Disney’s Snow White

Honestly, I think the problem with the current slate of Disney features is that storytellers hold back conflict in order to appear “safe” and then talk down to children rather than meet them where they are. Sadly, this is the case with the Mark Webb-directed and Erin Cressida Wilson-penned Disney’s  Snow White.

Snow White was born in a carriage during a snowstorm, thus, her name Snow White. The King and Queen lead their country to prosperous times, and the King looks forward to eventually handing the kingdom to Snow White. Then the Queen dies. Eventually, the King remarries a beautiful woman with magical powers who is secretly evil and wants the kingdom’s wealth to herself. After conspiring to have the King sent off to die in an “accident,” the now adult Snow White (Rachel Zegler) is left to observe the economic devastation of her kingdom.

When the villagers are left to starve alone, Snow White shows compassion to her people, notably a thief named Jonathan (Andrew Byrnap). Her kindness makes her the fairest of them all. This news causes the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) to plan Snow White’s assassination, which leads her into the haunted forest and to the doorsteps of seven lonely and creepy dwarves. Can Snow White step up as the leader her father wanted her to be and defeat the Evil Queen through love, compassion, and empathy?

“Can Snow White step up as the leader her father wanted her to be and defeat the Evil Queen through love, compassion, and empathy?”

I’m convinced that Disney’s Snow White is an attempt to correct Walt Disney’s 1937 version for modern audiences. First and foremost, this version has ample exposition, which Walt’s version did not have. Everything about the kingdom and its lore needed explanation. A lot of this exposition is there to fill in supposed gaps in storytelling. Lots of exposition means lots of dialogue. Everyone has to tell their feelings or their plans. There were times when I said to myself, “I got it. You don’t need to say more.” Don’t get me started as the film tries to explain why Happy got the name Happy, Sleepy became Sleepy…and so on. We didn’t need this explanation…even if it was for comedy’s sake.

I had the most hope for the songs written by composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who did incredible work with The Greatest Showman, La La Land, and Dear Evan Hansen. I love and adore all of those soundtracks. However, this is a mess. The music is excellent, but the lyrics are an issue. The opening number, “Good Things Grow,” is a song about prosperity and introduces us to the kingdom where good things grow. This is afar cry from the opening number of “Belle” in Beauty and the Beast, which sets the stage for who Belle is.

I still don’t understand Snow White’s power ballad, “Waiting on a Wish.” It restates that she is trapped in the castle by the Queen and ultimately wants to be the daughter her father wants her to be. However, the lyrics and music are a far cry from “Let It Go!” The Queen’s “All is Fair” is essentially an “eye for an eye” song. “Princess Problems” is the obligatory cute peasant versus princess song. The big love song, “A Hand Meets a Hand,” is a rushed attempt at becoming the next Disney classic. Here, you want to write a song that young lovers want sung at their weddings.