"She lives with seven men, but that doesn't mean she's easy"

That quote, from last summer's masterpiece Shrek, is an indication of the enduring impact and popularity of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. Even today, more than 40 years after that movie's release and through the vast changes in technology that have changed the way we look at movies, this film still retains its power.

Out of the original crop of Disney animated films; Snow White is definitely the leader (followed closely by Peter Pan). Disney has made scores of animated movies and many of them are classics. But when one thinks of a classic Disney animated movie, Snow White is usually the first one that springs to mind.

What makes Snow White so popular? Well for one thing it's got that aura of mystery and surprise that is still there today. It's hard to remember now (for those of you who were around at that time). But at the time this film was released, movie animation was a relatively new thing.

There's also something innocent and reassuring about it. Call me a sucker all you want. But I know that pretty much everyone out there secretly hopes that someday his or her prince (or princess) will come along.

Most people reading this will be familiar with the plot, so I won't spend too much time on it. Snow White is born as the daughter of a beautiful queen. However the good queen dies and an evil queen takes her place. This queen wants to be known as the fairest in the land and she asks her magic mirror who the fairest is. Things go okay until one day the Mirror tells her that Snow White is the fairest in the land. So she orders that Snow White be killed. However the huntsman can't bring himself to do it and tells her to run like hell. She soon winds up in the forest at a beautiful cottage. This cottage is home to the seven Dwarfs (No I refuse to name all of them: Sleepy, Dopey, Happy, Bashful, Grumpy, Doc and Sneezy. Whoops! Too late). When they first meet Snow White, she's sleeping in their beds. At first they're not sure about her. But after a while, they come around and soon she's taken on the role of housekeeper while the Dwarfs bring home the bread.

So now Snow White is in a beautiful house with seven men (Although I never hear her say to herself: Well how did I get here?). But the wicked queen is still out there. And as we all know, this will set the stage for the film’s climax.

I'll stop with the plot there and talk about a few of the film's more interesting aspects. Like, Snow White has seven men to live with. But she still longs for her handsome prince. Actually, when you think about it, it's a good thing that Snow White wasn't attracted to one of the dwarfs. Because if she was, they might soon be fighting over her and that would get awful messy.

Part of the Snow White magic is the fact that it comes from an era when Disney was new and still testing the waters and willing to try anything. The PC minded Disney of today wouldn't go anywhere near this one. Or if they did it would be (as several others have pointed out) renamed Snow White And The Seven Vertically Challenged Men. And don't count on them finding Snow White sleeping in their bed. In the new version she would be lounging in their easy chair.

Another part of the Snow White experience is the music. While this one isn't as musical as other Disney animated films, it does feature two memorable numbers ("Someday My Prince Will Come" and of course "Hi-Ho"). The simple approach actually works in its favor. If Disney made this film today, it would most likely feature pop songs by Celine Dion or Phil Collins or Elton John.

Snow White stands today as the leader of the Disney animated film classics. It's one that will continue to be watched and treasured for generations to come. I couldn't see them doing the same with Atlantis.