After raiding the crown jewels for just about every live action reboot imaginable, Disney has finally gotten around to the one that started it all, the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film represented Walt Disney’s first-ever full length animated feature.
Originally the studio plan was to re-release their animated vault treasures every seven years for a new generation of kids, but they got the bright idea to instead remake them as live action features. Thus we have had versions of Sleeping Beauty reimagined around evil Maleficent; Peter Pan; Fantasia; Dumbo; Pinocchio; even three variations on 101 Dalmatians including Cruella; The Lion King; Jungle Book; Aladdin; Mulan; Alice In Wonderland; The Little Mermaid; and an unfortunate attempt to meddle with my favorite, Lady And The Tramp, among others. The best in the live action genre to date remains Bill Condon’s blockbuster Beauty And The Beast; and Kenneth Branagh’s splendid Cinderella.
But it seems the studio was gun shy about attempting a live action version of the fairest of them all – until now. With all the bad online criticism re casting, deptiction of Dwarfs, and various other rumors over the past four years since it went into production in 2021, you can see why they were reluctant. Putting all that aside, we now have the final “product” and the internet chatter can stop and we can get real about what is on screen. The good news is though Snow White may decidedly not be “the fairest of all” Disney reboots, it is just fine, and in some ways even more than fine thanks in large part to producer Marc Platt and his associate Jared Leboff who were responsible for both the long running Broadway reboot of The Wizard Of Oz as Wicked along with its recent magnificent film version (at least Part One). That movie adaptation might be more the template here for this Snow White than even any of the Disney attempts in that it manages to make a thoroughly decent reboot from a genuine never-out-of-circulation classic from the late 30’s and make it fresh again – and relevant – for contemporary audiences.
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I don’t expect Snow White to rival Wicked at the global boxoffice but it is a valiant attempt, and Platt has assembled some key creatives from his own Oscar winning La La Land including songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul who have provided some lively and lilting new tunes, and choreographer Mandy Moore responsible for the dazzling dance numbers. With Erin Cressida Wilson on board as screenwriter (and reportedly an uncredited Greta Gerwig) , and Amazing Spider-Man and (500) Years Of Summer director Marc Webb they have wisely not reinvented the wheel storywise, but simply enhanced it musically and with a more fleshed out and relatable title character. Though the Seven Dwarfs part of the title has been dropped, have no fear they are all prominently back in this film, introduced with the charming and familiar “Heigh Ho” , which along with a lovely “Whistle While You Work” as a lovely duet for starters with Snow White and sweet Dopey as he realizes he is not the lesser part of his gang of workers and new confidantes of Snow White. She is played to perfection by Rachel Zegler, finding her true self after being banished from the kingdom by evil stepmother and Queen, played to the hilt by Gal Gadot.
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As she is turned loose, thanks to effective VFX, into a forest where she meets up with adorable CGI creatures and CGI Dwarfs in their homey home, Snow White finds new purpose and fortitude in not only inspiring those new friends, but also in her journey to find her father after he is dumped by her horrible stepmother who is only concerned with skin deep beauty but frustrated that her magic mirror proclaims it is Snow White, not her, who is fairest of all. The film is also considerably livened up by the presence of the Prince, Jonathan (Tony Award winner Andrew Burnap) who with his ragtag gang of bandits comes to help as the evil Queen’s Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) organizes her forces to do away with all who oppose her (a nice correlation in these Trumpian times making the Grimms fairy tale ironically relevant). Of course the Prince has a complex relationship with Snow White, neatly expressed in the catchy Pasek and Paul number “Princess Problems” , but, well, you know where it is heading and it does in a swell ballad sung by both, “A Hand Meets A Hand”.
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Pasek and Paul have also provided a nice pop-style solo for Zegler, “Waiting On A Wish” , as well as the opening group sequence with “Good Things Grow” , that add to the merriment of this uber Disney confection. Mandy Walker’s sumptuous cinematography and Kara Quinn’s detailed production design add immeasurably to the atmosphere that make this all pay off in taking the joy of the stunning animation of the ’37 film and bringing it alive in a new way with today’s technology and heightened reality.
Zegler is ideal in the lead role. Forget the internet complaints about her latino heritage not being right for a princess who is supposed to be whiter than white. Deal with it. Zegler is terrific here and the casting works, as does Gadot’s narcissitic Queen. Burnap is a scrappier Prince than the one Jonathan Bailey delivered in Wicked, and the less-than-perfect man-of-her-dreams characterization with his diverse group of bandits seems just right for this 2025 Snow White. As for the Dwarfs, they are all visually rendered with excellent CGI and puppetry tricks, and ably voiced by all including audience favorite Dopey (Andrew Barth Feldman); Doc (Ted Lasso’s Jeremy Swift); Bashful (Tituss Burgess); Grumpy (Martin Klebbo); Sneezy (Jason Kravits); Happy (George Salazar); and Sleepy (Andy Grotelueshen).
Snow White isn’t gonna make anyone forget cherished childhood memories of the one that started it all for Disney, but this one is certainly enough to make you whistle while you watch.
Title: Snow White
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Release date: March 21, 2025
Director: Marc Webb
Screenplay: Erin Cressida Wilson
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Ansu Kabia, Jeremy Swift, Tituss Burgess, Andrew Barth Feldman, Martin Klebbo, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Andy Grotelueshen
Rating: PG
Running time: 1 hr 49 min