Disney's Snow White (2025)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
The loyal fanbase of the animated “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” film from 1937 are excited and curious about this, as are fans of Disney’s recent live-action remakes.
Truly a film suitable for the whole family. Other than a couple of lines which are otherwise quite benign, this PG-rated film could have easily earned a G.
There are those who will appreciate and welcome some of the changes to the main story, bringing “Disney’s Snow White” to a more modernized world.
NO
And there are those who claim this movie is “woke” for changing elements of the story and casting Rachel Zegler, a woman of color, in the role of Snow White.
Sorry folks - as a final product this is listless, boring, and feels completely underwhelming.
There is an amazing lack of chemistry between main characters.
OUR REVIEW
With Disney’s Snow White, we have reached that inevitable moment where you know a movie that is not very good is probably going to appeal to families and become a box office hit. For a movie reviewer, writing a negative take on a film like this inevitably makes some readers feel like you are increasingly out of touch. When this happens, oftentimes we also once again hear the argument that critics seem to hate all the movies audiences actually like.
On top of all of that, there is already so much drama and controversy surrounding Disney’s latest live action remake of one of their classic animated films, there are almost too many dust-ups to discuss.
To summarize: a lot of conservatives became angry that Rachel Zegler, a Latina woman of color, was chosen to portray Snow White. Racist hate speech followed on social media platforms. Zegler responded, made a few off-handed remarks in response to the reaction and got herself in even more hot water with a particular potential audience.
Allegations were made that changes to the original story made the film more “woke.” This also outraged many of the same people already upset over Zegler’s involvement. Then, as some may recall, Zegler’s co-star, Gal Gadot, who had previously served as a member of the Israeli Defense Forces before becoming an actor, shared her support of Israel during the ongoing Gaza War. Zegler later shared her support for the Palestinian people on social media. The two women appeared to barely be able to stand on stage together, much less look at one another, at the 97th Academy Awards when they presented an award. Zegler didn’t go to Gadot’s ceremony where she was received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the two women have done almost no press together in promoting the film. And did I mention that Peter Dinklage also voiced his frustration that working actors were not cast to appear as the “seven dwarfs” on screen?
While all of this controversy may have generated some morbid curiosity about the final product, it seems to have only succeeded in making Disney’s Snow White exhausting to think about. Now, having seen the film, I admit to becoming exhausted in an entirely new way: I could barely stay awake.
This version of Snow White is a major letdown - a listless endeavor that lacks soul or palpable emotion and offers music that feels instantly forgettable. Director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, 500 Days of Summer) never gets this $250 million blockbuster up and running. He seems unable to generate any magical movie moments, or create that sense of wonder that Disney thrives upon. There is a soullessness to this, an “uncanny valley” to the way characters walk through scenes. (And no, I am not talking about the CGI/motion capture dwarves who interact with Snow White throughout the film).
Webb’s take on Snow White is easy enough to follow, but feels disjointed from the beginning. A supporting character narrates the first several minutes, telling us a whole lot of things that should have been presented to us in individual scenes. In this version of the story, Snow earns her name from the weather outside when she was born; an example of just one of the handful of story changes that come into play here.
Snow White loses her mother, her father re-marries years later, and soon Snow’s stepmother (Gadot) becomes queen of the kingdom when her father is sent off to battle and “disappears.”
By the time the narration stops and our first song is complete, Snow White is a servant maid to her stepmother. She does little more than mop for the first several scenes we see her as a young adult, offering us an example of this film’s commitment to character development. One day, she meets Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), a young peasant stealing food from the queen to feed himself and his friends. A connection is made. And to underscore he is a poor, destitute thief, Jonathan spends much of the film wearing what can best be described as a hoodie.
Again, this is how we create characters in Disney’s Snow White.
From here, the story plays out mostly as expected. Snow flees to a cottage, overseen by those motion capture “seven dwarfs.” For the most part, the CGI works fine, but this still creates more challenges for a film that already has characters lacking chemistry and generating honest emotional connection. Zegler tries, but we never forget she is acting around visual effects trickery.
Webb and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson offer the briefest of back stories. With Gadot’s Evil Queen - she lived far away and essentially seduced a man to rule his kingdom and seize it for herself. She’s vain. Has the Magic Mirror. But is there any clear motivation for her actions? Everyone is painted with the broadest of strokes. And the lyrics to the musical selections, largely written by Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman), seem to often restate obvious feelings or observances.
Everything just feels empty. An opening set piece looks like it was shot on a Disney backlot. The film feels inauthentic and bland. Gadot’s scenes are almost always set in the dark because she is evil. And she struggles mightily in a role that pushes her well beyond her depth. Snow White’s scenes, once she escapes, are vibrant and colorful enough, with some cute CGI animals swirling around her.
There’s no dazzle. There’s no sense of wonder. No real sense of suspense or dramatic power. Webb’s film never gives us a chance to explore these worlds. Everything is spoon fed to us through colors, visuals, dialogue, and music. There is no reason to think about any of this.
After the film, a friend and fellow critic made the observation that Disney’s Snow White has the unenviable task of following Wicked, a visually impressive 10-time Oscar nominated film that captivated audiences worldwide and saw Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande become, essentially, Elphaba and Glinda for generations to come.
And while Wicked is far from a perfect film, that is a hard act to follow. Sure, kids will be interested in Disney’s Snow White. Zegler’s casting is important. Older viewers may swoon for the nostalgia of it all.
There’s really nothing here though. For all the money and the controversy and the stories that will likely come out in the years to come about this production, Disney’s Snow White is little more than an expensive misfire.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Ansu Kabia, Patrick Page, Hadley Fraser, Lorena Andrea, Dujonna Gift, Jeremy Swift, Tituss Burgess, Andrew Barth Feldman, Martin Klebba, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Andy Grotelueschen
Director: Marc Webb
Written by: Erin Cressida Wilson
Based on the Disney animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” written by Ted Sears, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd, Merrill De Maris, Dorothy Ann Blank, and Webb Smith
Adapted from the fairy tale “Snow White,” written by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Walt Disney Pictures