When the Brothers Grimm first published Snow White in the pages of their Grimm’s Fairy Tales collection in 1812, it was one of many princess-themed, gothic children’s tales that were popular at the time, and which the book was full of. Fast forward some hundred-plus years, to when Walt Disney decides it will be the perfect addition to his studio’s body of work, and the world is introduced to the first animated feature film produced in the United States, the first cel-animated feature film, the highest grossing animated film for 55 years straight and one of the first honorary Oscar winning films.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was a movie that led to the creation of Walt Disney’s animated division in Burbank, California and the subsequent development of Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. One Congressional National Film Registry induction for cultural and historical significance later and an American Film Institute certification as the greatest animated American film of all time, and it’s safe to say Snow White changed a lot.
So when it was announced that Snow White was being given the live action remake treatment, as Disney’s been in the business of doing for several animated classics over the last decade, it quickly became a hot-button topic. Specifically, many were concerned about all the changes Disney was reportedly making to the plot, characters and casting. As with most things, online debate raged on for months in advance of the film’s release, and will likely continue after, as this live-action project is likely to remain on of the studio’s most controversial remakes to date.
Snow White released March 21, 2025 in theaters.
Review – An Disappointingly Unsatisfying Reimagining of a Classic
Disney’s 2025 live-action Snow White reimagines the classic tale with modern themes of empowerment and self-reliance. Snow White (Rachel Zegler) is raised in a kingdom ruled by her cruel stepmother, the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), after her father’s mysterious disappearance. Confined to the palace as a servant, she escapes into the forest when the Queen orders her execution upon learning Snow White is the fairest of all. With the help of Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), a bandit leader, and a group of seven dwarfs, Snow White begins to challenge the Queen’s tyranny, transforming from a helpless princess into a leader.
The film is well-paced, although a bit confused in tonality. Snow White isn’t sure if it’s a rebellion film or a rescue mission; it could be both, a la Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but it doesn’t do either especially well. For the younger crowd, there’s plenty of fun to be had with the vibrant colors, grand show-tunes, and the myriad of personalities that abound, but the film actually hits its stride in its darker, more stable moments. When the Evil Queen visits Snow White with the poisoned apple, we feel the tempo change and get to sit with the gravity of the situation and the build up of tension. And there are many such moments across the film, when it shifts focus from flash to substance.
It’s worth nothing that a lot of the initial backlash surrounding this adaptation was the concept that it was going to be some ultra-feminist, man-hating, race/gender-bent spectacle, partially attributed to quotes from Zegler, but I’m happy to report that all of those concerns were unfounded. If anything, my biggest gripe is that, with the addition of an ever-present prince to be her deus ex machina, this incarnation has become more of a damsel-in-distress in the traditional sense than the original version. Disney has leaned into the love story trope to an unfortunately predictable degree, and those who were expecting a fresher new take will be very much disappointed in that respect.
On that note, I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between the newly realized role of our dashing hero Jonathan and Sleeping Beauty’s Prince Phillip. The modus operandi of Maleficent and Snow White’s Evil Queen are essentially the same, and while Philip was a more (though still minimally) fleshed out character, his involvement and rescue of Aurora felt good and natural; classically, Snow White’s Prince had no such engagement with the story or audiences, besides popping up at the beginning and end to kiss the girl. This remake opts to solve that glaring oversight by making Jonathan a Robin Hood type, fearless, athletic, a street rat (to quote another Disney film) who conspires with the other riffraff to restore the kingdom to its former glory in the name of the slain king; though that plan is largely glossed over.
These additions to the Snow White mythos, particularly the characterization of Jonathan with his personality and athleticism being so close to Prince Philip makes me wonder how Disney will revamp that prince for the inevitable remake. Interesting enough to be a decent supporting character, but not memorable enough to stand on his own, I can’t help but wonder if it would’ve been more efficient to have kept The Prince/Jonathan’s role to a minimum as they did in the 1937 film.
Possibly the most controversial aspect of the remake was the decision to cast Rachel Zegler as the fabled Snow White. As Disney’s most historically important Princess, a lot was riding on the portrayal of this character. Zegler, a totally competent young actress, steps into the role with a child-like sort of wonder that makes her a joy to watch.
Gal Gadot was a peculiar choice to play the evil queen. On one hand, the queen is technically supposed to be an attractive woman, but also the embodiment of jealous evil, and that’s where Gadot just misses the mark. Chalk it up to bad characterization, but she doesn’t make the most convincing villain. Which is a shame, because she captures the aesthetics so well, both as the Queen and as the Old Hag versions of the character. The rest of the cast is very agreeable, with Burnap nailing it as the young stud Jonathan, Ansu Kabia giving a compelling turn as The Huntsman, and all the Dwarves carefully voiced and well-acted.
Director Marc Webb’s Snow White also has the distinct job of reimagining some of Disney’s most classic songs, like “Whistle While You Work,” and “Heigh-Ho,” and, paired with modern visuals and fun choreography, successfully refreshes those tunes for a new audience. Unfortunately, the newer additions to the musical repertoire aren’t nearly as strong as the old ones, and the show tunes end up being easily forgettable intermissions to the story. Jeff Morrow does an admirable job handling the overall score as if providing a sweeping and enchanting soundscape for viewers to ride on. In all fairness to writing duo Benjamin Pasek and Justin Paul, coming up with lines that compare and compete with the musical standards of Larry Morey is no small challenge; I can’t help but wonder if the film would’ve been better served with a dose of Lin Manuel-Miranda’s poppy tendencies or Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s penchant for anthems.
The visuals of Snow White are top tier; Disney is second to none (maybe except to Industrial Light and Magic) when it comes to the quality of their CGI, and the fully rendered backgrounds and characters are composited in seamlessly. The Dwarves, all of whom are digital, emote, interact and sing with a level of authenticity that mimics real life with extreme precision. A lot of people might find the look of the dwarves a little garish, but the stylistic enabled the animators to stick closer to their traditionally fairy tale-esque designs.
There will for sure be those who take issue with their designs, and even the necessity of making 3D dwarves versus hiring any number of talented little people for the role and taking the practical route. It’s a fair criticism; one could only imagine what Disney could’ve done with a bevy of actors physically embodying these scenes and soundstages in the olden days. But, given the nature of this and previous Disney remakes—and their preference for digital visuals over practical FX—the decision makes sense.
The gist of Snow White’s themes include self-belief, courage and kindness, and the film culminates with Snow White speaking to the humanity in her would-be attackers and the Evil Queen making a swift retreat thereafter. One can’t help but feel shortchanged during the anticlimactic defeat, as she merely crystallizes and disintegrates; we’d spent the duration of the movie building a team of opposing forces, and were promised a big finish, but received nothing close to one. Returning to the classic hero vs. villain format without a proper confrontation made the conclusion feel like a waste.
Nevertheless, without the context of the original lingering over it, kids and even some adults will enjoy the journey and through Marc Webb’s Snow White.
Pros
- A visual feast with goregeous CGI, color grading and staging
- Well choreographed musical sequences
- Rachel Zegler makes a loveable princess or the modern age
Cons
- The new musical additions are much weaker than their older counterparts
- New additions to the cast and storyline aren’t as arresting as they should be
- An anticlimactic showdown with the villain weakens the third act severely
Rating – 2.5/5 Pocky
Elijah Isaiah Johnson is a writer/illustrator/animator. His most recently published works include the Amazon best-seller Nightmare Detective, Noir is the New Black, the Comixology Indie best-selling series Leaders of the Free World, The Formula and much more.
