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 Mark Webb’s Disney’s 2025 remake of Snow White.
Young Snow White was born in a carriage during a snowstorm—thus, Snow White. The King and Queen led their country to prosperous times, and the King looked forward to eventually handing the kingdom to Snow White. Then the Queen died, and the King remarried a beautiful woman (with magical powers) who was secretly evil and wanted the kingdom’s wealth to herself.
After conspiring to have the King sent off to die in an “accident,” Snow White 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. Her kindness makes her the fairest of them all. This news causes the Queen to plan Snow White’s assassination, which leads her into the haunted forest and to the doorsteps of seven lonely and creepy dwarves.
“Young Snow White was born in a carriage during a snowstorm—thus, Snow White.”
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 Mark Webb’s version of 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 Greatest Showman, La La Land, and Dear Evan Hansen—all soundtracks I love and adore. Snow White is a mess. The music is excellent, but it’s the lyrics. The opening number, “Good Things Grow,” is a song about prosperity and introduces us to the kingdom where…good things grow. A far cry from the opening number of “Belle” in Beauty and the Beast, which sets the stage for who Belle is.
"…Damn, those animals are cute."
