By George & Josh Bate
When it comes to classic cinematic stories, especially those in the medium of animation, Walt Disney Studios has been a major player for nearly 100 years. Animated features like The Lion King and Aladdin have transcended the world of movies to have iconography, characters, songs, and themes embedded in Western pop culture. The same can be said for a much earlier title in Disney’s filmography – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In 1937, Walt Disney himself began work on an adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale focused on the character of Snow White and went on to create a classic piece of cinema and seemingly eternal fixture of pop culture. It is no surprise then to discover that Disney, in the midst of their live action remake frenzy, looked to Snow White for inspiration once more. That’s where Snow White (2025) comes in, a live-action reimagining that captures the charm of the animated classic even if the additions/alterations to the story fall short.
Helmed by director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man), Snow White sees Rachel Zegler step into the iconic dress of the Disney princess. After avoiding death at the hands of the Evil Queen (played by Gal Gadot), Snow White seeks refuge in the home of seven dwarfs and finds companionship with an unlikely rebel (played by Andrew Burnap).
Disney’s live-action remakes of animated classics need to tread a delicate line. If they adapt the source material too closely, some will say the film is pointless, adds nothing, and has no reason to exist. If they deviate too far from the source material though, then some will claim the film loses touch with what made the animated classic so great. Director Marc Webb, working from a script by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff, largely succeeds in avoiding both potential pitfalls, even if the film plays things a bit too safely. New songs and entire characters, in particular a love interest named Jonathan (played by Andrew Burnap), are injected into a faithful adaptation of the 1937 animated film that makes all that pre-release controversy about changing the fundamentals of Snow White silly in retrospect. On paper, these changes seem sizable, although, in reality, they add little to make the new film standout. Thin layers added to some of the characters, Snow White specifically, to modernize her for an audience in 2025 (mainly, avoiding painting as a damsel in distress) make very little impression, with the elements that best work being the best parts of the animated classic. The film is unlikely to win over anyone who doesn’t like this sort of movie to begin with and will certainly appeal to people who have a reverence for Snow White and Disney animated classics heading in. In large part this is due to how much Snow White misses the chance to add meaningful substance to the story or characters, other than some new songs and a few new beats. It largely plays out as a recreation of the animated movie with little deviation, which, while likely satisfying diehard admirers, is a bit of a letdown considering the lost potential to add more depth.
What is certainly not a letdown though is Snow White herself. Rachel Zegler affirms that she is a real movie star here, delivering a performance with incredible spirit and heart. Zegler charmingly navigates dialogue sequences, while also bringing an emotionality to the various musical numbers. The values and innocence that make Snow White such an impactful character are brought to life with magnificent authenticity and charm by Zegler.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for Gal Gadot and her performance as the Evil Queen. In the animated version, this villain is as scary as she is wicked, with a commanding screen presence that really struck fear in the hearts of young audience members. In the new film, however, the Evil Queen is little more than an empty shell of a character. Again, opportunities to build upon the Queen’s pursuit of being “the fairest of them all” are squandered by an overly simplistic approach to her character. This missed opportunity in the script is amplified by a wooden and awkward performance by a woefully miscast Gadot.
Yielding mixed results is the film’s depiction of the seven dwarfs. Controversy surrounding the lack of casting real life people with dwarfism aside, the CGI depictions of these characters varies greatly throughout the runtime. At times, the visual effects are wayward, with some dwarfs looking far more natural than others. The CGI in many shots looks not dissimilar to the characters in The Polar Express, which is an alarming comparison given that the Christmas film was released over 20 years ago. Dopey, in particular, has an unintentionally unsettling appearance, contrary to the warmth and innocence that the character is supposed to have. There are other moments in the film though where the dwarfs work better and the facial visual effects look sharper, although the inconsistency in their portrayal means the movie misses the mark with one of its source material’s key elements.
Beyond the dwarfs, visually, Snow White marks an improvement over recent remakes of Disney animated classics. Alongside cinematographer Mandy Walker, Webb brings a dream-like quality to every scene, with colors that simultaneously shine brightly and hazily. A few bland and colorless sequences aside, this approach makes Snow White really feel like a fairy tale, something that can’t always be said for recent live-action remakes. The production design also deserves plaudits, despite the way in which sets were filmed leaving a bit to be desired at times. For instance, the castle’s exterior, while incredibly well designed, is often shot in such a way that immediately clues in the audience to the fact that it is a set. Certain wide shots, especially during the opening musical sequence, take the viewer out of the moment, which is disappointing given the immense amount of time and effort that clearly went into the production.
Despite these issues, Snow White excels in recreating the heart and charm of the animated classic. With so many recent takes on Snow White losing touch of this key element, it is refreshing to see a movie possess that same kind of endearing quality that made the 1937 animated original so special. The new film champions a message of unconditional kindness, especially to those in need and even to those who are complete strangers to us. In the midst of so much real life turmoil and distress, the purity and authenticity of this much-needed message makes a strong impact.
VERDICT: 6.5/10
The latest in Disney’s run of live-action remakes of animated classics, Snow White captures the charm and heart of the original film, even though additions to the story add little substance. Although the miscast Gal Gadot delivers a wooden performance as the Evil Queen, Rachel Zegler affirms her movie star qualities by truly embodying what makes Snow White such an endearing character and delivering powerful emotions through the songs. The dwarfs, meanwhile, are depicted with inconsistent and, at times, off-putting CGI, especially in the case of Dopey. A dream-like quality evoked by the directing and cinematography aptly provides the film with a fairy tale essence, which offsets some poorly directed sequences that spoil the film’s fantastic production design. Although the film misses the opportunity to build upon a classic story and its characters with largely flat additions, Snow White mostly succeeds due to the enduring strength of its source material, in particular the 1937 animated film that remains one of Disney’s greatest accomplishments.