88 years ago, Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, their first feature-length animated film, which not only completely changed the possibilities for the studio, but changed movie history by showing what animation could do. After years of honing their skills with shorts and Silly Symphonies, Disney defied all odds — and, in doing so, created a masterpiece that still feels magical all these years later.
Yet even though Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is an undeniable classic, a triumph of cinema, and the template for so many other films that came after it, it’s still not without its flaws. Disney was still clearly trying to figure out how to go from ten-minute shorts to a full 83-minute story, and it shows. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is essentially ten minutes of plot and the beginning and end, with an hour of musical numbers about cleaning in between, not to mention the fact that Snow White doesn’t have much depth to her (Cinderella, released just thirteen years later, knows how to make its title princess character feel like an actual person), and we know almost as little about the unnamed Prince and Queen. Snow White is a magnificent achievement, but it was also the result of animators trying to figure out how to utilize this new way of storytelling, and sometimes — in being the first to do it — falling short. Simply put, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs can be an important genre-defining masterpiece and Rachel Zegler can be right about the film’s flaws.
Considering Disney’s former interest in direct-to-video sequels/prequels and their recent penchant for remaking their animated classics in live-action, it’s quite surprising that it’s taken nearly a century for Disney to return to this world (but not for lack of trying). Snow White, helmed by (500) Days of Summer and The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb and written by Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, Chloe), isn’t attempting to improve Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but rather reimagines and tries to expand on those elements that were a bit thin when they were introduced back in 1937. As with almost all of Disney’s live-action remakes, there’s no way this retelling could overtake the original story as people’s favorite, but Snow White does work as an intriguing expansion on this world and fits in as a nice companion to the beloved animated treasure.
What Is ‘Snow White’ About?

Most of what Disney’s latest live-action remake expands upon involves Snow White (Zegler) and the kingdom in which she was born. Snow White was the only child of a king and queen who ruled over a kingdom with love, kindness, and compassion for each other. When the queen dies, the king remarries a woman with magical powers who becomes the new queen (Gal Gadot). Yet when the king departs and never returns, the new queen takes over the land, ruling with disdain for the people and hoarding the land’s wealth while the kingdom itself struggles and starves. Many also think that Snow White has disappeared, but instead, the queen treats her stepdaughter like a servant in her own castle.
Every day, the queen goes to her Magic Mirror and asks who the fairest one of all is. The mirror always states this person to be the queen, but after Snow White shows kindness to Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), a local rebel and thief who sneaks into the castle, the mirror proclaims Snow White as the fairest one of all. The queen tasks her trusty Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) with taking Snow White out into the woods, killing her, and carving out her heart, but when the Huntsman sees Snow White’s kindness for himself, he tells her to run into the woods to safety. There, Snow White finds a magical forest, a group of seven dwarfs, and a group trying to lead an uprising against the queen, as she tries to help the kingdom become what it once was long, long ago.
‘Snow White’ Attempts to Update a Classic Story, and It Mostly Works

For the most part, Snow White’s attempt to make this story feel more complete works best when it does so on a larger scale. Getting into Snow White’s backstory, her place within this kingdom, and her relationship with the Evil Queen are all smart choices that only make this fantasy more cohesive. This is no longer a story about a Queen versus the “fairest one of all”; now, it is a story about a dictatorial, wealthy, selfish leader who has to compete with empathy, kindness, and hope (and who could possibly relate to that…).
For all the controversy about how the film would handle the dwarfs, Wilson’s development of these seven men is a welcome change. As people who have lived together for the majority of their 274 years, the dwarfs have fun playing off their diametrically opposed attitudes (how does Grumpy live in a house with a guy named Happy, anyways?) while also playing up their major personality traits. In fact, one of the best developments in this remake comes in how the film handles Dopey, as well as Snow White’s dynamic with him. Snow White and Dopey had some of the most iconic moments in the original film, and here, that’s also true; watching how this friendship blossoms is truly touching, and makes you completely forget you’re watching CGI dwarfs.

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Of course, not everything this film tries to update entirely works. The dwarfs now apparently have the power to sense gems in the mines with glowing hands — a choice that has absolutely no bearing on anything else in the film. On a similar note, Snow White does, at times, attempt to further explain or hit on various beats and imagery that don’t really need expansion. We probably don’t need an origin story for Snow White’s name, or to be told that the kingdom was once ripe with juicy red apples, which Snow White and her mother would make into pies for the people. It doesn’t hurt the story, but it does feel like unnecessary worldbuilding.
The film’s most confounding choice involves Jonathan’s group of rebels, which were clearly supposed to be this film’s updated take on the seven dwarfs before the CGI versions reminiscent of the original film were introduced. Snow White tries to let both of these groups work in this one story, but also tries not to pay too much attention to these rebels. We never spend enough time with them to truly care about who they are, and in shifting this film back into one with classic dwarfs, keeping this other bunch in the mix is more confusing than worthwhile.
Rachel Zegler Is a Wonderful Snow White

Image via Disney

So much of why this live-action update works as well as it does is thanks to Zegler’s performance. As a child, her father tells her to be fearless, fair, brave, and true, and we see this factor in every scene with Zegler’s Snow White. She’s optimistic, yet aware that change needs to be made for the good of the land. She’s never trying to mimic the animated Snow White; instead, Zegler tries to imbue her take with the same kind spirit and care for others that she saw her parents leading with. This is, without a doubt, one of the better performances from a live-action Disney princess so far, and Zegler beautifully captures this character’s heart while still giving her more agency and depth than she had before.
Unfortunately, Gadot’s Evil Queen gets the short end of the stick in this version. Gadot is certainly giving it her all, but she doesn’t have the sort of grandiose, imposing nature that makes the Evil Queen such a domineering villain. Also, Wilson’s script doesn’t really do her any favors, only slightly expanding on the few details we already knew about her. Yes, she’s power-hungry, self-absorbed, and greedy, but now…SHE SINGS! While Snow White knows exactly how to make its lead more interesting by diving deeper into who this character is, the Evil Queen doesn’t receive an equally worthwhile extension, and it hurts the central dynamic of the film.
The Music in ‘Snow White’ Is a Bit Heigh-Ho-Hum

Image via Disney

As a musical, Snow White is a bit of a mixed bag. Naturally, the best songs here are updates of songs we already know, such as “Heigh-Ho,” “Whistle While You Work,” and “The Silly Song,” often with additional lyrics that mostly work and don’t take away from these beloved songs. It also shouldn’t be a surprise that the best new songs here — by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of La La Land and The Greatest Showman fame — do center around Zegler’s Snow White. Here, she gets a much stronger “I Want” song with “Waiting on a Wish,” which makes for a solid introduction to this character.
“A Hand Meets a Hand,” featuring Zegler and Burnap, is also quite good, while their other duo, “Princess Problems,” has a bit too much “theater kid” energy and winks too much at the audience for it to be entirely effective. Again, the weakest song here is the new song added for Gadot’s Evil Queen, “All Is Fair,” which almost feels like an attempt to make her a more playful villain than she really is. Also, compared to Zegler’s vocal skills, Gadot can’t help but come up short.
‘Snow White’ Does an Admirable Job of Bringing This Story to a New Generation

Image via Disney

In updating this story, Webb finds a nice balance between the fantastical and the truth of this situation. Yes, we still have cute animals traipsing around Snow White, but in a post-Enchanted world, they can’t really be helping with the dishes and the cleaning. Webb still makes this Snow White feel like a fairy tale, and all the horrors and beauty that that includes. Snow White running into the magical forest has all the haunting imagery that we’d expect, while the princess-meets-her-Prince-Charming story has a little bit more meat on its bones. But Webb also ensures that we understand the stakes of what this kingdom is going through, never shying away from the darker aspects of that idea while managing to be both grounded and magical.
For the most part, Wilson’s screenplay succeeds at figuring out what this version of Snow White needs 88 years later. The added depth is handled extremely well and in clever ways, finding new angles to explore with these characters and this world. At times, the story can feel a bit stitched together, especially when dealing with both the CGI dwarfs and the “new” dwarfs, but these moments of awkwardness and shaggy storytelling are few and far between.
Considering the pressure this movie has going against it in remaking one of Disney’s first true masterpieces and their first-ever animated feature, it’s surprising how well Snow White pulls off this update. It’s not nearly perfect, and it can get sloppy at times in trying to bring this story up to date, but its earnestness and heart mostly make up for these flaws. Snow White deserved an update of sorts, and this is an admirable new take that certainly is one of the better live-action remakes from Disney. It might not be the fairest Snow White of all, but it’s an admirable effort nonetheless.
Snow White comes to theaters on March 21.

Disney’s Snow White

Snow White is an admirable update of Disney’s first animated classic, fleshing out details that deserved more attention.

Release Date

March 21, 2025

Director

Marc Webb

Producers

Callum McDougall, Marc Platt

Pros & Cons

Rachel Zegler is an excellent Snow White and one of the best live-action princesses so far.
Snow White fleshes out details that make this world feel more substantial and intriguing.
The dynamic between Snow White and Dopey is particularly lovely.

Gal Gadot can’t do justice to the Evil Queen.
The music is a bit of a mixed bag, especially the new songs.
Some of the choices made throughout, especially with the “bandits,” are particularly questionable.