Deleted Scenes - Witch at Cauldron

During the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney and his directors divided the film into 16 separate sequences, so as to make the monumental task of animating it more manageable. In actuality, there are many more than this since most of the sequences are further divided into sub-categories (e.g., Sequence 3A, 3B, 3C, etc.).

Sequence 9A takes place in the Queen's laboratory where the "Old Hag" stands over her cauldron. In the film, when all the Dwarfs finally doze off to sleep after their merry-making at the cottage, the story cuts back to this scene. It was directed by Bill Cottrell. In the version we all know, the steam clears and she's seen dunking the apple into her poisonous brew...

Screen images copyright Disney. Used here for historical documentation purposes.

Sequence 9A was not originally meant to start with the apple-dunking. The scene actually began with a long shot that slowly moves in on the cackling Witch. Her Raven is seen stage-right perched atop the skull upon the table...

With a poison-filled vial grasped tightly in her right hand, she stirs the boiling cauldron counter-clockwise with her left...

In a manner reminiscent of the Witches' Spell from Macbeth, voice-actor Lucille La Verne smashingly delivers the following lines:

Boil cauldron, boil.

Boil cauldron, boil.

Death within your depths I see

For one who dares to rival me.

During this incantation, we see vapor rise from the bubbling stew to briefly take the shape of one, two, three skulls...

She then tips the vial to add the last deadly ingredient...

The yellow mixture turns a sickish green, and the incantation concludes with:

Brew the magical recipe.
Boil cauldron, boil!

A huge blast of steam fills the room. When the air begins to clear, the sequence continues with the dunking of the apple...

These scenes were fully inked, painted, animated and photographed by September 1937. Then in November, just one month before the premiere, the scene of the Witch dunking the apple was re-shot and became the new beginning for Sequence 9A. Like the other deleted scenes throughout the film, these of the Witch stirring her cauldron were probably cut simply to tighten the story.

Altogether, the cauldron deleted scenes last approximately 34 seconds. The Witch and Raven were animated by Norm Ferguson. Special effect animation was completed by George Rowley (cauldron bubbles and steam), Paul Satterfield (steam and liquid in vial), and Reuben Timmons (steam). Page 292, The Fairest One of All, J.B. Kaufman.

To the dismay of many a Snow White fan, the cauldron piece was not included among the deleted scenes on the 2009 Blu-ray home video release. However, for those who own the earlier 2001 DVD, you can enjoy this short but powerful bit of animation history.


2001 Snow White DVD, North American NTSC version, Disc 2...

On Disc 2, navigate from the Magic Mirror menu to The Dwarfs' Mine, then to Deleted Scenes...

And for those lucky enough to own the 1994 Deluxe LaserDisc (and a player to view it with), the cauldron pencil test is included as an extra.

John Lounsbery - Disney's Nine Old Men

John Lounsbery (March 9, 1911 - February 13, 1976) was hired at Disney on July 2, 1935. Times were tough, and any job was a good job. Still, his starting salary was only $12 a week. Not much to live on, especially for someone with hopes of getting married. So it was that John would draw for Disney during the day and work for Sears department store at night.

Don Graham, instructor for the studio's evening art school, saw that Lounsbery had talent. He got the young artist a raise so he could quit his night job. By December, John and his fiance, Florence were married.

The newlyweds, 1935...

John became an assistant to Norm Ferguson with whom he worked on several Pluto shorts. Lounsbery's strong draftsman skills shown through as he developed quickly under his mentor. For his assignment on Snow White, John continued with Ferguson as they tackled the all-important Old Witch character. A few of the scenes he was given included working over the rotoscoped drawings of the Witch atop the cliff...

Her poling the boat across the lake...

And the feigned heart attack...

Lounsbery was also asked to animate on his own the scene where the Witch exits her dungeon down through a trap door in the floor...

As an assistant, he was given no screen credit in the film. Yet, thanks to Ferguson, Walt was made aware of John's hard work on the movie's evil villain. As a result, Lounsbery did receive a nice financial bonus.

Pictured below, John working at his drawing board on Fantasia (with Leopold Stokowski)...

And on Mickey and the Beanstalk...

John Lounsbery photos via John Canemaker's Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation, 2001.

Snow White image scans copyright Disney.

John continued as an animator at the studio until 1973 when he was moved into directing. It was a position he didn't really seem to enjoy. He would pass away three years later.

Further reading:

• Andreas Deja's Deja View
• Disney Legends: Bio
• 50 Most Influential Disney Animators: John Lounsbery