Movie Review – Snow White (2025)

June 1, 2025

4 minutes

One of the most frustrating things about Disney’s “Snow White” (2025) was the number of comments I saw that criticized the movie that never actually discussed the movie itself. The statements were more about what Rachel Zegler said about the original animated movie, Gal Gadot’s nationality/political affiliation or the movie’s extensive reshoots. So to offset some of that discourse a little, here’s an actual review of the actual movie:

Marc Webb’s carved up “Snow White” is a bit of a mess thanks to the forced fanservice, but the movie’s strength can be found in its original ideas. Also, the movie’s soundtrack is one of Disney’s best in the last decade.

The movie is a frustrating watch primarily because the filmmakers show us time and again that they can make good choices, yet those decisions are undone with a series of poor ones – possibly due to studio interference. For example, the CGI woodland creatures are so cute that you’ll want to hug and squeeze them into itty-bitty pieces like Tiny Toon’s Elmira, whereas the dwarves look like hideous lifelike gnomes. What is it about dwarves and mines that attract bad CGI? You’d think Disney would have learned from Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy.

“Snow White” sets such a high bar with its opening musical number that the rest of the movie struggles to live up to it. It a great example of how this movie was trying to be something other than a retelling of the original story. The set pieces’ scope and scale are grand. Snow White’s well in particular looks so enchanting thanks to the floral and flora but even after the flowers wither the visuals still look great. So, it’s odd when the enchanted forest looks so plain or even when the sets look overly barren such as when Snow White (Zegler) helps Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) escape. It’s a massive courtyard with a handful of medieval torches. The inclusion of the dark forest is a fantastic visual; however, narratively the sinister forest’s existence is never mentioned nor does Snow White receive a word of warning that anything dangerous exists beyond the kingdom’s boarders.

The movie often sinks beneath the weight of its fanservice. There is no better example than the dwarves’ introduction. The iconic song “Hi-Ho” amounts to nothing other than to remind you this is a remake of a Disney property. If you thought that maybe the dwarves would assist in bringing down the Evil Queen (Gadot), you’d be wrong.

Similarly, Jonathan’s band of rebels do nothing to further the story. The troupe consists of seven individuals, none of which look or act like the notable dwarves. None of them have speaking roles except for Quigg (George Appleby). While we don’t know what was left on the cutting room floor, the movie seems to have two sets of dwarves and no idea of what to do with either. It’s also distracting to have an actual little person (Appleby) standing next to the computer-generated dwarves.

The inclusion of “Hi-Ho” and “Whistle While You Work” eat up space leaving little room for original ideas such as whether Snow White’s father is still alive – a compelling story idea that is relegated to a line of dialogue.

Even the romance between Snow White and Jonathan is cut down by oddly placed sequences that will make you forget that there’s a budding relationship. The song “Princess Problems” is cute but would have made a lot more sense if it happened before Snow White stood up to the queen.

Zegler does a good job embodying the Disney princess, but it’s her singing voice that bring songs such as “Waiting on a Wish” and “A Hand Meets a Hand” to life. These numbers are some of the highs this movie has to offer. Burnap has the charisma of a Disney prince, but his singing voice is on the weaker end of the spectrum, so I guess he is perfectly cast. Gadot surprisingly holds her own with her musical number “All is Fair.” However, it’s her transformation into the old witch that’s incredible.

The benchmark of “Snow White” are the original songs. “Good Things Grow” captures that classic Disney musical magic, but it’s the rousing “Snow White Returns” that is a minute and twenty-six seconds of utter perfection. It’s the perfect example of how this movie cuts its magical moments (criminally) short.

Rating: 3/5.