Disney’s live action “Snow White,” released on March 21, 2025, managed to generate
more backlash than buzz long before its debut. Much of the controversy stemmed from lead
actress Rachel Zegler’s insistent dismissal and drag of the classic 1937 “Snow White,” labeling it
as weird and outdated. A pop-culture report from BBC News on the film explains that Zegler
stood firm on the fact that the film would take a more modern approach, she herself saying
“There’s a big focus [in the original] on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird!
So we didn’t do that this time.” To me, that sounded fine in theory—until the movie hit screens
and revealed itself to be a complete erasure of what made “Snow White,” well, “Snow White.”
This reimagining of a Disney classic had swiftly become the corporation’s biggest live action
flop to date, receiving a 1.6/10 on IMDb, and 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, angering fans who held
the 1937 classic close to their hearts.
To be blunt, this movie is barely “Snow White”. Sure, costumes stayed the same, there
were still seven dwarves, and the Evil Queen continued to be the story’s antagonist, but what
much is left besides that? The emotional weight of Snow White’s innocence was absent in the
film, replaced with the struggle of a princess who tries to steal her country back from her wicked
stepmother. She strikes out on her own, fleeing to the forest and befriending thieves who plot
against a tyrannical ruler. While still semi-present, the foundational themes of jealousy and
vanity were given little attention, and barely any screen time. Snow White was poisoned, asleep,
and awoken, in the span of three minutes. Instead of classic storybook charm, we get a main
character who seems vaguely annoyed to be in her own movie, and a plot that swaps whimsy for
more backlash than buzz long before its debut. Much of the controversy stemmed from lead
actress Rachel Zegler’s insistent dismissal and drag of the classic 1937 “Snow White,” labeling it
as weird and outdated. A pop-culture report from BBC News on the film explains that Zegler
stood firm on the fact that the film would take a more modern approach, she herself saying
“There’s a big focus [in the original] on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird!
So we didn’t do that this time.” To me, that sounded fine in theory—until the movie hit screens
and revealed itself to be a complete erasure of what made “Snow White,” well, “Snow White.”
This reimagining of a Disney classic had swiftly become the corporation’s biggest live action
flop to date, receiving a 1.6/10 on IMDb, and 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, angering fans who held
the 1937 classic close to their hearts.
To be blunt, this movie is barely “Snow White”. Sure, costumes stayed the same, there
were still seven dwarves, and the Evil Queen continued to be the story’s antagonist, but what
much is left besides that? The emotional weight of Snow White’s innocence was absent in the
film, replaced with the struggle of a princess who tries to steal her country back from her wicked
stepmother. She strikes out on her own, fleeing to the forest and befriending thieves who plot
against a tyrannical ruler. While still semi-present, the foundational themes of jealousy and
vanity were given little attention, and barely any screen time. Snow White was poisoned, asleep,
and awoken, in the span of three minutes. Instead of classic storybook charm, we get a main
character who seems vaguely annoyed to be in her own movie, and a plot that swaps whimsy for
lecture. The famous romance? Cringey and uncomfortable, at best. There is zero chemistry, their
songs are sub-par, and the “prince,” —a rebellious thief that lives in the woods—feels like an
afterthought, added as an obligation.
Zegler herself delivers a performance that feels stiff and uninvested, lacking the warmth,
wonder, and innocence of her original counterpart. Instead of growing into strength through
kindness, she already had a chip on her shoulder from the start, making her arc feel flat. There is
no sense of discovery, no magic, and no heart. Worst of all, the film seems embarrassed by its
source material. Rather than building off the film’s timeless themes, writers attempted to create a
new story entirely, with a faint similarity to Snow White. The film feels like a lazy attempt to
create a modern tone of empowerment, using a preexisting outline of a movie that did not
conform with their vision. The Daily Mail were swift in branding the movie as a “woke tirade,”
and Variety Magazine contends that Zegler “trashed the beloved original Snow White.” In trying
so hard to be “modern,” Disney forgot to make it magical.
This movie did not need to be a carbon copy of the original—but it did need to respect
the fairytale it came from. Overall, I see the vision for what they were trying to create. Disney
wanted a story that aligned better with the times, that empowered young children, and possessed
themes of bravery, rebellion, love. Yet, this seems like an idea that should have been made into a
different movie entirely, not a remake of a film with completely dissimilar foundations. And
despite all the truly outdated aspects of 1937 “Snow White,” we must understand that life was
different, but the central ideas of jealousy and vanity are timeless.
songs are sub-par, and the “prince,” —a rebellious thief that lives in the woods—feels like an
afterthought, added as an obligation.
Zegler herself delivers a performance that feels stiff and uninvested, lacking the warmth,
wonder, and innocence of her original counterpart. Instead of growing into strength through
kindness, she already had a chip on her shoulder from the start, making her arc feel flat. There is
no sense of discovery, no magic, and no heart. Worst of all, the film seems embarrassed by its
source material. Rather than building off the film’s timeless themes, writers attempted to create a
new story entirely, with a faint similarity to Snow White. The film feels like a lazy attempt to
create a modern tone of empowerment, using a preexisting outline of a movie that did not
conform with their vision. The Daily Mail were swift in branding the movie as a “woke tirade,”
and Variety Magazine contends that Zegler “trashed the beloved original Snow White.” In trying
so hard to be “modern,” Disney forgot to make it magical.
This movie did not need to be a carbon copy of the original—but it did need to respect
the fairytale it came from. Overall, I see the vision for what they were trying to create. Disney
wanted a story that aligned better with the times, that empowered young children, and possessed
themes of bravery, rebellion, love. Yet, this seems like an idea that should have been made into a
different movie entirely, not a remake of a film with completely dissimilar foundations. And
despite all the truly outdated aspects of 1937 “Snow White,” we must understand that life was
different, but the central ideas of jealousy and vanity are timeless.
