Princess Snow White, voiced by Adriana Caselotti. Snow White was the
daughter of a great king whose wife died when the daughter was very
young. Her wicked stepmother forced her to work as a scullery maid in
the castle. Despite this, she retains a cheerful but naive demeanor.
Virginia Davis, who starred in Disney's "Alice" series, was considered
for the role of Snow White, but was rejected. Deanna Durbin was also
considered, but was rejected because her voice was "too mature" for the
role.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
is a 1937 American film based on the eponymous European fairy
tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full length animated
feature to be produced by Walt Disney and one of the first in movie
history.
Doc, voiced by Roy Atwell. Doc is considered the leader of the seven
dwarfs, and is presumably the oldest. He wears glasses and often mixes
up his words. His job in the dwarfs' mine is to check the authenticity
of the many gems. Joe Twerp, who was famous for confusing words, was
considered for the role, but only played Doc in the radio version of the
movie.
Grumpy, voiced by Pinto Colvig. Grumpy is as his name suggests him to
be. He has the biggest nose of the seven and he automatically
disapproves of Snow White for the mere fact that she is a woman.
However, though initially too proud to show it, deep down he cares
perhaps the most for her safety. He repeatedly warns her of the threat
posed by the Queen and rushes to Snow White's aid upon realizing that
she is in danger, leading the charge himself.
Dopey, with vocal effects supplied by Eddie Collins. Dopey is the only
dwarf to have no beard at all; he is presumably the youngest of the
seven. As his name suggests, Dopey is clumsy. His clumsiness provides
comic relief to some of the plot. He is a mute, or at any rate never
speaks and does not know whether he can. His job at the mine is to clean
up all the unusable jewels and lock up the vault. He is always seen last
in line whenever the dwarfs walk to and from work. Although he is scared
at times, he can also be very brave, especially when Snow White is in
danger.
Bashful, voiced by Scotty Mattraw. Bashful is the shyest of the dwarfs,
and is therefore often embarrassed by the presence of any attention
directed at him. He frequently annoys Grumpy, though not as much as Doc.
In Walt Disney's own words, according to one of the film's original
theatrical trailers, Bashful is "secretly in love with Snow White".
Sneezy, voiced by Billy Gilbert. Sneezy's name is earned by his
extraordinarily powerful sneezes, which are seen blowing objects
(including his brothers) across a room. He has the shortest beard of the
seven (besides the beardless Dopey). The cause of his sneezes is hay
fever.
Happy, voiced by Otis Harlan. Happy is the joyous dwarf. He is the
fattest of the seven and is always laughing.
Sleepy, voiced by Pinto Colvig. Sleepy is always tired, as attested by
his heavy eyelids, and therefore usually appears laconic even in the
direst situations. His job at the mine is to haul all the diamonds and
rubies by cart to Doc for inspection. He has the longest beard of the
seven. Usually he is pestered by a fly, who appears as a background
character. (Sterling Holloway was considered for the role).