Snow White is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Marc Webb. Plans for a remake of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were confirmed in October 2016. Snow White is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on March 21, 2025.
The cast includes Rachel Zegler as Snow White, Emilia Faucher as young Snow White, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, Andrew Burnap as Jonathan, Ansu Kabia as the Huntsman, and many more.
Fans and critics often dismiss Disney’s live-action remakes as cash grabs, millennial nostalgia bait that rarely hold up to the craftsmanship of the original animated films.
As Disney continues remaking classic films, reactionary content creators have influenced online discourse by mixing anti-woke rhetoric with fan complaints, and Snow White is no exception. While ‘90s classics such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin proved simple enough to adapt to live-action, Disney has struggled with old masterpieces like Dumbo, Pinocchio, and seemingly, Snow White. After all, these films were made more than eighty years ago, and cultural expectations have shifted.
Rachel Zegler attracted criticism over statements expressing her disapproval of the original film’s portrayal of The Prince and Snow White's character. In 2022, Zegler criticized "jokes" about the new Snow White character, saying that the cartoon was old and needed a refresh to give the character "a function beyond Someday My Prince Will Come.”
Rachel Zegler said, “The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. There's a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird. So we didn't do that this time. We have a different approach to what I'm sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie, Andrew Burnap, great dude. [...] But it's really not about her love story at all, which is really, really wonderful. [...] ” so here Rachel Zegler suggests the original Snow White (1937) had outdated romantic themes, calling the Prince’s actions “stalking.” She emphasizes that the new adaptation shifts focus away from romance, centering on Snow White’s personal journey instead.
When the cast was first announced, Rachel Zegler as Snow White sparked racist backlash from commentators who believed that Zegler (who is of Colombian and Polish descent) was not pale enough for the role, as the princess is described as having skin “as white as snow.” Zegler acknowledged the backlash in an interview, stating that she was “trending on Twitter for days because all of the people were angry.” Zegler went on to emphasize that “Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries” and expressed pride at playing “a Latina princess.”
Zegler later posted pictures of herself dressed as various Disney princesses as a child and stated, “I hope every child knows they can be a princess no matter what.”
Snow White has sparked plenty of debate, but at its core, it remains a story about transformation—both on-screen and off. Whether this new version enchants audiences or not, it’s a testament to how timeless tales continue to evolve with each generation.
Edited by: Ömer Gökce