Disney’s remake of the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been overshadowed by years of controversy and PR scandals, but 2025’s Snow White deserves more appreciation than it has received. Inspired by Disney’s first feature, it hits the classic plot points while adding depth and significance to the story.
Adapting a classic Disney film into a live-action remake is, in many ways, similar to adapting a book into a screenplay. In both cases, it is essential to maintain the essence of the original subject matter, and here, Disney does a fantastic job. Upon discovering she is no longer the “Fairest of them all,” the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) commands the Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) to kill her stepdaughter, Snow White (Rachel Zegler), and bring her heart back in a box; however, Snow White escapes and finds companionship in seven dwarfs. So far, it feels quite similar to the 1937 version, but screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train and Chloe) has much more in store.
In this version, Snow White isn’t a powerless 14-year-old girl waiting for her prince to save her. Instead, she is an independent and kind princess clearly raised well by her late father to take over the throne. Her desire to lead is admirable, but it doesn’t diminish her quest for true love. She discovers it not in a prince, but in a Robin Hood-esque rebel/thief named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap). It’s refreshing to see Snow White fall in love and (would you believe it?) actually talk with her love interest. Plus, Burnap’s Jonathan is a lovable misfit who complements Snow White in all the right ways.
Where the film falls flat is in anything related to the Evil Queen. From the costumes to the directing to the casting, it seems director Marc Webb wasn’t clear on his vision for her story. Gal Gadot, while looking the part, fails to deliver a performance that exudes the evil, conniving, power-hungry sorceress we see in the original. Her threats to the Huntsman and Jonathan — meant to scare both the characters and the audience — are almost laughable. With her sequined dress, glittery lipstick, flimsy crown, and, let us not forget, servants who dance around her with mirrors, she is a character that would feel more at home in Disney’s Descendants than in one of the studio’s most expensive films to date.
Snow White toes a dangerous line between a mystical, storybook feel and reality, often creating the impression that the film doesn’t quite know what it is. The costumes are surprisingly pristine despite belonging to: a girl who almost drowned and spent the night fighting for her life in the forest, a band of thieves who lack money for food, let alone laundry, and a town of peasants long oppressed by their Evil Queen. It could be argued that we are viewing this story through rose-colored glasses, but these choices often pull the viewer out of the narrative, reminding them that they are merely watching a film. The film asks us to suspend disbelief as we watch the CGI animals (who bear more resemblance to the creatures in the original film than those we encounter in real life) and CGI dwarves (they may grow on you, though they probably weren’t the best choice) prance through production design that is just a little too perfect. I experienced more than one rude awakening to the reality that this was, in fact, live-action when the film transitioned from a completely animated sequence to a very real person.
Despite its flaws, Snow White is sure to appeal to both lovers of the classic film and children looking for a new princess to root for. Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman) breathe new life into the soundtrack, updating the classics and adding five original songs that feel as if they’ve always belonged (“Waiting on a Wish” is still stuck in my head). Wilson and Webb manage to update the film with new storylines that bring much-needed depth to many characters, even if the execution wasn’t always what it promised to be.
It’s unfortunate that this film has been surrounded by controversy since its inception. If we took a moment to view it outside of the cast and production company, and truly listened to what it is trying to say, I believe we’d all be a little better off. Wilson skillfully weaves in themes of feminism, power, and revolutions while maintaining a cohesive storybook feel that doesn’t feel out of place next to Disney’s first classic.
