Snow White

Mirror Mirror, Why Remake This at All?

Many blockbusters spend half a decade or more in development before their release, which often causes them to miss prevailing trends or audience cravings. Disney smelled big money in its live-action remakes of animated classics, but after peaking with The Lion King (2019) and Aladdin (2019), audiences began to lose interest. Older animated films—especially those pre-1980—fared particularly poorly as remakes, with filmmakers unsure how to update problematic tropes or translate the then-pioneering animation styles into something intriguing for modern viewers. As such, we began to see financial flops like Pete’s Dragon (2016) and Dumbo (2019) as well as straight-to-streaming releases like Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Pinocchio (2022). The latest in this sputtering live-action remake slate is the troubled production of Snow White (2025).

Snow White is an adaptation of Walt Disney’s revolutionary first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), which wowed audiences with the possibilities of animated storytelling at the time. In the remake, we follow the oft-told story of the kind and downtrodden princess Snow White (Rachel Zegler), named for being born during a snowstorm, who is pursued and condemned by the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), jealous of Snow White being the “fairest maiden in the land.” In her escape from the Queen’s clutches, Snow White stumbles upon a home of seven mining dwarves in the forest, as well as a group of seven bandits rebelling against the Queen. Among the latter is the handsome Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who piques her heart.

If the end of that plot synopsis made you do a double take, you’re not the only one. This remake of Snow White feels like a half-baked attempt to directly remake the classic Disney version while also trying to tell a new story. The result is an indecisive and contradictory film that manages to be both shallow and bloated. With two sets of seven companions—fourteen characters in total—the film never settles on a tone or develops anyone meaningfully. In fact, if you were to cut the iconic seven dwarves from the film entirely, the plot would barely change. Only a touch of character depth given to Dopey (Andrew Barth Feldman) offers any emotional anchor; the rest of the cast remains forgettable and interchangeable.

The original animated version was a crisp 1 hour and 23 minutes, but at more than 20 minutes longer, the remake overcomplicates itself. It explains things that didn’t need explaining and pads the runtime by becoming an unnecessary musical. Disney hired the trendy composers Justin Paul and Benj Pasek of La La Land (2016), The Greatest Showman (2017), and Dear Evan Hansen (2021) fame. Personally, I only enjoyed their work in La La Land the most, with the rest feeling like forgettable cookie-cutter Broadway tunes. Sadly, Snow White’s new songs follow the same generic and forgettable pattern, delivering lines and melodies so cliché they would seem more at home in a parody. While we do hear versions of “Heigh-Ho” and “Whistle While You Work” (albeit unnecessarily expanded), the most iconic longing song in Disney’s history—“Someday My Prince Will Come”—is ignored inexplicably.

The production was deeply troubled, from casting controversies and reshoots, to COVID-19 delays, Hollywood strikes, social media backlash regarding its stars, and even a fire on set. You can fall down your own rabbit hole to grasp just how cursed this production seemed. Yet with a whopping $250 million budget, you'd expect at least top-tier production value. Instead, the money appears to have been funneled into CGI overload: everything from the dwarves themselves to the forest, animals, and even parts of the Evil Queen’s old-age makeup are computer generated. Meanwhile, live-action sets and costumes suffer—some costumes look so cheap, they seem like they came off a Spirit Halloween rack, particularly Snow White’s iconic blue and yellow outfit.

The cast also struggles, largely due to miscasting, a weak edit, and uninspired direction. Musical numbers are blandly staged, with the camera often stuck at mid-distance while characters sing at some undefined point behind the lens. Choreography is poorly showcased, and scenes often hold a beat too long, leaving actors standing awkwardly after delivering the final line—as if waiting for the director to yell “Cut!” Why these beats weren’t tightened up in editing is baffling; perhaps director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)) thought the audience needed a moment to applaud? As a result, even charismatic actors like Gadot and Zegler are left stranded. Gadot struggles to sing or dance and can’t find any menace or depth for the Evil Queen. Zegler, meanwhile, seems unable to take herself seriously in a ridiculous Lord Farquaad haircut and bargain-bin costume, acting against green screens and CG characters—conditions that would challenge any young actor trying to find authenticity.

For oft-told tales like Snow White or Pinocchio, filmmakers must find a new angle. Guillermo del Toro did so masterfully with Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022), which overshadowed Disney’s own lifeless remake that same year. He used stop-motion animation and delivered a serious take on grief, death, and parenthood. Mirror Mirror (2012), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), and the Spanish Blancanieves (2012) each brought something fresh: changes in tone, shifts in protagonist perspective, or even silent film aesthetics. By simply miming the beats of the original without daring to carve out its own flavor, this latest Snow White fails—both at playing it safe and at committing to a new identity.

In the end, Snow White feels like a death knell for Disney’s live-action remakes. Attempts at modernization occasionally shine through—like having the dwarves clean up after themselves or including a lyric about consent to being kissed while asleep—but these moments are lost amid the chaotic cacophony of the film. With more live-action remakes still in the pipeline—from Hercules (1997) to Lilo & Stitch (2002) and Moana (2016), and even DreamWorks remaking How to Train Your Dragon (2010)—whether they deliver familiar stories or try something new will ultimately decide their fate. But at the very least, they need to pick a lane.

3.9/10