With the recent cancellation of Disney’s Live Action Tangled and a press release announcing that all future live-action adaptations from the Mouse House have been indefinitely paused, it’s safe to say that Snow White (2025) was a bit of a misfire. Not only did the film face a disappointing 40% critic reception on Rotten Tomatoes, but with Box Office Mojo reporting a whopping a $115 million loss on the movie, the film will go down as one of the biggest financial failures in the company’s 88-year film history. It can only be assumed that such a disastrous reception for the Marc Webb directed fairytale is what has halted all further Disney Live action fairytales.
So, of course, many fingers were pointed at why such a bonafide classic resulted in such poor critical and financial reception. From negative media portrayals of star, Rachel Zegler, to the erasure of the little people community in their CGI re-creations, to growing fatigue over the live-action princess adaptations, with Mulan and Little Mermaid both underperforming in recent years. It’s safe to say there was no shortage of controversy surrounding the release of Snow White and that it never really stood a chance to find success.
This drama overshadowed the film’s cinematic launch and set up a pre-conceived notion of the movie as “bad” before even the earliest screenings. The pre-determined failure of the film was so rampant in fact that Disney had to scale-back the press tour and reduce the film’s premiers. Again, giving Zegler and Webb’s film no chance at finding an audience, or even redemption.
However, after viewing the film, it is more than enjoyable enough and well-intentioned enough to make most of the vitriolic negativity toward it feel influenced by those pre-conceived notions, rather than honest critique. Very little of the movie’s stellar craftsmanship and talent has been noted, in favor of publicizing the behind-the-scenes drama and only adding coal to that already blazing fire.
The excellence starts with the stunning fairytale production design and cinematography that paid homage to famed Disney painter, Thomas Kinkade, as well as a range of new Disney classic songs by Greatest Showman duo Pasek and Paul. Both the songs and the overall aesthetics of Snow White go a long way in making the audience feel like they are living in a fantasy fairytale, unlike other live actions which were critiqued for feeling too ‘realistic.’
Moreover, tying all of this craftsmanship together, is the work of Zegler, who is breathing life into one of the more outdated Disney princess characters. Zegler encompasses all the hallmarks of the original animation whilst also accessing a modernistic, feminist take on the character that allows her to exist both as an homage, and also as a contemporary Disney heroine. Zegler’s performance and her exemplar vocal talents work in tandem with Pasek and Paul’s songs and Mandy Walker’s cinematography to give a feeling of grandeur to the re-telling.
However, even with the stellar work of Zegler, Pasek and Paul and cinematographer Mandy Walker, the Snow White live-action version is by no means a perfect film. Disney pantheon worthy it is not, but it is certainly in line with other recent Disney movies like Mary Poppins Returns and Into the Woods that didn’t receive nearly as much of the backlash Snow White did. It is, in fact, so innocuous and so effortlessly charming that such a dismal reaction can only be attributed to the on-set drama.
However, I would be remiss to ignore some glaring issues in Webb’s film; stilted and wooden performances, pacing issues and noticeable CGI that disables an immersion into the world for the audience. But underneath such valid critiques is a movie bursting with positive messages encouraging young girls to be kind, selfless, and unafraid to stand in their own power. A key message throughout the movie, encompassed by many characters, is finding your own voice in a world that tries to silence you, and Webb and Zegler really deliver that message poignantly with flair. So whilst there are valid critiques, undoubtedly, the film is promoting so much good that it’s hard not to get swept into its charm (if you can somehow quiet the deafening sound of a messy production).
So, yes, Snow White is not a perfect film, but it’s full of heart and good intentions, and it definitely didn’t deserve the negative public reception and treatment in the media that led to its critical and financial failure. Between production disasters like a fire, COVID delays, writer’s strike interference, drama between Gal Gadot and Zegler, and the overall fatigue with live-action fairytales, Snow White just proved to be supremely unlucky. But if you can look past all the drama and turmoil surrounding the production, there’s a beautiful retelling of a classic story with modern messages that will hopefully resonate with kids who’ve been reintroduced to the Disney heroine who started it all.
— Darragh Evans