On March 21, Walt Disney Studios’ revitalization of the 1937 first U.S. feature animation, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” premiered in movie theaters internationally, entitled Disney’s “Snow White.”
Based on the original Brothers Grimm fairytale, the innovative project began development in 2021. However, its sequential path endured disruption after budget complications, casting controversies, and ethical treatment of writers during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Despite these prospective obstacles, the monopoly-like business conglomerate released the long-awaited blockbuster to the polarized public to garner their reaction.
The adaptation remains true to the tale’s original roots, chronologically developing the story of the main protagonist, Snow White, portrayed by 23-year-old A-list actress Rachel Zegler, as she embarks on reclaiming sovereignty over her divided kingdom.
Impeding her ambitious pursuits, Snow White’s stepmother, the Evil Queen, played by 39-year-old Israeli actress Gal Gadot, employs deceptive jealousy and intimidation tactics as her primary motivation when ascending to the throne as the events transpire.
Throughout her adventure, Snow collaborates with the iconic Seven Dwarfs and Jonathan, portrayed by Andrew Burnap, the bandit whose iconic role mirrors that of the prince from the original production. Unlike his minimalist animated counterpart, Jonathan is depicted with increased complexity through his more interactive capacity within the film’s timeline.
His character archetype resonates with critics as memorable casting, encapsulating extensive substance through simulating a creative interpretation that deviates from his predecessor’s characterization. Many film critics highlighted Jonathan’s character development as one of the brilliant casting choices and changes from the original delivery.
Fans appreciated this modern approach to depicting a more realistic portrayal that defies stereotypical gender roles, a key creative endeavor to the original’s plot inspiration. The filmmakers redefine the thematic purpose of “true love” as an empowering defining idea with a multi-faceted disposition in the crosshairs of insurrection.
Still, the plot adheres to the notorious events that transpired in the original, with Snow White suffering from her father remarrying her vindictive stepmother, who forces her daughter into indentured servitude. The iconic Magic-Mirror also reprises its role with its haunting mannerisms and drastic personification.
When the Magic Mirror recognizes Snow’s beauty as the fairest in the land, she escapes her kingdom to a forest, where she encounters the Seven Dwarfs for the first time in a cottage. The story thickens as she collaborates with acquaintances to overthrow her fascist ruling stepmother to restore the kingdom’s order. This pivotal plot point emphasizes the princess’s resilience, determination, and unwillingness to succumb to defeat at the hands of democratization.
However, although the highly anticipated remake initially appeared to have appealing qualities with its modernized applications and symbolic duality, in reality, its preceding controversy altered the film’s alleged success rate and tampered with viewership entirely.
Furthermore, the movie’s marketing strategy struggled with isolating the film from those stigmatized preconceived notions that repulsed film critics and cynical social media users. This negative outcome sparked color-blind casting initiatives for cultural expansion, a program that many attributed to cultural bias by playing the “diversity” card to maintain a predetermined quota of various ethnicities.
Before entering even the earliest production stages, the leading actress, Zegler, had already received criticism for her upcoming portrayal of the beloved original Disney princess. In the 1937 version, the filmmakers emphasized the line “skin as white as snow” to acknowledge the young maiden’s beauty that frequently haunted the queen, an integral aspect of the story’s progression.
The heroine’s name has even transitioned from its connection to the expression “lips red as blood and hair as dark as ebony” to instead highlight the snowstorm that occurred during her birth as the primary reason for her name. This change was one of Disney’s subtle modifications to reduce racial ignorance and take the heat off some of the inconsiderate production decisions in their foundational 20th-century movies.
Specifically, in June 2021, Zegler received criticism from right-wing activists, particularly Disney fans, for her Colombian and Polish identity when portraying a character intended as the “fairest of them all.” This backlash also became associated with the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” released in 2023, as some viewers asserted the belief that casting Halle Bailey, a Black actress, drifted from the distinguishable features of the leading protagonist’s appearance in the 1989 classic.
This sentiment is far from accurate and defamatory as it encompasses the weakening qualities of American stereotyping, a relatively familiar concept evident in the blissfully ignorant public eye.
The film’s discriminatory presentation and incohesive justification only transcended its controversial production selections in its unrealistic nature. In 2022, Peter Dinklage, Zegler’s co-star from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” addressed the inauthentic portrayal of the Seven Dwarfs on Marc Maron’s podcast, explaining that this casting decision diminished innumerable workplace options and also forced the film to revert backward against its ultimate goals of encouraging casting distinction.
Disney prudently examined his thought-provoking declaration and arranged to incorporate inclusive policies into their production setting before the primary stages commenced.
“To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” said Disney.
Still, Dylan Postyl, an advocate for inclusion programs as a member of the dwarfism community, revealed Disney’s surprising plan to portray the iconic “Seven Dwarfs” as CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) magical creatures instead of deliberately casting those with dwarfism to fulfill the character roles.
In the film’s opening scene, viewers denounced the uncanny background characters as resembling a disingenuous version of Artificial Intelligence. The contested digitized creations impacted the movie’s lack of realistic vision and were the perpetrator of inevitable scrutiny.
“It’s a missed opportunity to make a movie with seven little people where they have intended characters. There will have been people who gladly would have taken those roles,” he said.
At the D23 Expo, enticed viewers anticipating the movie’s release criticized Rachel Zegler’s attitude toward the true purpose of her character’s role throughout the story’s development; some proponents of the feminist movement declared her statements divisive and misogynistic.
Zegler elaborated on Snow White’s increased autonomy in the live-action remake in an interview with her co-star, Gadot, where she minimized “true love” and “romance,” pigeonholed descriptions as the antithesis of feminism, leaving a bitter taste among viewership.
Initially slated for a March 2024 release, Disney delayed the movie after withholding production during the 2023 SAG-Aftra Strike. If matters could not get any worse, the film’s boatload of sensitivities soon culminated upon Gadot’s controversial comments regarding the Israel-Palestine genocide that has persisted for generations before subsiding through a recently negotiated ceasefire in Jan. 2025.
Gadot exercised a pro-Israel and alleged Zionist stance on her social media accounts after serving in the IDF for two years, resulting in disarray from fans who denounced her revelation, citing it as personal bias and distracting from her role as a Hollywood film actress. Her conflicting statements directly contradict Zegler’s Palestine ideology, which was indicated throughout her active X (formerly Twitter) presence, implying a strained relationship between the two leading actresses. Zegler even refused to delete her X post when approached by Disney production.
As of Apr. 10, the movie has received a 72 percent Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and a 40 percent audience score, with a 1.6/10-star rating on IMDb across more than 300,000 reviews, one of the lowest scoring metrics for significant blockbuster films.
However, this deflated score on the opposite side of the Rotten Tomatoes assessment correlates with their action to implement regulations to corroborate that reviewers have seen the movie, not just responding out of grievances for the film after Brie Larson’s controversy in 2019’s “Captain Marvel.” Furthermore, these underwhelming statistics reflect the film’s substantial controversies that drove fans to leave primarily mixed reviews, dismissive commentary, and lackluster first impressions.
Despite the film’s alleged controversial premiere ratings, it pushed a career milestone for Zegler. It marks her second-highest-grossing movie, behind The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which generated $349 million globally with a $100 million budget, a substantial filming amount. Snow White’s current box-office total approximates $66.9 million domestically and $75.8 million internationally, resulting in $142.7 million globally. It underwhelmingly generated $43 million during its opening weekend, a tremendous loss for Disney’s consistently astounding performance.
Her other projects include Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021), for which she received a Golden Globe for her superlative performance as María, and her role as Anthea amidst mixed critical reception in DC’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).
Zegler’s brash nature has also contributed to a lack of viewership appeal. When interviewed in 2023 about her opinion on production design, Zegler responded aggressively to the statement, citing that she feels substantially under-compensated for providing a high-quality work ethic and consistent dedication to filming.
She also elaborated on Disney’s decision to overlook her standing in a dress for hours on end with minimal breaks, which led some audience members to interpret her frustration as an entitlement without proper conditioning.
Shortly after the film’s launch in theaters, Zegler faced the inevitable ramifications of her actions when offended viewers responded to her political stance by instigating threatening messages and harassment outside her apartment complex. Gadot also received collateral for her contributions to divisive social topics, where she received numerous death threats and citizen frustrations reached a clear, present boiling point.
A Hills senior responded with their opinion on the film, expressing discontent for the resulting execution, criticizing the anticipation as imminent dissolution, and accentuating discrimination for hiring actors of short stature.
“They really could have hired people with those special physical conditions because it gives them a job in the acting industry. If someone didn’t give him a chance, he wouldn’t have a job right now,” said an anonymous Hills senior.
Ultimately, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” despite its significant flaws, catalyzed the fairytale universe to traverse commercial successes for Disney to reap profit; it even cemented future rides, merchandise, and Broadway musicals, remaining popular among fans for approximately 90 years after its initial unveiling.
Although tumultuous casting choices pitted with generic performances and over-reliance on CGI effects to display fantastical elements, Disney’s live-action re-interpretation of the classic fairy tale, nevertheless, succeeded in its widespread audience impact while also providing breakthrough box office accolades. For the leading actress, Zegler, she paved the way for upcoming films in 2025 to head in a different direction to amass support for their standalone releases.
Sources:
https://www.vulture.com/article/disney-snow-white-controversy-timeline.html
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/disneys_snow_white
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6208148/?ref_=tturv_ov_i
https://www.theslateonline.com/article/2025/04/new-snow-white-review
https://www.vulture.com/article/review-snow-white-is-about-leftist-infighting-inexplicably.html
