OCR A-Level Snow White 1937 Intro

A complete OCR A-Level Media Studies introduction lesson for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), with a bonus viewing sheet.

This fully editable PowerPoint (.pptx) lesson introduces Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as part of the OCR A-Level Media Studies Paper 2: Evolving Media, Section A – Media Industries and Audiences film industry topic.

The lesson focuses on early Disney, film production, distribution and exhibition, helping students understand how Snow White was produced by Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, and released in 1937. Students explore how Disney operated outside the major Hollywood oligopoly, why it relied on third-party distribution, and how block booking helped secure screenings for its first feature-length animated film.

Students also compare Disney’s historic distribution model for Snow White with its modern vertically integrated approach to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, including cinema exclusivity and Disney+ streaming. The lesson includes printable production/distribution/exhibition sorting tasks, key terminology, model answers and an exam-style comparison response.

This resource also includes a bonus Snow White 1937 viewing sheet to support students while watching or revising the film. The viewing sheet includes prompts on representation, gender stereotypes, mise-en-scène, animation, colour, sound, narrative, fairy tale conventions, character types and genre.

This lesson covers:

OCR A-Level Media Studies
Paper 2: Evolving Media
Section A: Media Industries and Audiences
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937
Disney
Walt Disney Productions
RKO Radio Pictures
Film production
Film distribution
Film exhibition
Hollywood oligopoly
Big Five studios
Vertical integration
Block booking
Cinema release
Historical film industry contexts
Comparison with Shang-Chi
Disney+
Modern distribution
Media ownership and power

What is included:

Fully editable PowerPoint (.pptx) lesson
Bonus Snow White 1937 viewing sheet PDF
Do Now task on production, distribution and exhibition
Teacher feedback/model answer slide
Lesson objectives
OCR set text overview
Key information on Snow White production company, distributor, release date, directors, budget and box office
Production/distribution/exhibition sorting task
Printable task slides
Help sheet with key industry terms
Feedback slide sorting terms into production, distribution and exhibition
Oligopoly recap
Think/write/pair/share task on Disney outside the Hollywood oligopoly
Key information on RKO and block booking
Exam-style comparison question on Snow White and Shang-Chi
Sentence starters
Full model response
Improvement plenary

This resource can be used as:

A first lesson on S