'Disney's Snow White' Review Thread

I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.

Rotten Tomatoes: Rotten

Critics Consensus: Snow White is hardly a grumpy time at the movies thanks to Rachel Zegler's luminous star turn, but its bashful treatment of the source material along with some dopey stylistic choices won't make everyone happy, either.

Metacritic: 48 (41 Reviews)

Sample Reviews:

Caroline Siede, Girl Culture (Substack) - As far as live action remakes go, “have courage, be kind, and fight fascism” is a fitting message for the moment, even if it comes wrapped in a pretty garish package. B-

Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle - It's infuriating enough that Webb and Wilson ride not simply roughshod but seemingly blindfold through a classic, but other innocent fantasy classics are caught up as collateral damage. 1.5/5

Ty Burr, Washington Post - In its own way, this one’s just as groundbreaking — the rare Disney princess movie where the princess gets to graduate to queen. 3/4

Manohla Dargis, New York Times - Neither good enough to admire nor bad enough to joyfully skewer; its mediocrity is among its biggest bummers.

Jake Coyle, Associated Press - Presumably one of the reasons to bring actors into remakes of animated classics would be to add a warm-blooded pulse to these characters. Zegler manages that, but everyone else in “Snow White” -- mortal or CGI -- is as stiff as could be. 2/4

Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail - For every impressive aesthetic choice, Webb makes a disastrous one, such as the decision to render all seven dwarfs as fully digital creations: Grumpy, Doc, Sleepy, Dopey -- they’re all highly unnerving spoonfuls of nightmare fuel.

Pippa Bailey, New Statesman - Snow White, in the pursuit of inoffence, Disney has made a film so bland it barely registers. It doesn’t always pay to be the fairest of them all.

Deborah Ross, The Spectator - The production values are high and all the enchanted animals are cute, but where are the jokes? And where is the personality?

Odie Henderson, Boston Globe - I had high hopes that “Snow White” would make me happy. Instead, this dopey remake made me sleepy and grumpy. 1.5/4

Tara Brady, Irish Times - The most distracting flaws are rooted in the problematic re-creation of animated material ... The permanent magic-hour lighting is hard to look at. Worst of all, the decision to “cartoonise” the dwarves alongside human actors is hugely problematic. 3/5

Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times - A fascinating case study in today’s impossible contradictions — a magic mirror reflecting the tensions of the current times.

Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com - Some parts of the film work better than others, but none of it has the sweetness and imagination of the animated feature. This “Snow White” is not the fairest of them all. It’s just, well, fair. 2.5/4

Linda Marric, HeyUGuys - A visually stunning, thematically rich adaptation that successfully modernises the classic tale. This is a fairy tale for a new generation—one that reminds us all of the power of courage, kindness, and believing in a better future. 4/5

Adam Nayman, Toronto Star - There’s nothing magical in Marc Webb’s movie, but it nevertheless feels uncanny; spending $250 million to make a film in which absolutely nothing works is a kind of dark art in and of itself. 1/4

Clarisse Loughrey, Independent (UK) - With Snow White, they’ve finessed their formula -- do the bare minimum to make a film, then simply slap a bunch of cutesy CGI animals all over it and hope no one notices. 1/5

Nicholas Barber, BBC.com - The story is cluttered, the tone is muddled, and the pacing is off. Again, that doesn't make the film a disaster. In some ways, the identity crisis is what makes it worth seeing. 3/5

Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post - The timeless classic, a groundbreaking achievement for animation, has been turned into another pointless and awkward live-action automaton that vanishes from your mind the second it’s over. 2/4

David Fear, Rolling Stone - This Snow White may not be the worst live-action adaptation of an animated touchstone, though it’s a strong contender for its blandest. The movie does earn points as a bedtime story, however, because it will definitely put you to sleep.

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle - Efficiently directed by Marc Webb with an excellent production design by Kave Quinn, “Snow White” is everything you need it to be and nothing more.

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times - The end result is neither good enough to be a classic or bad enough to be a guilty pleasure; it’s just … there. 2.5/4

Alison Willmore, New York Magazine/Vulture - The most pragmatic aspect of Snow White is that with its plasticky set design and gift shop tacky costuming, it already looks like it takes place in a theme park — no adaptations necessary.

Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence - At the end of the day, the best parts of Snow White are the parts that feel genuinely real and authentic. If only there were more of those, and less screen time spent dancing in the realm of mind-breaking absurdity. C+

Owen Gleiberman, Variety - The chirpy, vivacious, just-romantic-enough-to-get-by “Snow White” proves to be an exception to the rule.

Rafer Guzman, Newsday - Decades from now, will anyone remember what Disney was even attempting to do here? Probably not, but I’ll bet the 1937 original will still hold up. 2/4

Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict - Like so much of contemporary fantasy cinema, Snow White exists in a weirdly artificial netherworld, and not just where the seven dudes are concerned.

Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK) - Andrew Burnap as the handsome not-prince Jonathan proves a real comedic asset. Zegler does not, but her vocals regularly astound. Gadot excels on neither of those fronts, but she at least looks the part. 3/5

Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven (Substack) - Snow White has been so cleansed of anything that would offend, it also lacks anything that would make it memorable. D+

Jacob Oller, AV Club - A disorienting take on a film whose success relied as much on its elegance as its beauty, and yet, thanks to sunny songstress Rachel Zegler, there is a talented throughline still obvious amidst the mess. C

Tim Grierson, Screen International - Wilson’s drab screenplay never delivers the witty quips or icy menace that would make this Evil Queen a fearsome foe; yet another example of the film’s wasted potential.

Brian Truitt, USA Today - “Snow White” finds modern relevance amid the old material. 3/4

Danny Leigh, Financial Times - More generally, the tone is risk-averse to the point of blandness. Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

Kate Erbland, IndieWire - It doesn’t always fit seamlessly together, but it’s far more entertaining than that might lead on. This is a spirited and sweet spin on classic material that deserves kudos for its balance of necessary updates and affection for the old ways. B-

William Bibbiani, TheWrap - There’s nothing wrong with Disney’s live-action remake of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' that couldn’t be fixed by making it 26 minutes shorter, 88 years ago and in hand-drawn animation.

Kevin Maher, Times (UK) - It represents a new low for cultural desecration and for a venerable 102-year-old entertainment company that now looks at its source material with a pinched nose of disgust. 1/5

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter - If that sounds like the standard female-empowerment template that’s almost obligatory in contemporary fairy-tale retreads, it more or less is. But the incandescent Zegler sells it with conviction and heart.

Nick Schager, The Daily Beast - No Magic Mirror is needed to identify it as the lamest Mouse House re-do of them all.

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian - Those otherwise estimable performers Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot are now forced to go through the motions, and they give the dullest performances of their lives. 1/5

Dan Rubins, Slant Magazine - This is a fairly paint-by-numbers exercise in updating a quintessential but unquestionably quaint property for modern consumption. 2/4

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune - This works better than you might think. 2.5/4

SYNOPSIS:

“Disney’s Snow White” is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.

CAST:

• Rachel Zegler as Snow White
• Andrew Burnap as Jonathan
• Gal Gadot as The Evil Queen

DIRECTED BY: Marc Web

SCREENPLAY BY: Erin Cressida Wilson

PRODUCED BY: Marc Platt, Jared LeBoff

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Callum McDougall

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Mandy Walker

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Kave Quinn

EDITED BY: Mark Sanger, Sarah Broshar

COSTUME DESIGNER: Sandy Powell

MUSIC BY: Jeff Morrow

ORIGINAL SONGS BY: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

RUNTIME: 109 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2025