Why Walt Disney in the black list of the vocal actress Adriana Castelotti

Walt Disney made history with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) being the first animated film along the film, but his iconic protagonist, Adriana CaselottiHe did not share glory.

Not only has he never been attributed for his work, but Disney has actively sabotaged his career, ensuring that his unmistakable voice was not listened to anywhere else.

At the time of registration Snow WhiteCASELOTTI was only 18 years old. It was paid $ 970 for his work, which at the time was standard in the sector, but translates into only about $ 21,000 today.

It may not seem so bad until you consider it Snow White It became a massive sensation to the box office, pushing Disney into the future as animation power.

Despite the success of the film, Caslotti has never received royalties or residues. In a 1993 interview with the day, he admitted that he had taken into consideration the disney cause of return, but in the end he decided not to do it, saying that he did not want to pass ” Peggy Lee It has passed. “(Lee had notoriously sued Disney and had won Lady and the vagabond royalties.)

Casoni later learned that the reason was struggling to find work after the snow was because it was included in the black list of Walt Disney himself. When The Jack Benny ShowOne of the greatest radio programs of the time wanted to take it, Disney closed it.

Disney said to her personally: “That voice cannot be used anywhere. I don’t want to ruin Snow White’s illusion.”

Brann by only as Snow White and preventing her from using her voice in any other place in any other project, Disney has essentially blocked Caslotti from Hollywood.

Caslotti didn’t even know he was making a movie when he worked on Snow Whit! Has assumed Snow White It was just another of Disney’s animated shorts, not the revolutionary film that ended up being.

He remembered: “They told me it would be a little longer than their shorts, which were from 10 to 12 minutes. So I thought it would last 20 minutes or so.

“I didn’t realize that it had happened until I went to the premiere. I saw all these stars of cinema; Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard, Gary Cooper. They were all there. I discovered it was an hour and 23 minutes. “

Despite the efforts of Disney to prevent her from working, Caslotti has managed to beatular in some projects. If you listen carefully The Wizard of OzYou can listen to his voice in the song “If I had only a heart” like Juliet, whispering “So, you, Romeo?” He also provided underlying voices for It’s a wonderful lifeBut, once again, he has not received credit.

In the early 90s, like Snow White He was preparing for the long -awaited home video, Caslotti has finally decided to act. She and her Snow White co-protagonist Harry Stockwell (The voice of Prince Charming) sued Disney, looking for $ 200,000 and $ 100,000, respectively. Unfortunately, they lost.

Decades after being put aside, Disney has finally invited Caselotti to return to the feile … a kind of. He was brought to record a snowman for Snow White for Well Well Attraction of Disneyland and in 1994 he was officially appointed Disney legend.

It was a very small and late recognition for someone whose voice had contributed to modeling one of the most important films in the history of animation. CASELOTTI died in 1997 at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy that deserved a much better treatment than what Disney gave her.