The Film Doesn’t Know What It Wants to Be
From start to finish, Snow White feels like two completely different movies awkwardly stitched together.
On the one hand, it wants to be a faithful remake of the 1937 classic—much like The Lion King (2019), as if to say, The original was so perfect, why change anything? But at the same time, it’s trying to be a modern reimagining, one where the prince is irrelevant, Snow White is a girl-boss, and the entire story is flipped on its head.
These two conflicting visions are constantly at war, and the result is a movie that never lets you settle in. It’s neither a true remake nor a bold new take—it’s stuck in the middle, unsure of what it’s trying to be.
And nowhere is that identity crisis more obvious than with the Seven Dwarves.
The Seven Dwarves (and The Seven Other People???)
Remember the first leaked set photos? The ones that showed Snow White standing in a field with seven random people of different genders, ages, and heights? That was supposed to be Disney’s new, more inclusive take—ditching dwarves entirely and replacing them with “magical creatures.”
Well, after the massive backlash, Disney scrambled to course-correct, announcing that the dwarves would now be CGI. And sure enough, they are.
…Sort of.
Because they couldn’t just erase the seven original actors, the movie now has two separate groups—the Seven Dwarves and the seven original characters.
Confused? Yeah, so was I.
Here’s how it plays out: The Seven Dwarves are CGI and, while not as charming as the animated originals, at least they have some personality. But then we have this random band of humans, who have almost no dialogue, no distinct characteristics, and no real purpose. They’re just kind of… there.
The movie doesn’t even bother giving them names—which is extra weird, considering that remembering names is a major plot point in the film.
And this is exactly what I mean when I say the movie is stuck between two different ideas. It started as one thing, got backlash, pivoted, and ended up with an awkward compromise that makes no one happy.
The Music is a Mismatched Mess
The identity crisis extends to the music, which is a mix of old and new… and they do not blend together.
The classic songs (Whistle While You Work, Heigh-Ho) are light, catchy, and fun, sticking close to the original film. They feel like they belong in a classic Disney musical.
But the new songs? They feel ripped straight out of The Greatest Showman—big, dramatic, self-reflective numbers designed less for storytelling and more to let the actors show off their vocal range.
It’s jarring. The musical styles clash so hard that it almost feels like they belong to two different movies. (Which, again, seems to be the unintentional theme of this entire production.)
What’s the Message? Who Knows.
Every good Disney movie has a clear message. The original Snow White was a simple fairy tale about kindness, love, and good triumphing over evil.
This version?
Well… the evil people are evil, and the nice people are nice. That’s about as deep as it gets.
The Evil Queen is pure cartoon villainy—she’s evil for the sake of being evil. Snow White, meanwhile, doesn’t really have an arc. She’s nice, and that’s kind of her entire character.
It feels like there was supposed to be a bigger theme—something about power dynamics between the rich and the poor, maybe? Or about overthrowing oppressive rulers? But if that message ever existed, it was buried under all the rewrites and reshoots.
By the end, the movie settles on something so painfully basic that it might as well be a PSA:
"Be nice to people!"
Sure. Great. Thanks, Disney.
The Verdict: A Movie Without a Soul
So, did I hate Snow White? No. But did I like it? Also no.
Gal Gadot is visually stunning as the Evil Queen and brings an intimidating presence, but her acting is as stiff as ever. Rachel Zegler has a beautiful singing voice, but she’s overacting every single movement and line like she’s in a high school drama club.
The result? Their scenes together are almost painful.
At the end of the day, Snow White feels like a confused, stitched-together mess of a movie. It never commits to being a faithful remake, but it also never fully embraces a bold retelling. Instead, it tries to be both and fails at both.
My advice? Skip the cinema.
This movie will be on Disney+ in a matter of months, and honestly? That’s probably where it should have premiered in the first place.
