As the remake of the first feature-length animation by an iconic animation studio, Disney’s live-action “Snow White” mined for diamonds but ultimately offered a poison apple that not even a handsome prince could revive it from. The film disappointingly loses not only the iconic fairytale magic of the original, but its heart too.
Just about the only positive change is the much needed development of the resolution. Snow White (Rachel Zegler) overthrows the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) and reunites the kingdom with the help of the seven dwarves and a group of bandits instead of riding off with her prince toward a golden skylit castle.
While the cringe-worthy age gap between Snow and her original love interest, Prince Florian, is remedied with the introduction of Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), the character is a dull, knock-off of Eugene Fitzherbert from “Tangled,” the thief with a heart of gold. The only noteworthy part of the relationship was its more realistic depiction of romance as they get to know each other and overcome challenges over several days—in contrast to the five minutes of romance between Snow White and Florian.
The romance was easy to buy as Zegler and Burnap’s chemistry shines through their seamless transitions from witty duets like “Princess Problems” to passionate ballads like “A Hand Meets A Hand.” Both songs are magnificent additions to the soundtrack, demonstrating their strong bond before sharing a true love’s kiss.
Zegler similarly encapsulates Snow White’s innocence with her swift, light-hearted vocals, especially in “Waiting on a Wish.” The song by EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul replaces “I’m Wishing,” bringing much more heart and soul to the character by highlighting her insecurities and self-growth.
Unfortunately, Snow’s other virtues are not depicted. This version doesn’t bat an eye at breaking into the dwarves’ home, nor does she offer to lend a hand when cleaning, making her lack of kindness disheartening.
The Evil Queen is similarly rendered shallow, underdeveloped and nonsensical. Easy opportunities to emotionally engage the audience by depicting her plot to kill the king or developing her jealousy of Snow are glossed over. She is left being declared evil simply because the plot needed her to be so.
Gadot’s dynamic facial expressions, perfectly depicting the queen’s manic hysteria and cold stoicism, could not save the fact that this version of the queen easily retreats after a minor setback, leading to an anticlimactic ending.
Another failure is the lack of magic in the technical elements of the film. The CGI dwarves look more like cheap garden gnomes, stiff and forced, and lack the childlike appeal of the animated film.
The look of each character also lacks charm. Zegler’s unattractive bob hairstyle fails to accentuate her features. The iconic princess dress, which other live-action films beautifully updated to suit the actress, is also an exact replica of the cartoon with bright cyan and yellow, washing out Zegler’s fair olive skin.
Gadot’s Evil Queen look is uninspired as well, falling well-behind other versions from “Once Upon a Time” (2011-2018) and “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012), which brought depth to the character.
The film neither empowers little girls to fight for what’s right nor pays homage to the original film. It may be time to place this film back on the bookshelf of forgotten fairy tales—because this film certainly isn’t Disney’s “fairest of them all.”
