Fleischer Studios adapted to animation several classic fairy tales where they substituted Betty Boop in the leading role, such as Little Red Riding Hood (Dizzy Red Riding Hood 1931), Alice in Wonderland (Betty in Blunderland 1934), Cinderella (Poor Cinderella 1934), and Snow White, in what I believe is the first animated adaptation of the famed Brothers Grimm classic.
Betty Boop (voiced by Mae Questel), looking as vivacious as ever, visits her wicked step-mama, The Queen, only to be ordered to be taken away and executed by her guards, Bimbo and Koko the Clown in knight armor, after the magic looking glass proclaimed Betty the fairest in the land. Bimbo and Koko have always been in love with Betty, so of course things don't go as the Queen would like.
I like the way Betty's signature leg garter, in a way, substitutes the wild boar's heart from the original fairy tale, a remainder of Snow White to prove to the queen she was dead. Yes, in the book the wicked queen demands Snow White's heart after her execution. She ends up salting, cooking, and eating a boar's heart all the while thinking it is Snow White's. It's pretty messed up for a children's tale, so I grinned with glee when I read it.
Snow White is a fun and memorable musical cartoon adaptation, but I think most viewers stop caring about the plot when the movie climaxes into another smokin' Cab Calloway performance, a la Minnie the Moocher, during which the evil step mother turned witch transforms Koko into a moon-walking roto-scoped specter while singing a rendition of Saint James Infirmary Blues and dancing over a scrolling macabre background. Shortly after, the cartoon wraps things up with a chase scene before a hastened but joyful closeout.
The original Snow White fairy tale serves as the inspiration for the framework of the cartoon, but it is the music, visuals, and Betty's cute numbers that make this one of the best Betty Boop cartoons. It's definitely more of a multifaceted music video that is best viewed after a couple drinks.
