A poster depicting Snow White (Rachel Zegler) and her evil stepmother the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) standing back to back. Snow White is a live action remake of the 1938 animated Disney film. “Snow White” promotional image courtesy of Disney.

“Snow White” is an iconic fairy tale in many ways. It was the first feature-length film to be animated in color, and the first fairy tale to be adapted into a movie. The story also holds a special place in my heart as it was my first experience watching a Disney princess movie. I identified with Snow White’s connection to animals and her cheerful nature. Containing elements of the quintessential fairy tale, Snow White takes place in a vaguely European fairy tale kingdom.

Director Marc Webb created a live action remake of this Disney classic that was released in theaters March 21. The protagonist, Snow White, was played by Rachel Zegler, and Gal Gadot took on the role of her evil stepmother. The prince-like character, Jonathan, was played by Andrew Burnap. 

The tale begins when Snow White’s stepmother, the Evil Queen, asks a magical mirror who “the fairest of them all” is. Upon hearing that Snow White is the fairest, the queen orders a huntsman to take the young princess into the woods.  The huntsman takes pity on Snow White, releasing her into the forest. Lost and alone, Snow White stumbles upon a cottage inhabited by seven dwarves, all named after their distinct personalities: Sleepy, Grumpy, Doc, Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful and Happy. Snow White befriends the dwarves and decides to set off to find her father who never returned from battle. Along the way she encounters Jonathan, a bandit, who she joins forces with. Snow White is then poisoned by her stepmother in disguise. She falls fast asleep, with her only hope of rescue being “true love’s kiss”.

Knowing the original story and feeling comforted by the nostalgia it brings me, I entered the theater excited to be transported to the magical land of Disney films and a “happily ever after”. The audience, made up mostly of young girls and their parents, seemed to share my excitement. As the opening song, “Good Things Grow,”  began to play, I could feel this enthusiasm and anticipation build among the audience.

However, beyond my theater, it seemed that not everyone felt the same excitement. The public’s negative reaction began before the movie was released. From the start, Disney faced backlash for their casting– mainly of lead actress Rachel Zegler, who is of Colombian descent and does not fit the Eurocentric mold of most Disney princesses, nor does she have skin “as white as snow.”

Another point of controversy is the differing views of Gadot and Zegler on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Zegler has openly expressed her pro-Palestine viewpoint on social media, while Gadot is an Israeli Jew and supports Israel in the conflict. This divided the public, causing many people to accuse the actresses of being antisemitic or racist, ultimately lowering excitement surrounding the film.

Although I disagree with the majority of the criticism surrounding this film, one critique that resonates with me is the use of CGI for the characters of the seven dwarves. This was certainly a missed casting opportunity to have more representation for actors with dwarfism. 

“These dwarf roles are for people of my stature,” Dylan Postl, an actor with dwarfism, said during a 2023 interview with Piers Morgan. “Now think about the additional stunt actors or body doubles, now you’re talking about multiple actors of my stature that don’t get these major roles.” 

While staying true to the central conflict of “Snow White,” Webb modernized the usual fairy tale arc in which a prince saves a helpless princess. Instead of being rescued by an anonymous prince, Snow White develops a mutual relationship with an outlaw named Jonathan ,who later is able to give her “true love’s kiss.” This is a much more realistic representation of a woman’s role in a relationship, compared to the passive role of females in most fairytale love stories.

Much of the film is spent following Snow White and outlaw Jonathan as they evade palace guards. Snow White takes on the role of a powerful female lead, defending herself against assailers and resolving conflict among the dwarves. In order to bring peace to the dwarf cottage, Snow White sings the song “Whistle While You Work,“ which I left the theater humming. 

Several of the other songs in the film did not have the same effect and felt unnecessary. Specifically, the song “All Is Fair,” sung by the Evil Queen, included a dance sequence that distracted from the plot. The quality of Gadot’s voice was disappointing in comparison to Zegler’s soaring vocals. 

Zegler truly embodies the princess archetype with her portrayal of Snow White. Her acting skills are apparent, as she radiates positivity and grace throughout the whole film.

In contrast, the role of a Disney villain calls for a theatrical performance, which Gadot provided. She utilized dramatic body language and wore gaudy, bejeweled gowns befitting of an evil queen. However, moments of her acting felt exaggerated and drew me out of the polished fairytale world. Specifically, when Gadot summoned the palace guards and when she exclaimed that she will be “the fairest of them all.”

Furthermore, background aspects of the film, including CGI and costuming, were adequate — with some minor issues. The woodland creatures had strange proportions, while the settings had an artificial quality to them. Costumes did not seem to have been given much thought, especially considering that very little was done to revamp Snow White’s tricolor dress. 

A major redeeming quality of this film is the updated story line that does not portray women as naive nor places as much emphasis on vanity. Changes to the relationships and story arc of “Snow White” allow the princess to not only be a symbol of physical beauty, but also inner beauty. This message is much more healthy, relevant and true for young girls to take in.  

Despite slight technical hiccups, “Snow White” was still an enjoyable, entertaining take on the original that would win over any Disney lover.