Disney’s live-action “Snow White “ was released into theaters on March 21, 2025. It has been a major fail, scoring 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. There are many reasons for its flop. It is flooded with controversy, from the performing actors to the script changes and comments made in interviews with the actors.
The story of Snow White is well known. The wicked queen is jealous of Snow White’s beauty. Snow White is still alive after the evil queen sent a hunter after her. She is hiding in a cottage with seven friendly little miners. The queen, disguised as a hag, brings a poisoned apple to Snow White, who falls into a death-like sleep that can be broken only by a kiss from the prince. Although this is the original storyline, some people feel it is outdated and the live-action did veer off from the original.
Rachel Zegler, who plays Snow White, just recently started her claim to fame starring in “Hunger Games: Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes” and on Broadway with “Romeo and Juliet.” She is what many describe as a natural talent, but many are upset because Disney put autotune over her voice for “Snow White.” Zegler has provoked traditionalists by arguing that the plot needed to be updated. She has stated that in the original film, Prince Charming “literally stalks her,” and that “It’s no longer 1937. She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.” She has also posted many controversial and sometimes hateful comments with her political views. She has also made a few targeted posts to certain political groups. Jonah Platt, son of the producer Marc Platt, has blamed Zegler’s political statements for the box office disappointment. He has said she is “dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie.” Fans felt that there were better actresses for the role of Snow White. Freshman Natalie Richards stated, “[She] does not fit the Snow White role. She was definitely amazing as Lucy Gray [from the Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes], but Snow White’s just not her type of character.”
These comments were not the only problem fans had with the movie. The audience was disappointed by the costume design. Richards says, “They did [Rachel Zegler] so dirty with that ugly bob. I don’t know what they were doing. They needed to add a little curl or something.” Richards also feels that they should have cast people who had dwarfism to play the roles of the seven dwarfs. “I just feel like it would have spread more awareness and brought more light to people with dwarfism.” Many actors with dwarfism, such as Dylan Postl and Peter Dinklage, were unhappy when it came to light that Disney wouldn’t be using actors with dwarfism to play the dwarfs. Dylan Postl told the broadcaster Piers Morgan in 2023, “I can’t go for the Harrison Ford or George Clooney roles because that’s not for me. These dwarf roles are for people of my stature…now think about the additional stunt actors or body doubles, now you’re talking about multiple actors of my stature that don’t get these major roles.”
There were also many unfortunate events in the making of the movie. COVID-19 cases flared up just as production got started in London. This forced Disney to adopt many new safety protocols and added millions of dollars to their budget. A cottage with a thatched roof [weaving dried vegetation together to make a roof] caught fire on a soundstage. Then, in 2023, the actors’ strike forced Disney to pause reshoots. Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, suffered health complications from a pregnancy, which delayed reshoots and visual effects work further.
The movie was unseated from its spot at No. 1 during its second weekend in theaters. Taken over by “A Working Man,” “Snow White” has grossed $42.2 million. Compared to other live-action films by Disney, this adaptation has grossed far less than their first few remakes. “The Little Mermaid” opened to $95.5 million over three days, and “Beauty and the Beast” opened to $174.7 million. These are significantly larger numbers than what “Snow White” made.
Overall, this live-action adaptation has not lived up to what it could have been. The animated version was historical and more memorable. The movie has received a lot of backlash and criticism for various acts/ While there wasn’t one set reason the film failed, all the controversies that arose from it caused the failure. “Snow White” did not uphold Disney’s reputation, leaving many wondering what will happen with future remakes.
