Disney princesses have sure come a long way.
Beginning with Snow White in 1937, Disney princesses were once required to be perfect in every way, especially when it came to their singing voices. Thus, those with trained opera voices were usually picked to portray them.
That’s how Adriana Caselotti landed the role of Disney’s very first princess and started a legacy that would continue for nearly a century.
As beloved a princess as Snow White is, something that many fans don’t know about this legendary figure is that Adriana Caselotti all but disappeared from Hollywood following her role in the Disney film.
Despite her talent, Snow White was her only major acting role.
Given that Walt Disney was obsessed with preserving the illusion that the magic of his animations was real, some fans have asked whether the Mickey Mouse-creator blacklisted Caselotti to stop her from working in show business again.
Adriana Caselotti
Born in 1916, Adriana Caselotti went down in Disney’s hall of fame for voicing the company’s very first princess.
Caselotti provided the talking and singing voice for Snow White in the animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937.
Caselotti helped Disney to create a lasting legacy of the perfect, singing princess—something that would dominate Disney stories for decades.
Caselotti’s father was a music teacher and her mother and sister were opera singers. She had the remarkable ability to sight-sing, meaning she could read a piece of music and sing it without ever having heard it before.
Plus, the unique child-like quality of her voice made her ideal for the role of Snow White.
How Adriana Caselotti Was Cast In ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’
Caselotti first came to the attention of the Disney talent scouts when a rep called her father to ask if he knew anyone with operatic training who could possibly voice Snow White.
In a voice clip now exclusively available on Sound Cloud, Caselotti explained that she had to audition for Disney after her father recommended her, and Walt himself heard her audition from behind a curtain.
He did not want to see the auditioning actresses, afraid that seeing them would influence his opinion too much.
Thanks to her operatic training, unique tone, and ability to sight-read, Caselotti landed the part of Disney’s first princess.
Adriana Caselotti Was Never Given Credit For ‘Snow White’
While Adriana Caselotti is now remembered as a Disney legend, fans wonder whether she was valued and appreciated enough when she first came to work with Disney.
As Cheat Sheet reports, Walt Disney made the decision not to give his voice actors credit for Snow White. He wanted to preserve the illusion that the characters in his animation were real and thus opted not to pay any kind of tribute or acknowledgment to them.
Caselotti was also reportedly forbidden from telling the public that she was the voice of Snow White.
How Much Adriana Caselotti Made For Voicing Snow White
Considering Caselotti wasn’t given the credit she deserved for the role of Snow White, one would think that she was compensated financially.
However, for the three years of rehearsals and voice-over work, which often involved her working all day, she took home just $970. In today’s money, that equals $16,000.
Speaking about her measly paycheck on her Sound Cloud recording, Caselotti confirms that, even though she wasn’t paid very much, she is still grateful to have been part of the production.
She revealed that playing Snow White and bringing joy to viewers made her happy for the rest of her life.
Did Walt Disney Blacklist Adriana Caselotti From Working In Hollywood?
Other than a single uncredited line in The Wizard of Oz (heard during the Tin Man’s song sequence), and further uncredited singing in MGM’s We Were Dancing and Disney’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Adriana Caselotti did not work in Hollywood again.
Given her undeniable talent, this has led fans to suspect that Walt Disney blacklisted her to stop her from working in show business. Again, this was supposed to preserve the image of Snow White, rather than sharing her voice.
Collider reports that some fans believe it was other producers who refused to work with Caselotti, as they didn’t want her to be recognized as Snow White, which would have drawn attention away from their projects.
Adriana Caselotti Sued Disney
Cheat Sheet reports that both Adriana Caselotti and the actor who voiced the Prince, Harry Stockwell, filed a lawsuit against Disney, claiming money owed for the Snow White soundtrack. They asked for $200,000 and $100,000 respectively. Neither suit was successful.
Despite her lawsuit, Adriana Caselotti seemed to be on good terms with Disney.
In the Sound Cloud recording, she called Walt Disney a “magnificent person” recalling how he wanted to be called “Walt” rather than “Mr. Disney” and wanted to be treated like a regular staff member.
That doesn't sound like someone who would blacklist an actress from Hollywood.