Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has set many precedents. Released in 1937, it was the first American animation motion picture. Rewatching it in 2025, the film holds up well; visually inventive in a way that most animated films, especially those watched 88 years after their release, are not. It also upheld a traditional, wholesome Disney aesthetic that reflected feminine beauty standards of the time.
Snow White, yearning for a prince to rescue her, cooks and cleans for the dwarfs while they work. The Queen, envious of her stepdaughter’s beauty, calls for her assassination. These apparent lacks of female character agency have been sticking points for many critics. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Colin Dodds bemoans the dated nature of the film in light of how his daughter wants to be Snow White. This view is shared by Rachel Zegler – the Colombian-American actress who plays the protagonist in the 2025 remake, and cast following her appearance in the West Side Story remake and a glowing recommendation from Steven Spielberg – lamenting the notionally archaic “ideas of women being in roles of power”.
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There are already many adaptations that have aimed to “correct” such “problems”. In Snow White and the Huntsman, the protagonist turns into a warrior to defeat the Evil Queen. In Mirror Mirror there is a retelling of the original story. Neither of these movies caused a media firestorm upon their release, but Zegler’s outspoken comments about the 1937 original have caused a professional headache for Disney; a company, for all its financial and artistic struggles, well-known for protecting its intellectual property and careful about the publicity surrounding their products.
Zegler’s comments on the 1937 Snow White sparked controversy, unlike previous adaptations, creating a PR issue for Disney.
Zegler continued to make political comments, and hoped that “Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace” following his 2024 election victory (she has since apologized). She’s also pro-Palestine, which puts her in an awkward position with her onscreen star Gal Gadot who is notably pro-Israel (her induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame was met with protesters and activists). In light of the accumulating controversies, Disney did not grant their stars independent press interviews during the red carpet premiere.
The live-action remake of Snow White is a product of incompetence, reflecting the need to satisfy progressive trends and failing miserably. It is predicated on the interpretation that the term “fairest”, as per Zegler’s comments in an 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly, is the same as “justness”, rather than the original term “visage”, which refers to her exceptionally pale, white complexion.
The 2025 film repurposes the original story in order to chime with modern standards shaped by progressive diversity, equity, and inclusion narratives. Yet Snow White’s arc is thinly written and bereft of any development. She never gets the chance to explore her emotions, or what it’s like to have felt power against her own stepmother. She has to show that she is strong by spreading kindness, but events, like the eating of the poisoned apple, demonstrate her naivety. Instead, the character follows the familiar story beats of the original. She takes good care of the dwarfs, and falls in love with the Prince, who, compared to its original incarnation, is not the hero of the film, but a bystander to the overarching, but predictable narrative, of Snow White.
The 2025 film repurposes the original story in order to chime with modern standards shaped by progressive diversity, equity, and inclusion narratives. Yet Snow White’s arc is thinly written and bereft of any development. She never gets the chance to explore her emotions, or what it’s like to have felt power against her own stepmother. She has to show that she is strong by spreading kindness, but events, like the eating of the poisoned apple, demonstrate her naivety.
Meanwhile, Gadot’s exaggerated performance as the Queen doesn’t capture the calculating sadism of the original villain. It doesn’t need to be flamboyant. In the 1937 film, Lucille La Verne’s vocal performance brought calm and calculated subtlety.
Whereas its animated predecessor breathed new life into the Grimm’s story, the remake’s visual direction is an eyesore. The CGI is cheap, especially when applied to the seven dwarfs, who are supposed to be cast by actual dwarf actors. The backlash was led by Peter Dinklage, who believes that Disney think they’re “progressive in one way but you’re still making that […] backward story of seven dwarves living in the cave”.
Gadot’s performance as the Queen lacks the original’s subtle sadism. The CGI is poor, especially for the dwarfs, sparking backlash from Peter Dinklage.
The Snow White remake is a signpost for Disney’s political trajectory, as it has been confronted by the changing cultural tide of the second Trump administration. Many brands, like Facebook and Google, are dropping their DEI initiatives, and Disney has similar plans to follow suit, but their shareholders have overwhelmingly rejected these proposals. Their reputation as a family-friendly company means that they have to avoid controversy at all cost. In a quote given to The Financial Times, one executive at Disney said: “We can’t fight the culture wars. Everybody criticising this movie was never going to see this movie. Disney isn’t going to change minds.”
If Disney wishes to continue turning its greatest hits into live-action remakes, then it should listen to public consensus. The company isn’t going to turn Rapunzel or Elsa into live-action tradwives, but should avoid the successor ideology that is damaging the quality of their intellectual property.
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