Excitement rose when Disney fans discovered that a live-action adaptation of “Snow White” was released on March 21. However, the film disappointed viewers and left “Snow White” with the lowest IMDb score in movie history. This modernized adaptation left Disney with significant financial losses and public disapproval.
The film takes the viewer on a journey with Snow White through the woods to escape the confinement of her stepmother and discover the truth behind her missing father. As Snow White goes deeper into the woods, she is welcomed by seven dwarfs and the kingdom’s bandits, who help Snow White regain her kingdom and the trust of her people.
Actress Rachel Zegler, who plays Snow White, shared her discomfort with focusing the story primarily on finding a prince. Zegler wanted to develop Snow White further, and felt that a prince would undermine that.
The film was initially supposed to be in theaters in 2024, but encountered multiple delays due to public disapproval. Misconceptions and controversies flooded the internet because the film was deemed too modernized and politically correct. Disney’s attempt to revive the story of “Snow White” and develop new plots was a tasteless way to update the film.
“The production and release of Snow White experienced numerous delays, including the movie being pushed from 2024 to 2025, but this is only a small piece of the conversation surrounding the movie,” Screen Rant wrote.
Zegler’s casting sparked conversation about diversity in the film, which influenced controversy about racial prejudices. Zegler’s modern identity as Snow White was considered an unnecessary force of diversity.
“Some described it as another example of ‘woke’ Hollywood forcing diversity, claiming audiences were tired of identity politics in entertainment,” Allure wrote.
Zegler received backlash for her unprofessionalism during interviews and attitude toward the original film. Viewers saw her casting as flawed and a false depiction of the character, Snow White. Also, Zegler lacked gratitude for the opportunity to play Snow White and rather publically defeated the character.
“I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again,” Zegler said in an interview.
While controversy is swarming Zegler, Actress Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, receives hate for her performance. Gadot struggled to mature and progress the Evil Queen, and instead maintains a surface-level relationship with the character.
Slash Film suggested that Gadot’s performance lacks the depth and development necessary for her character to thrive.
Zegler and Gadot struggle to get along both on and off stage due to conflicting views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The press tours and promotions for the film were minimized to prevent further disputes. Times News Global shared that they have “very different political views,” which caused tension and distance between the actors.
Due to the bad press, Disney has decided to take a step back from creating live-action remakes of already popular movies. A new adaptation of “Tangled” has been delayed out of fear of low performance. The film was inevitably meant to fail without a realistic approach to remaking the movie.
“The studio was pausing work on its live-action remake of ‘Tangled,’ the 2010 animated fairytale retelling of Rapunzel. Disney is rethinking its wider remake strategy due to signs that audiences are growing tired of familiar material,” The Sunday Times wrote.
The portrayal of “Snow White” did not hold the same quality and deliverance as the original 1937 film. The film added unnecessary storylines and characters, which further weakened the relationship between the original and the live-action film. While it managed to shine a new perspective on the characters, it was not needed to capture the classic Disney magic. While “Snow White” was an investment failure, Disney releases a new live-action Lilo and Stitch on May 23 in hopes of regaining viewer interest.
