Snow White and the Seven Dwarves defined Snow White’s classic look, but she almost had a completely different design. Walt Disney’s full-length animated films began with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937, sparking the magic that would help create Disney’s media empire. Since then, many Disney Princesses have succeeded her with many iconic looks. Emily Zemler’s book Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara: The Stories.The Influence. The Legacy detailed the creation of many of these famous animated women. In Zemler’s book Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara, the history and significance of these Disney Princesses are discussed in detail. Before Walt Disney got a hold of her, Snow White was known as a princess from the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. At the story’s beginning, a queen wished for a daughter with “skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair black as ebony.” Even with those qualifications, the Disney artists had a different idea for Snow White’s design.

Zemler’s Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara displayed concept art with Snow White with a different hair color. Other early concept art showed Snow White as either blonde or ginger, as these depictions weren’t uncommon. For example, Walt Disney’s 1934 short animated film The Goddess of the Spring featured a blonde Persephone. Zemler also described famous actresses that helped inspire Snow White, including Marlene Dietrich and Jean Harlow who were both blondes. Blonde hair has famously been identified with innocence and beauty. These are two traits that Snow White still kept with her classic design and attitude. Had the animators had kept the original design, it would’ve changed one of the most distinctive features of Snow White.

How Disney Princess Snow White Changed The Character

Disney’s pop culture influence has decided that Snow White has raven-colored hair. Despite the character’s origins, the Disney team themselves hadn’t thought of her hair color as an inherent trait. This decision has influenced Snow White in live-action adaptations, ranging from the television movie Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001) to the popular television series Once Upon a Time. Snow White’s black hair emphasized her pale white skin and her ruby red lips which enhanced her beauty. Since her beauty was central to the story, Snow White’s look became one of the main takeaways from the classic animated film.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’ success helped make Snow White one of the most recognizable fictional characters. Disney continued Snow White’s legacy with the filming of a live-action adaptation of Snow White which will be released in 2026. In this adaptation, dark-haired Rachel Zegler was cast in the lead of Snow White. While this adaptation announced it will be missing the seven dwarves, Snow White’s iconic look likely won’t be tampered with.