Film Review: Snow White

Snow White
Director: Marc Webb
Marc Platt Productions
In Theaters: 03.21.25

Most of us agree that the Disney live action remakes of animated classics are wholly unnecessary and viewers are divided on the issue of whether they can be enjoyable in their own right. I can tell you this much about Snow White: it brings some new ideas, it does not in any way ruin your childhood or detract from the original and there’s no reason any decent person should feel upset about a little cultural sensitivity. 

The somewhat revisionist spirit is set up almost immediately, as the narrator explains that Snow White gets her name not from any perfect Aryan complexion, but instead is named after the raging blizzard that was happening during her birth. The young princess is raised in a kingdom where her parents teach her to rule with fairness and watch over her subjects rather than ruling over them and, while she is meant to take the throne, whether she is expected to take a husband is never mentioned (alarmists and idiots you may now start overreacting). When her mother dies, Snow White’s father (Broadway star Hadley Fraser) remarries the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman, Red Notice), an opportunist who takes advantage of an atmosphere of fear in order to seize power. When Snow White (Rachel Zegler, West Side Story) grows, she becomes an idealistic champion of the people. Between her political ideas and her beauty that is beginning to overshadow that of the Queen, she is forced into exile. In the first day, she meets seven little miners (who are never referred to as dwarves), as well as a Robin Hood-esque outlaw named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap, Under The Banner of Heaven ), and together, they all must find a way to restore a just and happy kingdom.

Snow White is one of the better remakes Disney has done, trying hard to find its own identity and succeeding just enough to be memorable. As far as all of the controversy, it may be all the rage to lash out at Zegler over her statement that the 1937 classic is a bit dated, but she’s right, and I’ll go a step further: The original character of Snow White and the animated performance are both dreadful, and while it remains a groundbreaking cinematic touchstone, any scene focused on her or the flat Prince Charming isn’t just an ordeal to watch, it’s weird and creepy. Zegler’s Snow White is a stronger character in every respect, one who is still capable of falling in love with a man but doesn’t exist solely to do so. The old-fashioned fairytale romantic dynamic has never been a good thing, and while the original film needs to be left alone, an alternative is both welcome and sorely needed on that level.  

Not everything about this Snow White works, but there’s a lot to enjoy here. The songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (The Greatest Showman) are catchy, especially “Waiting on a Wish.” There are a lot of pleasing visuals and it’s full of positive messaging for kids. The trickiest aspect in terms of sensitivity was the portrayal of the “little miners,” Sleazy, Happy, Dumpy, Gropey, Greed, Gluttony and Sloth. Their CGI look is not going to work for everybody, but it made me think of Hoggle in Labyrinth, and I had no problem with them being mixed in with humans. The inclusion of Quigg (George Appleby, Game of Thrones), an actual actor with dwarfism, as one of the bandits is an effective choice, setting a clear difference between him the broadly caricatured fantasy characters.

Zegler is wonderful in the title role, shining with amazing star power and giving the character depth and dignity. Gadot does a great job as the Queen, and though her vocal range is limited, her songs are tailored to her. Burnap does fine, though I wouldn’t have minded a more magnetic presence — but it’s still a vast improvement over Prince Charming, and the bandits are a fun addition. The voice cast playing the miners is quite strong, particularly Martin Klebba (Pirates of the Caribbean) as Grumpy, Andrew Barth Feldman (No Hard Feelings) as Dopey and Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso) as Doc.

Snow White is imperfect, and the story often feels muddled, but it’s solid family fun with positive messages for kids. It’s certainly not the landmark triumph that the 1937 masterpiece was, but it flat out cannot detract from that film unless you’re determined to let it do so. As for the uproar over the terrifying specter of wokeness, if you’re truly not open to the idea that some things from that time period are worth tweaking with a certain sense of enlightenment, quite honestly, I’d rather you don’t go to public places like movie theaters anyway.  —Patrick Gibbs

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