Some of my favorite blog posts to write and research about are the people who have been involved with the growth of the Disney company. Many of these people have been named “Disney Legends” over the last several decades. In 1994, 9 new people were named Disney Legends, the first of which was Adriana Caselotti.

Caselotti Auditions for Snow White

In 1934, Walt presented the idea of creating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to his animators. It was a big feat to accomplish, but after the success of Walt’s Silly Symphonies and other projects, this was his next step in achieving his dream. 150+ girls auditioned for the role of Snow White when it was officially announced that production had begun. A casting agent at Disney called Guido Caselotti, a music teacher and vocal coach, asking if he knew anyone who could fulfill the role of Snow White. Adriana, Guido’s daughter, was on the other line of the phone and immediately jumped into the conversation asking if she could do it. Adriana was 18 years old at the time of her audition for Snow White.

In a 1981 interview, Adriana recalls that Walt wasn’t present at her audition initially, but later found out he was behind a screen in the room. Adriana beat out all of the other girls, including famous Canadian actress Deanna Durbin. She began working on the film when she was 19.

Adriana Caselotti. Image from: https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/adriana-caselotti/

Snow White’s Production

Adriana is the first named female voice actress in history. During a few interviews in the 1990s, Adriana recalls her short-lived experience with the Disney studios, as the recording of the songs and scenes only took a couple of days. She was paid $20 a day, and made a total of $970 (equivalent to $17,000 today). She recalled in an interview in 1987 that she would record her lines or music, then the animators would take photographs so they could start drawing Snow White to fit her voice. Adriana wasn’t expecting the film to become the large project that it was. She thought she was being featured on a little longer than normal short film that Disney was used to making, and had no idea she was going to be a part of the first feature-length animated film ever.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs poster. Image from: https://shahmm.medium.com/brand-experience-and-making-of-snow-white-seven-dwarfs-movie-48aaaa5c1df8

Adriana Caselotti Gets Blacklisted

Although Adriana was honored to have been a part of the film, she didn’t know Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would be the beginning and the ending to her career. Throughout his professional career, Walt made it an important point to make sure his audiences were not drawn out of the fantasy that his films and parks created. One way of doing this was by not crediting the voice actors in the film, and this was a common practice until 1943. She was not mentioned on any of the promotional materials, not on the home video release, and wasn’t even invited to the premiere (though, she did sneak in with her leading man).

Although there’s no official public documentation, it’s said that Adriana signed a contract with Disney saying she would not work with any other studios, and would only work on Disney projects she was asked to be on. Spoiler alert: she wasn’t asked to be on anything else. The theorized purpose of this was because Walt wanted her voice to be specific to Snow White - and he didn’t want her to be seen or heard by anyone else under a different character. This was a huge disadvantage for Caselotti’s career.

Adriana Caselotti. Image from: http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/100-years-of-snow.html

Despite these unfair circumstances for Adriana, she still spoke fondly of her experience right up until her death in 1997 at the age of 80. In the Illusions of Life interview in 1981, she recites her lines as she remembers them from the top of her head, and says,

“I still remember almost all of the lines, I enjoy it.”

Caselotti’s Career After Disney

Adriana was able to take on 2 small uncredited roles after Snow White, one being the singing voice of Juliet in The Wizard of Oz, and singing in Martini’s bar in It’s a Wonderful Life. She did make her return as Snow White for a couple of other Disney projects, including the re-recording of “I’m Wishing” for Snow White’s Grotto in Disneyland. She also made appearances on television and for promotional material through the 1950s as Snow White. In 1995 she told a LA times reporter,

“I know that my voice will never die.”

Ken Walker, Adriana Caselotti, Roy Williams, and Clarence Nash. Image from: http://www.michaelbarrier.com/

In 1992, Adriana did a house tour for the public to see, and her home was filled with Snow White memorabilia. From figurines on her shelves, to the portrait of Snow White painted on her door, to a wishing well in her front yard. She even had her home voicemail to be her singing as Snow White. Adriana kept signed pictures from Walt, photos from when production was happening, and any other valuable memorabilia that has come out over the years related to Snow White. Since it was one of her only major roles she was able to play in her lifetime, she held it close to her heart.

Adriana Caselotti in her home. Image from: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/03/03/walt-disney-snow-white/

Adriana passed away on January 18th, 1997, due to lung cancer. She was the last surviving cast member of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She will continue to hold the legacy of being the first Disney princess, the first named female voice actress, and maintaining the grace of being Snow White.

Reference List:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70641080/guido-hocke-caselotti

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Legends

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriana_Caselotti

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Adriana_Caselotti

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/disneys-snow-white-the-risk-that-changed-filmmaking-forever/

https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/21/arts/adriana-caselotti-80-voice-of-snow-white.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uica1Hcgz9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nttag8HAefg

http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/100-years-of-snow.html

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