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. That film represents Walt Disney’s first-ever full-length animated feature.
Originally, Disney’s plan was to rerelease its animated vault treasures every seven years for a new generation of kids, but they got the bright idea to instead remake those films as live-action features. Thus we have had versions of Sleeping Beauty reimagined around evil Maleficent; Peter Pan; Fantasia; Dumbo; Pinocchio; 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 remain 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 regarding the casting, depiction of the Dwarfs, and various other rumors since it went into production in 2021, the reluctance is understandable.
Putting all that aside, we now have the final “product,” and we can get real about what is on screen. The good news is, even though Snow White may 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. That duo was responsible for both the long-running Broadway Wicked and its recent magnificent film version (at least Part One).
That movie adaptation might be more the template for this Snow White than any of Disney’s other live-action attempts; it manages to make a thoroughly decent reboot from a genuine, never-out-of-circulation classic and make it fresh and relevant again for contemporary audiences.
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I don’t expect Snow White to rival Wicked at the global box office, but it is a valiant attempt. Platt has assembled 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. There’s also choreographer Mandy Moore, who is 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) Days of Summer director Marc Webb they have wisely chosen not to reinvent the wheel story-wise, but simply enhanced it musically and with a more fleshed out and relatable title character.
Though the Seven Dwarfs has been dropped from the title, they are prominently back in this film, introduced with the charming and familiar “Heigh Ho,” which along with a lovely “Whistle While You Work” stands out. The latter is a lovely duet for Snow White and sweet Dopey as he realizes he is not the lesser part of his gang of workers.
The title character is played to perfection by Rachel Zegler, as she finds her true self after being banished from the kingdom. The evil stepmother and Queen is played to the hilt by Gal Gadot.
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Snow White 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. There, Snow White finds new purpose and fortitude in not only her 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.
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. It does so with 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. Their efforts take the joy of the stunning animation of the ’37 film and bring it alive in a new way using today’s technology and heightened reality.
Zegler is ideal in the lead role. Forget the internet complaints about her Latina 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 narcissistic 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).
This Snow White isn’t gonna make anyone forget cherished childhood memories of the one that started it all for Disney, but it is certainly enough to make you whistle while you watch.
Title: Snow White
Distributor: Disney
Release date: March 21, 2025
Director: Marc Webb
Screenwriter: 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 mins