If you’re looking for an explainer on the controversy surrounding Snow White, its actors, their politics, and the behind the scenes drama, look elsewhere. I think with reviews when the lore becomes the sole conversation, rather than the actual art, it robs the film of its voice. While a tumultuous production cycle will likely birth a film where the drama is usually the more interesting conversation to write about, I think in Snow White’s case, there’s something special here that deserves to be discussed. That said I’m not even sure most of the film’s preteen core demographic or their parents even care about anything other than will this film deliver the nostalgic hit of dopamine and a mild distraction in these troubled times and it most definitely will.
For me, Disney’s live action output has been really hit or miss, while the ones I like (Beauty and the Beast, Pete’s Dragon) usually hit surprisingly hard, those that miss the mark do so inspiring the kind vitriol that might surprise some coming from a self proclaimed “Disney adult”. I get why Disney is doing this, in a world where IP is king, they got the kind that spans not just all four quadrants, but generations and that means A LOT of butts in seats. That said, I think not everyone of these adaptations is simply a cash grab, just sometimes I think there’s some room for narrative expansion given most animated Disney films rarely cracked 90 minutes or simply there’s something to say about material that’s close to 100 years-old at this point. With that in mind Snow White from the outset seemed like an ideal candidate, given its scant 83 minute runtime and its rather dated and passive protagonist.
Snow White begins by giving our namesake princess (Rachel Zegler) an actual origin story and some legit lore. Born of two caring parents, who were the beloved leaders of their small magical kingdom – one day tragedy strikes. Snow White’s mother dies and her father is bewitched by a woman (Gal Gadot) “from a far off land”(hence the Melania-esque accent!), who happens to in fact be a real witch. Shortly after their marriage, Snow White’s father is sent to defend the southern border(!!!) and while he’s gone the princess is demoted to a simple servant and hidden from public sight. In Snow White’s father’s absence her stepmother rules the now downtrodden realm with an iron fist transforming the once peaceful kingdom into a warrior nation. Snow White’s existence is eventually threatened, when the evil queen’s magic mirror lets her know she is no longer ‘the fairest of them all’, and the young princess is taken into the woods by the queen’s huntsman with instructions to kill her.
It is after the huntsman decides to let her live that she flees into the woods and not only runs into the seven dwarves, but a group of actors turned freedom fighters led by roguishly charming Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who then joins her on her quest to find her father. The big change narratively here is the agency given to Snow White, hence the title change to simply Snow White. She is not simply a passive young woman — first hated by the queen and pursued by the prince. She’s willing to put herself out there for what she believes in and fight alongside Jonathan and his band of rebels. Also, while they have updated the film a bit, so as to not provoke cries of “wokeness”, Snow White is still awakened by the kiss of true love, which equates to the love of a man; although the film does everything in its power to develop this relationship before this particular plot point.
Narratively the film feels like another, yet more stealthy musical Trump metaphor, but instead putting Melania in charge rather than a certain male wizard. Gadot here, who is usually one of the good guys, is just hamming it up, with a sordid side of camp as the evil queen. While some may complain her deliciously decadent performance may be too over the top, keep in mind this is a film where a grown ass woman has a non ironic two-sided conversation with a squirrel. This world being magical is how the film explains these cartoonish quirks and something that separates the seven dwarves into more the realm of magical creatures than little persons. To further solidify this distinction, Jonathan has a little person in his troop, who is as expected treated just like a regular person. This highlights the dwarves’ otherworldly otherness, and as someone who thought their appearance in the trailer constituted nightmare fuel, this does help to normalize them and add a much needed bit of context to the bits that have trickled out there.
Rachel Zegler simply put is a joy here, she delivers a heartfelt and fearless take on the iconic princess while giving Snow White’s time honored tunes a new life. The new songs work for the most part, penned by Pasek and Paul (The Greatest Showman and La La Land) who even manage to offer up a fun meta commentary on the Disney Princess with “princess problems”. She’s opposite Andrew Burnap, who plays her charming roguish love interest who’s obviously careful not to outshine his lead. The chemistry between the pair is thankfully believable, with their relationship having an actual evolution throughout the runtime, so as to really drive home the final act. Given this reassessment of characters, the dwarves don’t quite occupy the same runtime or importance to plot as the original, but that’s for the best given the aim here is to make Snow White a character worthy of her place in the parthenon of Disney princesses.
I think of Disney’s last few live action attempts, Snow White really did a great job treading that fine line of updating and giving the story a IYKYK metaphor while also modernizing the characters just enough to be relevant to a new generation. Surprisingly director Marc Webb manages to apply this upgrade without rocking the boat too much as to upset the more conservative stalwarts, since most “fan” critiques involve non film related issues to be upset at said film. Being a fan of the original, I was simply charmed out of my seat with the film’s love and respect for its predecessor, which really showed. Everything from the acting, to production design, to the amazing CGI animals just worked to fully immerse the viewer in this magical world where good triumphs over evil and we all live happily ever after. I think if you strip away the performative controversy and outrage over a children’s film, you will realize Snow White is a fun family film – that offers a much needed update to a nearly 90 year old title while not losing sight of what made the original so special.
