The 2025 live-action adaptation of Snow White had the potential to be one of the most magical reimaginings of a Disney classic, but ultimately falls short of expectations. As a fan of the original fairytale and Disney’s legacy of storytelling, I found myself both captivated and frustrated by this adaptation. It is a film that attempts to modernise the timeless tale but suffers from an overabundance of added elements that dilute rather than enhance the story’s original essence. While the movie has fleeting moments of appeal, thanks largely to Rachel Zegler’s delightful vocals and Dopey’s endearing character arc, I gave it a 2-star Letterboxd rating.
Beyond its cinematic flaws, the film exists within an interesting larger context of debate, the evolving socialisation of children, and the role of storytelling in shaping societal values.
The Good: Rachel Zegler, Dopey and that Cute Hedgehog
Rachel Zegler, who plays Snow White, is undoubtedly the film’s saving grace… at least when she is singing. Her voice is exceptional, and her renditions of classic songs like Whistle While You Work along with new additions to the soundtrack, are the film’s most captivating moments. Zegler’s vocal talent shines through, which reminded me of her brilliant performances in West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Her singing brings a sense of awe and nostalgia that the rest of the film unfortunately struggles to achieve.
However, while Zegler’s singing is a highlight, her acting feels uneven. She has moments of genuine charm, particularly in her interactions with the dwarves, but her acting often feels forced, lacking a natural flow that makes a character believable. It is hard to tell whether this is due to Zegler’s interpretation or the script’s failure to provide her with a compelling character arc. Either way, Rachel Zegler is a talented performer who definitely deserves better material.
Another highlight is Dopey, one of the seven dwarves, who undergoes a touching character transformation. Dopey’s journey from a quiet and often dizzy helper to a brave and caring friend is sweet to witness. His interactions with Snow White are endearing, in addition to a very cute hedgehog who pops up a few times on screen; they both add a delightful touch of whimsy to the story.
The Bad: A Messy Script and Unconvincing Characters
Unfortunately, the film’s flaws are impossible to ignore, with the script being the biggest issue. The plot feels disjointed at times, but it is the writing that truly disappoints. Snow White’s character development and her eventual confrontation with the Evil Queen are particularly underwhelming, lacking the emotional pull and dramatic tension needed to create a moving fairy tale ending.
The romantic subplot is another major letdown. The absence of a traditional prince is replaced by a rather bland bandit whose chemistry with Snow White is virtually nonexistent. Their interactions lack any spark, which is not due to Snow White being a strong, independent leader rather than a helpless damsel. There is a fundamental absence of emotional connection between the characters, possibly because the actors were not well-matched or because the script lacked depth. This makes it impossible to invest in their relationship, so the “love story” feels like an afterthought.
I also have to mention Gal Gadot’s performance as the Evil Queen. While she has the presence and charisma to embody a captivating villain, her portrayal suffers from a script that reduces the Queen to a one-dimensional caricature. Gadot’s delivery is often flat, and her attempts at menace do not come across as very scary or threatening.
Visual Tone
The film managed to immerse me in a fantastical world where CGI dwarfs and humans inhabit a slightly muted technicolour dreamland. The colours reminded me of the movie “Wicked”, where director Jon M. Chu deliberately chose subdued colour grading to make Oz feel tangible rather than dreamlike.
Unlike Wicked, though, the environments in Snow White appear artificial, and the characters’ relationships lack the authenticity needed to elevate the fantastical setting. Even the Magic Mirror scenes, which should have been visual highlights, appear surprisingly low-budget. The result is a collection of scenes that fail to be memorable or enchanting.
The Politics: Modernisation and Representation
One of the most talked-about aspects of Snow White is its attempt to modernise the classic fairytale. Disney has made a concerted effort to reimagine Snow White as an independent woman rather than a passive princess awaiting rescue. The casting of Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, as Snow White also sparked conversations about representation in Hollywood. While some critics viewed the casting as a step forward for diversity, others accused Disney of pandering or erasing the fictional character’s European roots. As someone who believes in challenging outdated stereotypes, I found Zegler’s casting to be a positive choice. Reimagining classic characters with diverse actors can enrich stories and address systemic inequities. Zegler’s performance, particularly her singing, is one of the film’s strengths, and ethnicity should have no bearing on the quality and legacy of a reimagined story.
The release of this film was bogged down in controversy long before its release. From debates about Rachel Zegler’s casting to criticisms of the film’s feminist storyline, the movie became a lightning rod for cultural and political discourse. Some fans of the original 1937 animated film accused Disney of “woke-washing” the story, while others praised the studio for attempting to address outdated tropes. The backlash reminded me of the reception to The Little Mermaid(2023), which faced similar criticism for casting Halle Bailey, a black actress, as Ariel.
While some of the criticism seemed rooted in genuine concerns about the film’s quality, much of it appeared to stem from resistance to change. As someone who grew up with Disney’s animated classics, I understand the attachment to nostalgia, but I also believe that stories must evolve to reflect the values and realities of the present. The controversy surrounding Snow White highlights the tension between preserving the past and embracing progress, a tension that Disney, as a cultural powerhouse, is uniquely positioned to navigate.
Disney: The Business of Nostalgia
Disney’s live-action adaptations are frequently criticised for being less about artistic innovation and more about capitalising on nostalgia, a strategy that has proven financially lucrative but creatively stagnant. Snow White is no exception, feeling less like a reimagined fairy tale and more like a product of Disney’s franchise machine, designed to exploit audiences’ emotional attachment to the original story.
The film’s reliance on nostalgia is both its greatest attraction and its biggest weakness. Apart from parents introducing their children to this story for the first time, Disney knows that older audiences will show up out of sentimental obligation. The studio has perfected the art of nostalgia mining, banking on the assumption that familiarity sells better than originality. Nostalgia can be a powerful storytelling tool when used thoughtfully, for instance, Barbie (2023) used nostalgia to critique the very product it was selling. But where Barbie was self-aware and subversive, Snow White feels like a hollow AI-generated remake.
Profit vs. Art: The Disney Dilemma
Snow White suffers from the same issue plaguing most modern Disney remakes: it is caught between appealing to contemporary sensibilities and clinging to the safe, marketable elements of the original. Compare this to Barbie, another nostalgia-driven film that doubled as a Mattel ad. The difference? Barbie embraced its commercial roots while using them to fuel its satire. It critiqued consumerism, gender roles, and corporate feminism, all while selling pink Dreamhouses. Snow White, by contrast, offers nothing nearly as insightful.
The success of films like Barbie and Spider-Man: No Way Home proves that nostalgia can be powerful when combined with genuine creativity. However, Disney’s recent live-action output suggests the studio is prioritising brand over storytelling. Had Snow White taken real risks, fully committing to its political themes or enhancing its visuals, it might have stood out. Instead, it is another forgettable entry in Disney’s remake catalogue, one that will make money but leave minimal cultural impact.
Children Today: Socialisation and Storytelling
As someone born in 1995, I grew up with Disney’s animated classics, which significantly shaped my understanding of storytelling, morality, and imagination. But as a black girl in the UK during the 90s and 2000s, I also learned these stories were not created with me in mind. The princesses, heroes, and even the sidekicks were almost always white, reflecting a Western landscape where whiteness was the default and assimilation was the unspoken expectation. When characters of colour appeared, they were often stereotypes or afterthoughts, leaving me wondering where I fit into these magical worlds. While watching this 2025 Snow White, I could not help but consider how today’s children will be influenced by the media they consume. The film’s retelling reflects a broader shift in how children are socialised today. Themes of independence, leadership, and diversity are more prominent than ever, a stark contrast to my childhood, where representation was scarce, and narratives centred on whiteness as universal. While the film’s execution is flawed, the casting of a Latina Snow White matters. It signals to children, especially those like my younger self, that they, too, belong.
While I celebrate the increased visibility for marginalised groups, I understand the scepticism about Disney’s motivations. Corporations definitely profit from diversity trends, and some efforts do feel like pandering. However, even an imperfect representation can initiate change. The backlash from those who feel “erased” by these shifts only underscores how deeply we have internalised white dominance in storytelling. For the first time, some audiences are confronting the question: “Is this story for me?” A discomfort that is familiar to those of us who have spent lifetimes adapting to narratives that excluded us.
Ultimately, the stories we tell children matter a lot. They shape how they see themselves and others. Snow White may stumble in its execution, but its existence represents a messy process that is better than stagnation.
Live-Action Disney Films: A Mixed Legacy
Disney’s live-action adaptations have been a mixed bag, with some successfully reimagining classic stories while others fall short. What Snow White and some of the less popular adaptations have in common is the audience’s perceived resistance to change, particularly when that change feels political. Whether it is a character’s sexuality, phenotype, or narrative agency, Disney’s live-action remakes often get caught between pandering to nostalgic traditionalists and half-heartedly nodding to modern values, satisfying neither.
This resistance raises an uncomfortable truth: minority characters, whether race-swapped, queer-coded, or otherwise “updated”, are rarely given the same grace as their white counterparts. A white princess can be passive or problematic without sparking existential debates about “ruining childhoods”. Disney’s live-action remakes often do not do amazing across the board, but the scrutiny falls disproportionately on representation rather than the studio’s tokenism or creative laziness.
The problem is not even that audiences truly hate change; it is that marginalised characters are held to impossible standards. They must be revolutionary yet unthreatening, “authentic” yet palatable to the mainstream. Meanwhile, Disney profits from the controversy while delivering films that lack the courage to fully commit to their own supposed values.
The Messy, Necessary Art of Cultural Transformation
In the end, Snow White is a film that gets a medal from me for trying. It is a cultural artefact that captures the complex, often uncomfortable process of societal evolution. While the film was not the best, it still represents an important dialogue about representation, storytelling, and who gets to be the hero. For children growing up today, these stories are more than entertainment; they are mirrors that reflect their potential and windows that offer glimpses into worlds more diverse than before. Each imperfect attempt, like this Snow White, chips away at rigid narratives that once defined childhood imagination.
As audiences, our role is not always about demanding perfection but engaging critically and recognising that every story retold is an opportunity to expand our collective understanding.
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