By Sneh Makhecha (‘28)

In this article I wanted to discuss Disney’s most recent live action film, Snow White. Snow White came out on March 21, 2025, starring Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. I watched the movie about a week after it was released, and the movie was honestly a bit disappointing. I was fairly oblivious to the  controversy about the movie before it came out. Therefore, I had really high expectations that weren’t exactly met. Personally, I didn’t feel inspired or entertained much by the film, despite the cartoons’s high reputation. And judging by the 1.5 star IMDb rating and the 41% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I am not completely alone. I’m no film critic, so I wanted to see what the professionals along with the average viewers had to say about Snow White. Here are three reasons why the audience feels that  the Snow White Live Action didn’t quite measure up to the animated version, as well as what the live action does have to offer.

Resemblance to the Original

Firstly, the live action changed several classic elements of the cartoon version, disappointing many fans. One example is the character Prince Charming who, according to a ScreenRant article, seems to resemble Flynn Ryder from Tangled instead of a princely figure. Snow’s new love interest is named Jonathan, a bandit who steals from the Evil Queen’s empire in the name of the king. In my opinion, the upgrade is well-needed, since Jonathan’s humble background further solidifies the ongoing theme of the movie that Snow doesn’t need a prince to save her. However, the live action didn’t make much effort to keep Prince Charming and Jonathan’s costumes at least somewhat similar. Jonathan’s color palette consists of mostly green, while Prince Charming’s outfit is red, blue, and white (similar to Snow’s dress). Since Jonathan isn’t a prince, it’s unrealistic to hope that his outfit would be exactly the same as Prince Charming’s. However, a total color change makes Jonathan’s appearance very unfamiliar to those who grew up watching and rewatching Snow White.   

Even more disappointing, many classic songs from the cartoon were completely removed from the live action version. “Heigh-Ho”, an all-time crowd favorite, does appear in the live action, along with “Whistle While You Work” and “The Silly Song”. Unfortunately, “One Day My Prince Will Come” doesn’t appear at all in the film. Yes, the song promoted the sexist idea that “a man will always come to the rescue of a damsel in distress”, and getting rid of that message was probably a smart idea. But since the song was so popular, I’m sure many fans would have appreciated if the iconic tune was incorporated somewhere in the new movie, without the sexist lyrics. Additionally, “I’m Wishing” doesn’t appear in the live action’s soundtrack, along with “One Song” and “A Smile and a Song”. 

Special Effects

If you’ve heard any feedback from someone who’s already watched Snow White, they probably mentioned the CGI dwarfs somewhere in their rating. Many top critics, including Mark Kermode and Helen O’Hara have criticized the photo realism and VFX used to create the seven dwarfs we all know and love. Critic Nadira Goffe even went so far as to call the dwarfs “…super-creepy CGI magical creatures…” who “…entirely miss the mark…”. While I didn’t find the dwarfs to be completely horrendous, they were a bit odd-looking. They didn’t seem to fit in with the other human characters, which was extremely evident in songs like “Whistle While You Work” and other scenes where actual people and the CGI dwarfs were standing side by side. Moreover, many of the backgrounds looked a bit computer-generated compared to the physical landscapes that were presented elsewhere in the film. This was a stark contrast from the original because, love it or hate it, the scenery was very beautifully animated. Personally, some of the scenes in the live action failed to completely capture the cartoon ambiance.

Cast Drama

Drama between and about cast members resulted in plenty of controversy with the Snow White film before it was even released. According to the director’s son’s (Jonah Platt’s)  post on X, this may have been a reason for the film’s “…sluggish start at the box office…”, with a total of $43 million dollars on the opening weekend. Jonah completely blamed Rachel Zegler for controversy involving the film, since she posted the words “And always remember, free Palestine” on X, even though her co-star, Gal Gadot, is from Israel. Disney was consequently forced to increase protection and security for Gal and her family. The tension between the two actors didn’t go unnoticed by the public. At the Oscars, Rachel and Gal sat two rows apart, which may have been an attempt to keep the two separated. For now, however, neither Gal or Racel have acknowledged any tension between each other. As for the public opinion of Ms. Zegler, some people appreciate her for standing up for what she believes in, while others are upsetted by her comment and believe it was immature.   

Rachel Zegler’s political comments aimed towards President Donald Trump have also caused much controversy. Zegler wrote that she hoped the president and his followers may “…never know peace”, which offended several Trump supporters.  Zegler also stated that there is “…a deep, deep sickness in this country that is shown in the sheer amount of people who showed up for this man…”, referring to Trump winning the electoral debate against Kamala Harris due to the votes from his followers. Comments like these resulted in criticism from Megyn Kelly, who said Rachel should be fired from the Snow White film. Hearing the criticism, Zegler later apologized for her actions, saying that she let her emotions get the best of her and that everyone has the right to their own opinion.

Positives of Snow White

From the absence of classic elements in the original to CGI mishaps to controversy about the cast, the Snow White live action could definitely use some improvement. However, the film did get an audience rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, so there were obviously some positives about the film. First and foremost, the songs: while the remake did drop plenty of crowd favorites, the new songs were, as said by Entertainment Weekly, a “…surprising success”. Additionally, critics seemed especially impressed by Rachel Zegler’s performance. As said in a New York Times review, “Zegler has enough charm and lung power to hold the center of this busy, overproduced movie…”. Mark Kermode had a similar review, explaining that while he didn’t enjoy the movie much, Rachel’s performance almost salvaged it. 
So is Snow White worth the watch? I think it honestly depends on you as a person. Do you enjoy watching remakes for the songs and acting, or for the overall message and reference to the animation? Personally, I would recommend trying it out. Since reviews are so mixed, you very well may end up enjoying the movie. If you are thinking of watching Snow White, I would not go in with very high expectations. While the idea of a Snow White live action was very promising, the movie didn’t live up to its full potential in my opinion. I would say just go with an open mind and see if the film surprises you.