I'm sorry Disney fans, Snow White is just as bad as we all thought it would be

After a slew of below-average live-action remakes, fans had high hopes that Disney would redeem themselves. But, the result is a choppy, almost satirical version of the real thing.

To say that the release of Disney’s 2025 Snow White live action remake has been shrouded in controversy would be an understatement.

From Rachel Zegler’s criticisms of the original Snow White back when her casting was first announced in 2021, to accusations of being both ‘too woke’ and ‘not woke enough’, and Gal Gadot as a concept, the movie has truly been fighting a losing battle since day one.

And, having now seen the movie, I really don’t think it was worth starting in the first place.

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Image: Disney.

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What to expect from Snow White

Over the past few years, Disney has taken to coming out with live-action remakes of, well, just about anything. From Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella to The Lion King and Lilo & Stitch, I truly think we’ll have two versions of every Disney movie by 2030.

But, Snow White was supposed to be a little bit different.

From the beginning, we knew that this Snow White would be less of a ‘princess’ than in the original 1937 film. She’s now an independent woman who don’t need no man!

Except, she still kinda does.

In the 2025 version, the name ‘Snow White’ refers instead to the character’s birth in a snowstorm, rather than the traditional red lips and dark hair rhetoric. The introduction to the narrative is much the same, albeit a bit long, telling the story of how Snow’s parents passed, resulting in the usurpation of sorts by the Evil Queen, portrayed by Gal Gadot.

From here, though, the story shifts even more, with Snow White’s love interest found instead in the form of a Robin Hood-esque criminal named Johnathan, played by Andrew Burnap. The two, along with the seven dwarves and Johnathan’s gang of misfits work to win back the throne and, well, you know how it ends.

But, despite the movie’s relatively short run time, it takes a lot to get there.

Image: Disney.

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Different - but not in a good way

I can’t even tell you the primary issue of this film, because there are just so many of them.

As far as casting goes, I think Zegler makes for the perfect Snow White - except for her absolutely insane-looking bob. She looks the part, fits the bubbly persona, and has the voice to match, although I wish I got to hear her sing more of the original songs.

The only original songs performed in the new movie are performed primarily by the seven dwarves, Heigh-Ho, Whistle While You Work, and The Silly Song.

Snow’s new ‘I Want’ song is called Waiting on a Wish, which I will say, I do absolutely love, but it just doesn’t quite hit the same as hearing Some Day My Prince Will Come with Rachel Zegler’s voice and the full orchestral backing.

But, without a prince, of course we couldn’t get that. Instead, we have Johnathan’s Princess Problems - an out-of-touch ‘too bad so sad’ anthem about how Snow White’s problems are illegitimate, even though by that point in the movie, she’d been abused for years and only narrowly escaped being murdered by a henchman, who had been ordered to do so by her jealous stepmother. They seem like pretty real problems to me, but okay…

The Evil Queen also gets a song of her own, which was… a choice. Whilst I do think Gal Gadot looks the part, I don’t think anyone who has her very own ‘worst line deliveries’ compilation video on WatchMojo deserves to play such an iconic role.

The Evil Queen had the opportunity to be one of the best parts of the movie, but the line deliveries (which I’m certain will be added to the next compilation video), paired with the average-at-best singing and dancing meant that the character just missed the mark completely.

The bizarre use of animation was also a huge let down for the film. It felt like Snow White was having an identity crisis, switching carelessly between the doom and gloom of the castle and village, and the bright set of the seven dwarves’ cottage - which, coupled with the overly costume-y costumes, looked like it had been ripped straight from a theme park; not in a fun and creative way, but in a ‘this house looks like a styrofoam front with nothing inside’ way.

Coupled with the creepy dwarves, and the few scenes which were just straight-up odd (I’ll be seeing Gal Gadot transition into the old lady in my nightmares), it just doesn’t have a lot going for it.

Image: Disney.

We want the real Snow White!

Given the absolutely cursed lead-up to the film’s release, I don’t think anyone would be surprised to hear that the new Snow White is pretty bad.

Had it been the only Snow White-inspired movie to come out in the last almost-100 years, I’m sure people would have seen it differently. But, when you have absolute bangers like Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman lined up doing ‘Snow White but kinda different’ so well, there’s no way this one would ever compare.

By following the original plot of the movie and using the original songs, I truly believe that this remake could have been saved; a redemption arc for the other below-average live-action remakes which have come out lately.

But, with so many changes, I think it would have better served as the base for a new movie concept entirely - or to have never been made at all.

Originally published as I'm sorry Disney fans, Snow White is just as bad as we all thought it would be