With only a few days left until the opening of our first major exhibition--Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic--we continue our countdown by taking a closer look at our next dwarf. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of this Disney classic, author and historian J.B. Kaufman's new book The Fairest One of All explores the making of Walt's first feature-length animated film, including an examination of each individual dwarf. Below is a short excerpt from this book—which is available now online and in our Museum Store—all about... SLEEPY!
Sleepy was another dwarf suggested in some of the very earliest outlines—and another dwarf whose early conception was utterly unlike the character we know in the finished film. . . In the end, of course, Sleepy became as compact as any of the other dwarfs, his sleepiness expressed by his posture and his slugish walk and movement. "He drags along as thought he had weights on his feet," Art Babbit suggested," and his arms would hang down in the same way." After Sterling Holloway was elimited as Sleepy's voice, radio performer Johnny Gibson was suggested instead, and recorded some dialogue at a pre-recording session in February 1936. In the end, however, the studio turned once again to Pinto Colvig to supply the character's voice. Colvig's voice for Sleepy was distinct rom the vocal characterization he had adopted for Grumpy but roughly similar to his most famous Disney voice, that of Goofy. . .
As with the other dwarfs, Sleepy's personality was refiend as the conferenced continued. Some artists assumed that this perpetually drowsy dwarf would be depicted as a stupid character, but Walt was quick to assert otherwise. "Walt created this character as a very clever and ingenious type," Pearce pointed out at one meeting. "Only once in a while he rouses himself to the extent of making a remark. When he does, it is very intelligent. They all pick it up . . . He is the smartest character in the whole bunch, even when he is sleeping." As the film's continuity was polished in succeeding months, several sequences were cut, and htis ingenious quality of Sleepy's personality was gradually lost. Only one of his insightful comments remains in the film: as the dwarfs try to understand the agitation of the animals and birds swarming around them at th emine, it's Sleepy who lazily suggests, "Maybe the old Queen's got Snow White." . . .
To find out more about Sleepy and the other six dwarfs, pick up The Fairest One of All at our Museum Store or online by clicking here. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic will be on view from November 15, 2012 to April 14, 2013, the exhibition celebrates Walt Disney’s vision and the artistry of his dedicated staff, illustrating how they shaped and defined an entirely new American art form through their creation of this groundbreaking film. For more information and details about our first major exhibition, please visit waltdisney.org/snow-white.