Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

In February 1938, the world's first full-length animated feature film went on general release. It was Walt Disney's classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Disney had had to gamble all his money, and take out a loan against his life insurance to finish it. Witness listens back through the archives to some of those who worked on it, and talks to film writer and enthusiast, Brian Sibley, who met many of those involved.

Photograph: An illustration from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney from a French book, 1940 (Credit: Apic/Getty Images)

(correction: Snow White cost $1.5 million to make, not the figure quoted in the programme)