Rating 4/10
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a groundbreaking cinematic achievement in 1937. As the first-ever full-length animated feature, it proved that a cartoon could be a serious storytelling medium. Walt Disney took an enormous financial and creative risk, pushing the boundaries to deliver a masterpiece of emotional complexity and visual artistry. It set the standard for hand-drawn animation and revolutionized the industry. These days, the studio is but a mere shadow of what it once was, scared to forge a fresh identity.
Yes, these live-action copies of Disney’s animated classics are a safe way for a studio to make money exploiting the past. But I’m not saying they’re all bad. A successful remake can still balance nostalgia with an inspired narrative. Honoring a treasured landmark while making meaningful improvements can lead to artistic merit. 2015’s Cinderella is a rare exception that did this beautifully.
Director Marc Webb (Gifted), working from a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train), gives a true masterclass in the art of ‘meh.’ He is under the misguided illusion that innovation lies in cursory alterations rather than substantive storytelling. The blueprint behind this reworking draws from the original fairy tale by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and recreates scenes from the 1937 milestone. When Snow White is banished into the forest, and the tree branches are grasping at her clothes while running through the woods, it is imagined with some nice effects. It then blends in a modern update of a bold princess who wants to wrest power away from the Queen. However, it’s a mechanical manipulation, not a creative expansion.
Webb expands this simple story by half an hour but fails to enrich it. As a result, the pacing is sluggish. Snow White has more agency! The Prince is rebranded as a thief! Hear some new songs! The changes are superficial, failing to enhance the fable in any meaningful way. Instead of taking risks or offering unique insights, the movie follows a formulaic approach. The result is shaped by committee, fabricated to align with current sensibilities, not thoughtfully reimagined by artists inspired by the source material.
There is still a love interest. The dude’s name is Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), but he is no longer a prince. In this iteration, he’s an outlaw who wants to defy the Evil Queen’s monarchy. When Jonathan is captured, he encounters the incarcerated Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) in her dungeon. There Jonathan finds his own courage inpsired by Snow White’s example. He’s also flanked by a diverse group of bandits of various ethnicities, genders, and heights—it is a fairy tale, after all.
Speaking of heights, let’s talk about the dwarfs—or rather, the creatures that have replaced them. They are no longer portrayed by human actors but rendered as creepy entities using computer-generated imagery (CGI). They are repellent. But hold up—they aren’t mortal in this version. They’re a mystical race that has lived for centuries. This change aims to sidestep contoversy and bring an enlighted twist. Regardless the manipulations fail to recapture the charm of the original characters.
Rachel Zegler has a beautiful singing voice and uses it admirably on several added tunes by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen). Quintessential melodies like “Whistle While You Work” and “Heigh-Ho” remain. Hooray! The iconic “Someday My Prince Will Come” is excised. Boo! In its place is a new ditty, “Waiting on a Wish.” Granted, it’s a lovely ballad, too, although it bears a striking resemblance to “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid. Zegler’s vocal ability is beyond reproach. However, her performance lacks the warmth and sincerity needed to make this princess an endearing character. She never truly conveys a sense of love or compassion for anyone but herself. The character is emotionally cold despite the obvious intentions to portray her as a sympathetic personality.
That said, she’s an MVP compared to Gal Gadot as the Queen. Gadot’s vocal delivery is a stiff effort marred by wooden line readings. The nicest thing that can be said of Gadot’s acting is that she might be going for intentional camp. Even the gems on her gowns read like plastic costume-style jewelry. Meanwhile, the production design looks cheap—more like a high school play propped up with copious amounts of CGI than a fully realized fantasy world.
Ultimately, Snow White suffers from a lack of ambition, failing to justify its existence beyond being a visually muted, lifeless rehash of a beloved classic. Zegler’s singing is a highlight, but the picture is bogged down by poor direction, ugly CGI, and a script that stretches the original’s simple story with unnecessary additions. The catchy new songs clash with the older melodies, and Gadot’s Evil Queen lacks the gravitas to be a compelling antagonist. The list of actresses who could have positively eaten this part is long: Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Eva Green lead the charge. Snow White is a by-the-numbers product destined to be yet another footnote in the long list of these execrable remakes.
03-20-25