Once upon a time, an American animation studio released a full length feature film based by a fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm. Establishing a new milestone in Hollywood, the film would become the first animated film produced by Hollywood and was the highest-grossing animated film for 55 years. With such achievements, it is no wonder that Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is considered a classic among animation fans. But nearly 100 years after its release, Disney are now turning its attention to a live-action adaptation of its seminal feature film.
Starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, Snow White sees the eponymous character (Zegler) try to reclaim her kingdom from her wicked stepmother (Gadot) with the help of seven dwarfs and a small troop of bandits.
Snow White marks Disney’s latest venture into live-action adaptations of its extensive animated filmography. The studio’s frequent attempts to revitalise its classic works has had mixed responses from both critics and audiences (ranging from a Rotten Tomatoes score of 27% for 2022’s Pinocchio to 94% for the 2016 remake of The Jungle Book). Despite the repeated hope that a remake will be as good or better than the original, Disney’s live-action adaptations have mostly resulted in middling cinema successes rather than overwhelming box office hits. Nonetheless, Snow White is Disney’s latest attempt to reaffirm themselves as cinema’s OG storyteller.
The remake sees a young Snow White inspired by her parents to become a brave yet fair leader, as she is destined to rule their kingdom. Tragedy soon strikes and the kingdom falls into the hands of Snow White’s evil stepmother, a beautiful but powerful woman who is fixated on being ‘the fairest of them all’ and reduces Snow White to a servant. This all sounds overly familiar but The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson updates Snow White to provide additional context for a fuller backstory, so Snow White has a deeper connection with her kingdom (and her place as a ruler) while the chemistry with her love interest Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) has time to develop, instead of crooning his way instantly into her heart. In addition, the Evil Queen is as vain as she is cold-hearted, believing that dominance rules over kindness. As a result, these additional details offer substance among its principal characters and aim to carve out a more complex narrative.
A fuller backstory and character development attempt to right the wrongs of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, dialling down narrative idealisms such as true love and waiting for Prince Charming to ensure a traditional happy ending. This may provide ammunition for the filmmakers to highlight the flaws of a fairy tale (with new song ‘Princess Problems’ being particularly roasty), but they have seemingly forgotten that they are remaking the OG fairy tale. In addition, the seven dwarves are done dirty: presented as AI-generated ‘magical creatures’, they are merely treated as a nod to the original with little to do – to the point that they aren’t even mentioned in the title. These elements collectively offer a seeming lack of disrespect to the original 1937 film and in a vain effort to update it, the studio attempts to integrate a feminist message amid the original’s fuzziness. These mismatched loyalties to cater to both modern audiences and fervent Disney fans ultimately deliver a princess that puts duty over romance but lacks conviction as a determined ruler. It is a combination of conflicting priorities that causes Webb’s direction to falter, resulting in uneven pacing, lacklustre dialogue and an unsatisfying climax that rushes to tie up loose ends.
Regardless of the confusing approach (as well as their political off-screen controversy), West Side Story star Rachel Zegler warbles her way in the titular role. There is an enthusiasm behind her sunny smile and delivers the new songs with gusto, as does the rogueishly charming Burnap. In contrast, Gal Gadot effectively channels the Queen’s evilness with sneers and quiet delivery, but her unnecessary songs dull her edge.
Overall, Snow White tries to achieve a lot but while the leading ladies try to represent strong female characters, the film’s creative objectives do not complement each other cohesively, marking another miss among Disney’s live-action adaptations.
Snow White is out in UK cinemas on Friday 21 March.
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Director: Marc Webb; Erin Cressida Wilson (screenwriter)
Stars: Rachel Zegler, Andrew Burnap, Gal Gadot, Ansu Kabia,
Runtime: 109 minutes
Country: USA
