Snow White: Just How Many Princess Problems Does It Actually Have?

Ever since Disney released the live-action Alice in Wonderland back in 2010, they’ve been obsessed with remakes. While some of them are better described as reimaginings, such as Maleficent (2014) and Cruella (2021), many try to stay as true to the original source as possible. Really, any changes they make are to add development where there previous was none (such as actually giving Prince Charming a name and personality in Cinderella (2015)). Yet, when it came to adapting the movie that started it all, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), a lot of creative liberties were taken, and with that came a slew of controversies before it was even released. Even so, while there are a lot of “princess problems,” it’s hard to hate Snow White (2025) as it’s a very fun and entertaining film (most of the time).

For some context, Snow White (2025) is a remake of the 1937 film, which was the first full-length animated film in HISTORY. It’s what put Disney on the map as one of the greatest entertainment companies of all time, so it means a lot to both Disney and fans alike. However, it’s had many controversies surrounding it before it even came out. Honestly, there’s so many that it could be its own article, so I’ll try to summarize some of the biggest ones. Firstly was the casting announcement of Rachel Zegler as Snow White. In the original movie, Snow White gets her name from her skin being “as white as snow,” so there was a lot of backlash with the casting of a Latina actress for the role. Nevertheless, I do believe that Zegler was the best choice due to her acting and singing prowess, and they end up changing the backstory of her name in the live-action anyway, instead getting it for being born during a snowstorm.

Then, the seven dwarfs have possibly sparked the most controversy, as Disney decided to use CGI dwarfs instead of casting actual little people. Peter Dinklage had spoken up against the movie, saying it was a “backwards story” in regards to the role of the dwarfs. Disney responded saying they were “taking a different approach” with the characters to avoid stereotypes, later revealing they would be seven magical creatures. However, many people in the dwarfism community spoke up against Dinklage’s comments and these decisions. They believed that Dinklage’s comments were taking away what few roles they are offered, and that many people would jump at the chance to be part of the movie. Eventually, a first-look at the movie revealed that they ended up going with CGI dwarfs to make them look similar to their animated counterparts (which, by the way, look kinda horrifying).

Finally, politics have been a big part of the controversies as well, as Zegler and Gal Gadot have very different political stances on the war in Gaza. Gadot supports the Israeli side due to being from Israel herself, while Zegler supports Palestine. Due to both being vocal on their individual views, there have been boycotts from both sides. People who support Israel don’t want to see it because of Zegler’s views, while people who support Palestine don’t want to see it because of Gadot’s views. It seems that this film just simply cannot win, as no matter what it does, it has managed to offend literally every group possible.

Now, onto my actual feelings on the movie itself. I went in expecting to hate all of it except for Zegler’s performance, but it honestly wasn’t that bad. Zegler, of course, truly was the standout star and brought a new life to Snow White. If you’re a fan of her’s, this is a must-see film because of her breathtaking performance. Based on Zegler’s previous comments, I thought they had turned Snow White into this girlboss archetype, but I’m happy to report they haven’t. Yes, she’s more independent than she was in the original film, but she’s still clearly Snow White. For example, the movie added a group of bandits, one of the members being her love interest, and there’s a scene where all of them are running from the soldiers in the forest. Instead of somehow learning to fight out of nowhere, she gets the animals to help her cause a distraction to allow herself and the bandits to get away. The movie successfully creates this balance between giving her more development while still being true to the peaceful character she is, which is just strengthened by Zegler’s amazing performance.

Speaking of the bandits, we’ve got a brand new love interest. Meet Jonathan, portrayed by Andrew Burnap, a snarky, cynical bandit who constantly clashes with Snow White’s more optimistic views. If he sounds a bit familiar, it’s because he’s basically Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) from Tangled (2010). Granted, unlike Flynn, who is a loner that only cares about himself, Jonathan does care for the citizens in the kingdom and his fellow bandits. He does genuinely want to help people, but usually has to focus on saving himself. He’s got a lot of personality, especially compared to the original prince from the 1937 film, and his scenes with Snow White are a lot of fun. They’ve got an entertaining banter between the two of them, and their feelings develop throughout the course of the film, rather than being love at first sight. Truly, this might be one of the few things done better in the live-action than the original, as we get this wonderful character and a believable relationship out of it.

Unfortunately, there are some that will never top the original. There’s the Evil Queen, who is just completely brought down by Gadot’s horrid performance. To be honest, I am not a fan of Gadot in general, but I went in trying to stay unbiased. After all, just because I didn’t like her doesn’t mean she can’t put on a good performance, right? WRONG. Her acting was horrible, as I felt that every line delivery was just awkward and flat. Instead of embodying the character, you could tell that she was trying to act, and was failing at it miserably. Due to this, there was a stark contrast in quality between her and Zegler’s scenes, as Zegler seamlessly transformed into Snow White. Gadot also cannot sing, and as I watched her solo song, all I could think was “what the hell am I watching?” Once again, the quality just went downhill every time she was on screen. At one point, when it was focused on Zegler, I remember thinking, “oh my god, this is actually really good!” Then I remembered that Gadot solo song, and immediately I thought “oh yeah, that happened,” and knew this would never be a 10/10 movie solely because of her.

I have very conflicting feelings on the dwarfs. I really do think they should’ve gotten little people to portray these roles, but their characterization makes me wonder if that honestly would have been more offensive. They haven’t really changed since the 1937 film, and while they are entertaining, they’re still so one-dimensional. There is a line where they say that their names don’t necessarily define themselves, but not much is done with this idea as there’s almost no development to prove this point. Really, the only dwarf they gave a bit more character to was Dopey (Andrew Barth Feldman), as he gets a whole storyline on finally talking. Even that storyline feels a bit sour though, as the other dwarfs make fun of him and look down upon him for his muteness while they had seen him as an equal despite the muteness in the original. The main saving grace of the dwarfs is, in fact, their voices. The voice actors performed really well, especially when it came to the singing. This may be the hottest take you’ll ever hear, but I think the 2025 version of “Heigh-Ho” is better than the original 1937 version. With added lyrics and absolutely amazing vocals, “Heigh-Ho” is currently on repeat on my Spotify. I can’t get enough of it; it’s probably the best song in the movie.

On that note, let’s get into the music. Unlike the other remakes, Snow White cut most of the songs from the original film. The story had so many changes compared to previous remakes that the songs simply didn’t fit the storyline anymore. The only songs they kept were “Heigh-Ho,” “Whistle While You Work,” and “The Silly Song.” These are the best songs of the 2025 film, not only because of the dwarfs and Zegler’s astounding vocals, but because you really can’t top such classics. That’s not to say the new songs, which were written and composed by Oscar winning duo Pasek and Paul, were bad, I actually think they were really good. “Princess Problems” is my favorite of the new additions, which is a song between Jonathan and Snow White as he comments on her privilege and why he’s a bandit. It’s a fun song, and Jonathan’s personality really shines through. “A Hand Meets a Hand” is definitely going to everyone’s Disney love songs playlists, and Zegler’s vocals are spectacular in every song, but especially in her solo, “Waiting on a Wish.” I do miss the original songs, such as “Someday My Prince Will Come,” especially as these were the first Disney princess songs, and I wish they had found a way to update the story that would’ve allowed them to keep them in. However, I am a fan of the new songs, and the more I listen to them, the more I appreciate them (except for Gadot’s solo “All is Fair,” which just hurts my ears). Although, I do think they should’ve at least had Zegler record the cut songs from the original to include on the soundtrack album, as they had with Lily James for Cinderella (2015).

Snow White certainly had an uphill battle when coming to theaters, but I really do think people should give the movie a chance. While it has its issues, I think it’s an overall good film. Zegler is enough of a powerhouse to carry the movie herself, and aside from Gadot, I think most of the film is pretty strong as well. We’ve got fun songs, actual character development, and it does include all the important parts of the original film (such as the kiss and the apple). Is it the best out of all the Disney live action remakes? Definitely not. If you couldn’t tell from me mentioning it so much, I personally think that honor goes to Cinderella (2015), but that’s neither here nor there. Did we really need this update? Probably not, and I really think they need to stop this live action trend. However, if you’re willing to look past its “princess problems,” I think this is a very entertaining film that deserves a lot more love than it’s getting.