How 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Helped Shape My Love of Movies

One of my first memories, I had to be only four or five, is going to the movie theater for the first time. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was playing on the big screen in my small hometown. It was the only theater for miles and as I walked through those glass doors for the first time, my little heart was instantly in love with the magic of the cinema. Little did I know that after I got my box of popcorn, my candy treats and my unusually large soda, the real magic was hidden behind on of the dark doors at the end of the hallway.

Before the Lights Went Down

Choosing a seat in the front row with the rest of the kids, I felt grown up not having to be directly by my parents. We all traded candy waiting for something to happen on the big screen in front of us, chatting excitedly about what we thought was going to happen. Then the light went down and the true magic began.

The Opening Film Reel

The ads alone would have been enough for most children back then. Dancing boxes of popcorn and other snacks regaled us with songs we remembered for weeks afterwards. The funny thing is that I cannot remember a single preview. I am not sure if there where none played back then or if just that what happened next is so ingrained in my soul that it shadowed anything that I might be able to see later.

The Magic of the Big Screen Revealed

As "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" started, my mind went to another world. Popcorn and candy forgotten, I entered a place with evil witches, beautiful girls and loving mythical creatures. My storybooks had come to life in front of my eyes and I could not get enough. I laughed and gasped and lost all sense of anything else around me while I became Snow White and faced her trials and finally her triumph.

I was spent as soon as the end credits started rolling. As my mom carried me out, almost asleep already, a man stopped us and told her that I was the reason he enjoyed the film so much. My entrancement brought the magic of movies back for him while watching me. Now, with kids of my own, I understand his statement. No matter what movie we go to see, or watch at home, it comes alive for me again around my children.