This review contains spoilers.
As Disney continues to bring life to classics such as “The Little Mermaid” (2023) and “Beauty and the Beast” (2017), they have struck again with a live-action “Snow White” (2025), and it’s not how we expected.
Starring singer Rachel Zegler as Snow White and not-so-experienced singer Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, the film first caught our attention with a 1.6/10 ranking on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). What caused this movie to be rated so low? We think the use of auto-tune and CGI to depict the characters with an un-Disney-like touch.
The movie’s climax takes off when Snow White meets her “Prince Charming,” but in this modernized version, not only does she not sing her classic “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” but instead she finds herself a town bandit instead of an 18 year old prince seeking a 14 year old princess.
The lack of classic songs was replaced with inexperienced singing performances by Gal Gadot and the “prince,” Andrew Burnap. “All Is Fair,” performed by Gadot, seemed forceful and not very Disney song-like.
The character development was disappointing. Snow White transformed from a hopeless girl into a bold, take-charge persona when she met her prince, not the brightest display of female independence. We hoped this aspect would have been altered for a more progressive interpretation of the story.
Additionally, Snow White and her love interest lacked chemistry, resulting in a forced and boring relationship. However, their honest conversations with each other were a necessary change from the traditional story where she is kissed awake by a man she hardly knew.
The ending proved disappointing. The Evil Queen’s scene of falling off a cliff and dying was replaced with an underwhelming and generic life lesson about the kindness of one’s heart having more value than their appearance. The Evil Queen accepted defeat way too readily, never actually encapsulating what it means to be unforgiving, ruthless and “evil.”
Disney’s decision to make CGI “magical creatures” instead of the traditional seven dwarfs raised controversy among the dwarfism community, according to The Guardian. Actor Peter Dinklage highlighted the backwards thinking that led to DEI representation among some cast members, but the absence of others. For example, Rachel Zegler, a woman of Colombian descent, was cast to play a historically white princess, whereas Disney opted out of casting actual people with dwarfism to play their “magical creatures.”
Overall, we would not recommend this movie due to a lack of the classic, enchanting Disney movie feeling that paints so many of our childhood memories, as well as a failure to redevelop the tale as progressive rather than harmful to minorities.