‘Snow White’ is a Colorful Remake Without Sparkle 

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the blandest of them all?

Whimsical sets, colorful costumes and unexpected emotion emerge from Disney’s live action remake of “Snow White.” Though the film isn’t as shallow as some might think, the modernization attempt had major pitfalls. 

Directed by Marc Webb, “Snow White” tells the story of an orphaned princess who embarks on a journey with seven dwarfs to save her kingdom from her evil, sorceress stepmother. 

The remake maintains the plot of the original 1937 film directed by William Cotrell, but diverges in its scaled-up soundtrack, romance and ultimate conclusion.

After tragedy strikes the picture-perfect village’s royal family, Snow White is forced to be a servant for her stepmother, the Evil Queen. When the Queen attempts to kill her stepdaughter out of fear she’ll usurp her rule, Snow White escapes to the forest and meets a band of seven dwarves, who promise to aid her quest to reclaim her rightful throne. 

Played by Rachel Zegler, Snow White is a typical Disney princess that can speak to animals and cares for her kingdom. Zegler (“West Side Story,” “Y2K”) brings passion to her portrayal with animated facial expressions, delicate body movements and an angelic voice. 

Playing the Evil Queen, Gal Gadot offers a rather lifeless rendition of the scheming witch. Gadot (“Wonder Woman,” “Death on the Nile”) lacks the outrageous wickedness needed to play a Disney villain. Gadot doesn’t have chemistry with her costars on screen and her acting falls flat due to her monotonous facial expressions.

In spite of the film’s rosy premise, “Snow White” has been plagued by behind-the-scenes controversy.

Gadot’s support of Israel during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas drew heavy ire — as protestors disrupted Gadot’s “Walk of Fame” ceremony — according to The Guardian. Zegler meanwhile has outwardly supported Palestine on X — formerly Twitter.

In the absence of charismatic acting from Gadot, viewers may be but be distracted by real-world conflicts playing out offscreen. Meanwhile, onscreen distractions don’t fare much better.

The seven dwarfs, who are animated using CGI, sparked criticism from disability activists. “Game of Thrones” actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, spoke about the dwarves’ purpose in the story in a 2022 podcast episode of “WTF with Marc Maron.” 

“It makes no sense to me,” Dinkage said. “You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that fucking backward story about seven dwarves living in a cave together?” 

Disney later changed the “seven dwarves” to “magical creatures” after the backlash during the film’s production, despite the fact they appear visually in a very similar manner to the original “seven dwarfs.” On release, the seven companions have been digitally altered back to dwarfs, after set photos of the “magical creatures” incited another round of backlash.

Andrew Burnap plays Snow White’s love interest Jonathan. Unlike the original, Jonathan isn’t a prince but rather a common bandit. Zegler sparked controversy for her criticism of the original “Snow White,” saying the prince had “literally stalked” the princess and the film was “extremely dated,” according to The Washington Post.

Jonathan and Snow White realize the love they share for one another is not the center of their world — modernizing the romance.

Equally up to date for the 21st century is the film’s music. “A Hand Meets a Hand” emphasizes consent with the lyrics “promise to wake me with a kiss,” granting Jonathan permission to kiss Snow White.

While the duo’s chemistry is palpable, the romance is narratively and tonally undercut by Gadot’s lack of passion. When attempting to murder Snow White with a poisoned apple, the supposedly obsessive and envious Evil Queen displays little emotion on her face or in her voice. 

The story then ends with a final, updated twist. After recovering from eating the poisoned apple, Snow White marches to the palace and instigates a revolt to dispose of the Evil Queen.

The film ends with the kingdom restored, as Snow White rises to the queenship of her deceased stepmother. Though the revitalized ending attempts to update the story for the modern day, it doesn’t prevent the film as a whole from feeling underwhelmingly similar to the original tale.

“Snow White” tries to make its princess more independent, but when her strongest connection is still the man vying for her attention, it weakens any message around autonomy.

In balancing the new and the old, “Snow White” spends too much time updating itself to hit on anything substantial, resulting in a princess with more determination, but less heart. 

“Snow White” is in theaters now.