- SNOW WHITE IN CHINA -
by Dennis Owyang
I mentioned Snow White in our Gallery of New Year Calendar Cards. So here are some other types of Chinese New Year cards from my collection (without calendar backs) picturing Snow White. I am uncertain whether these were issued for just the Chinese New Year Period or for the Christmas to Western New Year period but I think these were issued for the latter, based on the "Merry Christmas Happy New Year" text on the back of the Pluto card pictured at the bottom row. There are two different Snow White New Year Card issues pictured, one of which is numbered up to No. 21 and one of which up to No. 86. Although a lot of these Snow White cards were issued, I have just these shown, as these Snow White cards were popular among the Chinese and they were snapped up quickly. Also they seldom appear on the open market because they are just too treasured. Note that the images were not images swiped directly from Disney originals but were redrawn by a Chinese artist, This is particularly noticeable in the style Snow White's face is depicted. |
The film of Snow White was premiered at the Fox Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, California, USA, on the 21st of December, 1937. This Theatre, an amazing structure, which was called a "circle" theatre because it was truly round, was sadly demolished in 1969. However the frontage and tower can still be seen in replica form at Walt Disney World, albeit in much smaller scale - it is a gift shop in Disney`s "Hollywood Studios". The film then opened in selected areas across the country, before moving down to South America in January 1938. Just over a month later it was released in London. Europe, Canada, The Philippines, and Argentina. It was premiered in China on the 2nd of June 1938. You can see an original advertising leaflet from that premiere at : disneybooks.blogspot.com/2013/09/this-just-in-from-hans-crezee-i-see-you.html |