Huntsman (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Humbert the Huntsman is a servant of Queen Grimhilde and the minor antagonists, later minor protagonist right after he forbids to stab Snow White in the heart by his boss's order in Disney's 1937 hit Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He is voiced by Stuart Buchanan.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
After being told by the Magic Mirror that Snow White is the fairest of all, the vain Queen summons Humbert to her castle and orders him to take the princess to a secluded area deep in the forest, and kill her. The huntsman objects, but says he will obey when the Queen silences Humbert and reminds him of the penalty for failure. He is given a box in which to put Snow White's heart, as proof to the Queen that her stepdaughter is dead.

Humbert takes the princess to a secluded glade in the forest, where she picks wild flowers. As she notices a baby bird and helps it to find its parents, the huntsman, after checking that the two are alone, begins to advance on her, wielding his dagger. Just as the baby bird has flown away, Snow White sees a shadow on the rock in front of her and, turning around to see the advancing, dagger-wielding huntsman, lets out a cry. Humbert hesitates at this and drops the dagger from his trembling hand, realizing he can't take a sweet little princess's life, as well as being struck by her beauty. Kneeling before the princess (and awkwardly wiping his tears of shame on Snow White's dress), he warns her of the Queen's jealousy, and tells her to run away.

The Queen is later seen with the heart box returned. She once again consults the Magic Mirror, who informs her that Snow White still lives, and that the heart in the box in the Queen's hands is that of a pig. Realizing that she has been tricked, the Queen descends into her laboratory and resolves to do away with her stepdaughter herself. It can be assumed that the penalty for Humbert's failure to complete his task would have been death; however, the Queen was so fixated on destroying Snow White that she never ordered (or carried out) his execution. It can also be assumed that the Huntsman fled before the execution could be carried out.

Development
For the sequence in which Humbert fails to do away with Snow White and tells her to flee into the forest, Humbert was first conceived of as a ruthless killer, who looked forward to his job such that his face would light up when the Queen gave him new instructions. A large amount of dialogue would have been required to explain why he could not carry out his task, and what Snow White then had to do. However, it was felt that this version of the story contained too delicate acting from the characters involved, presenting difficulties for the animators. After more story meetings, Walt Disney suggested that the scene involve Snow White helping a lost, frightened baby bird, to emphasize her innocence and thus create a stronger situation. How the Huntsman should drop the knife, and whether Snow White should notice the knife before or after it is dropped, generated a large amount of discussion, and Walt Disney suggested that Humbert be kept in shadow to create a more dramatic situation. A story meeting held on June 27, 1936, mentions several elements of the scene that are present in the final film, including the Huntsman's voice echoing after Snow White as she flees:

Humbert says, THE QUEEN, THE QUEEN, GO GO GO AND NEVER RETURN TO THE CASTLE FOR THE SAKE OF NOT ONLY YOURSELF, BUT FOR THOSE WHO LOVE YOU, DON'T RETURN. Maybe he could End with GO GO GO. She is confused and runs off and maybe cut back to a shot of him in a breakdown quiver position at the last. Get a shot of the woods and she doesn't know what to do, but just goes on, hesitating at the beginning, but goes on deeper and deeper - maybe you could carry that "SALLY, SALLY" idea of KILL YOU - WHO? - THE QUEEN - building in the little things the Huntsman said to her. And always that GO GO GO when she stops.

Deviations from Source Material
In the original Snow White fairy tale, the Queen ate the heart given to her by the Huntsman.

Trivia

 * In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Terra takes on Humbert's role in the story during his visit to the Dwarf Woodlands, however Terra chooses to ignore the request