The live action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is Disney’s latest attempt to capitalize on the nostalgia of its original animated princess movies. The original Snow White film, which was released in 1937, was Disney’s first feature length movie. It was a box office success and became the first in a line of princess movies that the studio would later become well known for.
Much like its animated counterpart, the Snow White live action remake follows the princess Snow White (played by Rachel Zegler) on her journey to save her kingdom from the greedy and vain Evil Queen (played by Gal Gadot) with the help of the seven dwarves and a group of rebels.
However, despite the similar plotlines, the live action remake lacked the innovative storytelling, classic appeal and almost every other entertaining aspect that the original animated film was known for. But even with its many downsides the movie does manage to make a select few aspects of the movie stand out.
Despite the initial backlash that occurred when Zegler was cast as Snow White because of her ethnicity, her casting worked well for the film. Zegler both looked and acted the part of a picture perfect princess and her singing capabilities truly shined during the film’s musical moments.
However, Gadot’s near emotionless performance as the evil queen undermined the quality of Zegler’s acting and made it virtually impossible to take any scene with her in it seriously. Her half hearted attempt at playing a vain royal figure with dramatic flair ended up being mediocre and laughable at best.
Aside from the casting controversies, many have also expressed criticism toward Disney’s decision to use CGI for the seven dwarves instead of casting actors with dwarfism and for good reason. Overall the CGI designs for the seven dwarves looked slightly eerie and didn’t fit in well with the movie’s other CGI effects. As if to add insult to injury, the seven dwarfs added little to the remake except for the occasional attempt at comedy which usually fell flat.
In terms of plot the film’s newly added elements didn’t give the movie much room for improvement either. The new songs were decent but not catchy or creative enough in a way that made them memorable. Though the movie did expand on the background of Snow White’s family and her relationship with the prince, the new plot points and characters were somewhat cliche. With a lackluster combination of both new and old elements the movie seemed stuck between creating a fresh take on the original story or sticking to the story’s roots.
Even with its lack of creative and interesting liberties, the live action remake does manage to capture some of the aspects that made the first Snow White likeable. The atmospheric elements and little nods to the original film within the production design did manage to evoke some of the charm and whimsy that made the original movie so beloved. Unfortunately the charming moments were few and far between which overall gave the remake the typical soulless vibe that all of Disney’s live action remakes are known for.
Altogether, while the film had the potential to create a path for Disney to escape from its rut of uncreative cash-grabbing remakes it fell flat in the areas that counted the most. Fans of the original Snow White might still find the movie entertaining but for those who aren’t huge fans of the first Disney princess, it’s just another addition to the list of forgettable Disney live action remakes.
