Disney’s Snow White is mired in controversy. But does it pass the kid test?
Disney’s live-action Snow White remake has been getting buzz, but for all the wrong reasons. The original 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a crown jewel in Disney’s canon, ushering in a new age of animation and holding the record as the highest-grossing animated film for 55 years.
By contrast, the seemingly cursed remake took nine years to make it to the screen with COVID and the SAG-AFTRA strike contributing to delays. The colour-blind casting of Rachel Zegler in the title role led to accusations of it being too “woke”. Zegler then publicly criticised the original film, shocking media trainers around the globe.
Rachel Zegler is perfectly cast as Snow White.Credit: AP
The casting of the seven dwarfs, who were eventually rendered in CGI, proved a divisive issue in the dwarfism community. And if that wasn’t enough, there were reports of tension between stars Zegler and Gal Gadot due to their opposing stances on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
So why redo the beloved film in the first place? Disney is trying to reintroduce the younger generation to one of their most successful movies, given that Generation Alpha might not be so keen to watch a flick made almost a century ago. I took my kids, aged four and eight, the exact kind of impressionable minds Disney would be keen to convert, to a special preview screening.
Thankfully the remake is not the dumpster fire naysayers might’ve anticipated, though it’s also not the surprise success a la the similarly beleaguered Wicked that Disney may have been hoping for. It takes surprising detours from the original plot with a more independent and driven heroine.
Golden Globe-winning 23-year-old Zegler is perfectly cast, bringing a wide-eyed luminosity to Snow White along with her crystalline vocals. Gal Gadot, however, is disappointing as the Evil Queen with a go-girl-give-us-nothing energy in what should’ve been a campy delight.
Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.Credit: AP
Powerhouse songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of Dear Evan Hansen fame do deliver new gems with rousing ballad Good Things Grow and the playful banter of Princess Problems.
But what did the littlest critics think? The four-year-old had a few qualms about the plot, saying of Snow White’s breaking and entering, “You shouldn’t go into a rando’s house.” She also found Gadot’s Evil Queen “pretty mean”, evidenced by her clambering onto my lap for snuggles as she hid behind her popcorn box.
