwarves, as long as one doesn't make them too annoying and gives them distinct personalities.

Although Disney's film is much more well known, and it is one of my favourites still, 'Grimm Masterpiece Theater's' adaptation of 'Snow White' is well worth watching, and not to be sneezed at just because it's lower in budget. It is most interesting for being the longest adaptation of the series, but that is not a choice that is a mistake but, with it being a less slight story than most fairytales, a necessary one. Up to this point of 'Grimm Masterpiece Theater', 'Snow White' is among the better adaptations and one of the better adaptations of the first season. Just to say the series is very interesting and definitely not something to be dismissed, the music and voice acting are variable but it has never really been bad looking at all, the characters are colourful and the stories are told with charm and respect.

Those last three good things are obvious in all four parts of 'Snow White'. Just in case you are wondering why there is reiteration here, it is because it applies to the whole adaptation. While the longest episode (1 hour and 20 minutes or so according to the video it was seen on) it is split here in four parts and am aiming to review all the episodes of the series.

Found all four parts to be very nicely done on the whole with the same strengths and flaws pretty much to each other, they also got better as the story progressed though am not sure which is better between the previous part and this.

Really liked that Thursday is much more likeable on the whole in this part, he is not as cantankerous and while the way he's drawn doesn't appeal to me still he is not as annoying. At the same time, the ending here didn't feel very satisfying, it felt more of a cheat actually and it's not a happily ever after for someone who actually deserved it.

Excepting the charming the intro and outro songs and that very catchy song of the dwarves, am still not a fan of the music. It still jars a bit, in style, in tone and how it doesn't really fit with what is going on. This was a constant problem with 'Grimm Masterpiece Theater' and was never really addressed. The dialogue is spoken too fast often and it and the mouths are not always in sync.

However, the animation, lack of finesse in some of the character animation aside, the animation is well done on the whole. It's atmospheric, mostly smooth and expressive and a nice job is done with the attention to detail in the backgrounds. The theme songs are pleasant and accompanied by well designed intros/outros. The writing always has something for older audiences yet also has just as much for youngsters (more the primary target audience). Really liked the humour provided by the dwarves.

Here, the storytelling continues to be charming, with respect shown for the original story while putting its own touches. It is slight but never felt dull. The poisoned apple sequence is well done, the hag's disguise is creepy (Disney does it better though) and the climax has the right amount of tension. The queen epitomises outer beauty and inner evilness as ought, while Snow White avoids being too saccharine or passive. The dwarves fare best with the characterisation though. Loved that the adaptation gave them individual personalities which made it easy to tell them apart and their sympathetic and humorous nature makes them very endearing. Naming them after the seven days of the weeks was a nice touch. 'Snow White' on the whole is one of the better voiced adaptations, the voice acting is very variable overall in the series but pretty much all the voices here fit the characters.

In conclusion, very well done. 8/10