The long-awaited live action remake of Disney’s first-ever feature length animated film, “Snow White” released in theaters March 21. However, the film did not have a very successful opening weekend, making only $43 million at the domestic box office, one of the lowest opening weekend box offices for a Disney live action adaptation.
Reviews have been spanning from bad to mediocre, with some critics claiming that the film has strong technical qualities but doesn’t stand out compared to other live action remakes. Other critics even claimed that the movie is unwatchable.
I don’t think this is the best Disney live action remake by far, but it is still an enjoyable watch that makes valuable amendments to the original film.
The classic tale follows Snow White (portrayed by Rachel Zegler) as she attempts to save her kingdom from the tyrannous rule of the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), who is also her stepmother. Along the way, she befriends seven dwarves and the bandit Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) who help throughout her journey.
Going into this film, I had heard a lot of negative things about it, so I was prepared to absolutely hate it, however, it really wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I’m not a big fan of the original 1937 “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” While I respect it for how groundbreaking it was for animation at the time, being the first feature length animated film, I find the plot boring and the character Snow White to have no personality. Not to mention that she literally meets the Prince once (without even having an actual conversation with him) before riding off into the sunset with him at the end of the film.
With that being said, I liked a lot of the additions made to the story in the 2025 version of “Snow White.” However, I think that these changes could have been executed better. I grew up watching the Snow White adaptation “Mirror Mirror” and I found that a lot of the changes made to this film were similar to those made in “Mirror Mirror,” only they weren’t explored as fully as they could have been; so many of the new aspects did not feel well developed.
I liked that the Prince Charming character was changed to be Jonathan, the bandit, and that Snow White joined him earlier on in the movie, taking on the bandit lifestyle a bit herself. However, I still wish there could’ve been more character development and chemistry built up between Jonathan and Snow White. Still, the chemistry was a major upgrade from the original. I also think it could have been valuable to see even more of Snow White being a bandit as it would have given her a bigger character arc. I think it would have been a good way for the story to put more power and autonomy into Snow White’s hands.
Additionally, I enjoyed the change made near the end of the story when Snow White decides that she shouldn’t just wait around for her wishes to magically happen but instead take action to make them a reality. It was a good idea to have her face off with the Evil Queen at the end of the story, rather than the villain just being defeated by the elements, but the final confrontation felt very rushed and anticlimactic.
I also appreciate that Dopey became a deeper and more interesting character rather than just being the butt of the joke. This added a layer of depth to the film, and I think his journey could be relatable on some level to lots of people.
I think the best part of this film is undeniably Rachel Zegler. She is the perfect Snow White and shines any time she’s on screen. She brought the character to life so beautifully while also breathing new life into her. While she was given an unfortunate looking bob hairstyle, she was stunning and portrayed Snow White’s delicateness while also showing how strong she is through her kindness.
On the other hand, Gal Gadot’s performance as the Evil Queen was difficult to watch. Everything she did and said felt very forced and awkward. Originally, I was hoping the Evil Queen would have a bigger storyline and a more in-depth backstory in this adaptation, but now I’m glad she didn’t, because the less she was on screen, the better.
The CGI dwarves in the movie, made them look borderline creepy. It made the movie less grounded in reality and instead goofier and more cartoonish. Additionally, by not casting actors with dwarfism, it has ended up making that community feel erased. Zach Roloff, a TV personality from the show “Little People, Big World,” spoke on the subject on “The Unplanned Podcast" and explained very effectively how Disney went wrong with this casting by saying: “If the story if offensive, change the story, don’t change the characters.”
“Snow White” isn’t the best live action remake ever, however, I think we need to acknowledge that these live action remakes are overdone and honestly pointless. Disney keeps making these films that are either exactly like the original, which makes the audience question the need for a remake, or films that change parts of the plot, making audiences upset that it doesn’t honor the original. I hope that Disney will go back to putting more focus on distinctive, original stories.
I think children would enjoy “Snow White.” I would recommend giving it a chance as it might surprise you. Although, if you do watch it and think: “I like where this was going but I wish it was executed better,” I highly recommend watching “Mirror Mirror” as you might find that it addresses most of the issues you have with this live action adaptation.
