British and Italian Quads (50th Anniversary - 1987)

Unlike the "Pretty in Pink" look of the North American theatrical one-sheet and standee, the 50th Anniversary "quads" from the United Kingdom show Snow in her original color scheme of yellow, blue and red. Both of these 1987 re-release posters measures 40" x 30".

A hard-to-find "Meet the Characters" quad...

UK 50th Quads Images via Oscars-The Collectable Emporium.

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Two '87 re-release posters from Italy.

Italian 50th Posters. Images via disneylicious. Used with permission.

Snow White Standee (50th Anniversary - 1987)

This 50th Anniversary 3D lobby standee was available for purchase by theater owners through the 1987 Snow White pressbook. Assembled, it sits atop a base and measures approximately 83" high x 49.5" wide.

The base reads, "Starts July 17th at a theatre near you."

Standee images via kpd59.

The pieces came in a cardboard shipping box with instructions on how to fit them together.

Special thanks to Kurt Raymond for the tip about this standee auction on ebay.

Theatrical Release Posters from Japan

The most commonly produced Japanese movie poster is something called the "B2". It measures approximately 20" x 29" in size. A larger format and harder to find "B1" also exists. At nearly 29" x 41", its dimensions more closely resemble those of the US one-sheet.


1950s...

I have not yet discovered the year of this poster, but the vintage artwork is simply splendid. Possibly dates from the 1950s. It's a B2 format, measuring 21" x 27".

Image via Poster Mountain.

[CLICK IMAGES FOR BETTER VIEW]

R-1950s. B2 format, 20" X 28.5". Sold for $143.40 (USD) in May 2009.

Image via Heritage Auctions.

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1980...

Buena Vista, R-1980. B2 format, 20.25" X 28.75".

Image via Heritage Auctions.

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1985...

Probably from 1985. This poster is widely sold online as a reproduction. The repro is easy to spot, however, since it measures just 11" x 17" and does not fit the standard Japanese size specifications.

R-1985. Double-bill release of Snow White and Aristocats. Large B1 format, measures 28.75" x 40.5".

Image via emovieposter.com.

Finnish Snow White Posters

The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs poster from the 1962 Finnish dub that was directed by Ms. Ritva Laatto.

1962 Finnish Poster. Image courtesy of Kenneth Sundberg. Used with permission.

One of the film enthusiasts of the website Afureko holds the poster at the public screening of Matti Ranin's Lumikki earlier this year in Helsinki.

Image courtesy of Afureko. Used with permission.

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In 1982, the Matti Ranin-directed Snow White release featured this poster. It utilizes artwork that's also seen in a British quad. The Finnish text in the yellow box translates approximately into "Walt Disney's most beloved animated motion picture arrives now as a new print and as a complete Finnish version". This indeed points to Mr. Ranin's picture which was the first dubbing to include both the Finnish-language dialogue and songs.

!982 Finnish Re-release.Poster. Image courtesy of Kenneth Sundberg. Used with permission.

British Quad Poster (for artwork comparison)

Argentinian One Sheets

Blanca Nieves y los Siete Enanos:

Argentina 1938...

Argentina, RKO, (1938). Folded-One Sheet (27" X 41").  Image via of Heritage Auction Galleries.

1958...

The character illustration from this Argentinian one sheet matches the style found in the North American re-issue posters from both 1958 and 1967. Yet the background color and layout are distinct to the '58 three-sheet artwork rather than the '67 (see side-by-side comparison below).

Argentina, Buena Vista re-release (R-1958). Folded One Sheet (29" X 43"). Image via of Mike's Movie Posters.

Left:  1958 North American Buena Vista re-release Three-Sheet. Right: 1967 North American Buena Vista re-release. One Sheet.

1975...

Argentina, Buena Vista re-release (R-1975). Folded One Sheet (29" X 42.5"). Image via of Heritage Auction Galleries.

Walt Disney's Academy Award Revue Poster

This rare poster was a promotion for a compilation of five Academy Award-winning Disney cartoon shorts. They were re-released together on May 19, 1937 to help promote the upcoming premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The cartoons were: Three Orphan Kittens, The Country Cousin, Flowers and Trees, Three Little Pigs, and The Tortoise and the Hare.

It's interesting to note that this poster is an advertisement for a United Artist release of these films. Since 1932, all Disney shorts had been owned by the Walt Disney Company but were distributed through United Artists. However, it was at about the time of this Academy Award Revue that distribution of Disney films would switch to RKO. With the huge success of Snow White just a few months later, RKO found itself in the right place at the right time.

[CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]

Walt Disney's Academy Award Revue (United Artists, 1937). One Sheet (27" X 41"). Image via Heritage Auction Galleries.

A Closer Look at Tenggren's Snow White Poster Art

Gustaf Tenggren's original 1937 promotional poster art, mixed media on paper (18.5" x 14.5") featuring all of the major characters from the film, is currently up for auction via Heritage Galleries lot 78338. This one-of-a-kind, extremely rare artwork served as the inspiration for one of the three original 1937 North American one-sheet movie posters. It was also used as the centerpiece for the 40 X 60 Snow White poster mentioned in the previous post.

Tenggren's original 1937 promotional poster art.

[CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]

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Note that on the one-sheet (left), the original drawing has been "flopped".
Not the case for the 40x60.

One-Sheet Detail...

40x60 Detail...

The fine print at the bottom left corner of both the one-sheet and 40x60 reads:

Copyright 1938 RKO Rado Pictures Inc. Property of RKO Rado Pictures Inc. Leased for restricted use only. Must be returned to RKO Radio Pictures Inc. and must not be sold, leased or given away by any other party.

All images via Heritage Auction Galleries.

Special thanks to both Brian and Matt for alerting me to the listing for the Tenggren auction.

Snow White North American 40 x 60s and Three-Sheets

40x60s: These gorgeous forty inch by sixty inch over-sized posters were often intended for front-of-house displays or for use as standees. They are less common than the standard one-sheets (27" x 41"), and due to their difficult-to-store proportions and sometimes fragile paper stock, they were rarely saved.

1937 Premiere...

There's rare, there's very rare, and then there's "Wow." This incredible poster (below) definitely belongs in the latter category. That this one has survived nearly seven decades is nothing short of a miracle, especially considering the thin, glossy photo paper on which it's printed. Posters of this size were usually printed on heavier stock, but Disney obviously wanted to emphasize the artwork and the colors in this beauty, leading him to use a photogelatin process that required the more fragile paper. The original 1937 pressbook listed this 40x60 at a whopping $1.25 apiece to theater owners. This was a tremendous amount of money for a poster at that time and undoubtedly few were ordered by the exhibitor. This breathtaking image, featuring artwork by animator Grim Natwick and art director Gustav Tenggren, practically tells the movie's story in its entirety with delicate watercolor scenes.  Text from Heritage Auction Galleries website.

RKO release (1937). Movie Poster (40" X 60"). Features artwork by Gustaf Tenggren with influences from Grim Natwick. Sold for $65,725.00 (USD) November 2007. 

[CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]

R-1958...

 Buena Vista re-release (R-1958). Movie Poster (40" X 60"). Sold for $227 (USD) March 2010.

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Three-Sheets: As the name implies, these posters are stunningly larger than the normal one-sheet by about 3 times the size (41" x 81"). Printed in two (and sometimes three) separate pieces, they would be hung in the front lobby or on the outside of the theater. Never produced in very large quantities, three-sheets can be quite rare.

R-1943...

RKO re-release (R-1943). Three-Sheet (41" X 81"). Sold for $418.25 (USD) January 2007.

R-1951 ('52)...

RKO re-release (R-1951). Three-Sheet (41" X 81"). Currently for auction February 2011 via Heritage Galleries.

The fine print at the bottom of this 3 sheet reads:

Copyright 1951 RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Country of Origin U.S.A. Property of National Screen Service Corp. Licensed for Disney only in connection with the exhibition of the picture at your theatre. Must be returned immediately thereafter. Snow White and 7 Dwarfs 3 SH., No.3, 51/675

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R-1958...

Buena Vista re-release (R-1958). Folded Three-Sheet (41" X 81"). Sold for $ (USD) November 2005.

Information and images via Heritage Auction Galleries unless otherwise noted.

View earlier post to compare these North American 3-sheets with their 1-sheet counterparts. Also see upcoming post for a closer look at Gustaf Tenggren's promotional art.