After years of delays and various controversies, Disney has released its live action, musical remake of the classic fairytale “Snow White.” Premiering on March 21, 2025, the film tweaked some of the original storyline’s questionable themes while letting others slide, leaving viewers and critics generally dissatisfied.
On a surface level, Director Marc Webb stayed true to the original Brother’s Grimm fairytale and Disney’s 1937 “Snow White.” Snow White herself and the Evil Queen, played by Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot respectively, delivered famous lines from these earlier versions and wore costumes designed from the 1937 animation. This brought a sense of nostalgia to the film, and fans may appreciate nods to the original storyline.
The biggest departure from previous “Snow White” renditions was the inclusion of an actual love story between Snow White and the male lead Jonathan, who in this film is no prince but, instead, a rebel fighting the Evil Queen. The 1937 animation depicts little of Snow White’s relationship with the prince, other than him kissing her in her poisoned sleep. So this time filmmakers invested screen time into showing Snow White winning Jonathan’s respect with bravery and leadership, and eventually developing romantic feelings.
Moreover, some of the film’s deeper themes underwent a complete overhaul, which in some ways was needed. The original Disney animation was definitely a product of its time, as in 1937 women were limited in their pursuit of independence. Yet many modern viewers, especially the impressionable young girls who Disney markets its princess movies to, could benefit from seeing a strong female character. This film succeeds in its depiction of Snow White overcoming her fear of defying the Evil Queen and recognizing her own leadership abilities.
The theme of beauty—”who’s the fairest of them all?”— is handled through the valid, if slightly cliché, message that true beauty comes from a pure character rather than looks. Unfortunately, this argument is somewhat cheapened by the Evil Queen’s song “All is Fair,” intended to explore her motivations; it falls rather flat with childish logic, forced rhymes, and cheesy backup dancers. If the goal is to emphasize the faults of relying on external beauty, the scene does that too well, portraying the queen as immature and overconfident. As a result, watching Snow White’s inevitable victory over her is less satisfying since viewers already get the sense that the queen’s own personality makes her a less legitimate enemy.
However, other musical numbers added to the film are significantly better, most notably the original songs “Good Things Grow,” “Waiting on a Wish,” and “A Hand Meets a Hand.” These, composed by “La La Land’s” award winning song-writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, provide an upbeat soundtrack and meaningful lyrics to the film.
But even this couldn’t prevent the film’s box office failure; opening weekend ticket sales came in at only $87.3 million globally, less than the anticipated $100 million and well below other recent Disney live remake movies. That could be partially due to the film’s quiet opening, as ticket sales started just two weeks prior to the opening date, as opposed to the month of pre-sales typically offered. The studio also downplayed the premier of “Snow White”, prohibiting reporters from interviewing actors or guests at the red carpet. Some critics claim that Disney took these unusual precautions in response to the film’s many controversies.
The most heated of these centered on Zegler, an actress of Colombian and Polish descent, being cast as Snow White. The character’s name—according to the Brothers Grimm fairytale—references her skin being as pale as snow, but in this most recent adaptation, filmmakers updated the backstory to reference her being born in a blizzard. Some have criticized this rewrite and the casting of any actress not ethnically “white,” and Zegler received racially charged backlash as soon as her role was announced.
More controversy surrounded the seven dwarfs, which Disney tried to avoid by recategorizing them as simply “magical creatures” and animating them with CGI. This was an attempt to disassociate the characters from the actual medical condition of skeletal dysplasia—commonly known as dwarfism. Yet some members of the dwarfism community have taken issue with this decision.
Some feel that the use of CGI to animate these characters stole potential jobs away from actors with the condition. Others, such as actor Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), criticized Disney’s hypocrisy in proudly casting a Latina actress as Snow White but still pushing the “backwards” stereotyping of seven dwarfs “living in a cave.” He, and critics in general, have expressed a desire to see Disney take a more progressive stance on this and other outdated fairytales.
The story of Snow White has always been inherently controversial due to its outdated take on women, race, and individuals with dwarfism. Disney made a clumsy attempt at bringing those themes into the 21st century; hopefully future filmmakers will learn from this that society is difficult to satisfy. To produce such a remake well, it’s imperative that each creative decision is carefully weighed and every possible interpretation analyzed.