Thanks to Rachel Zegler’s performance, Disney’s ‘Snow White’ remake is surprisingly decent

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The fairest live-action Disney remake of them all?

Synopsis

Look, this is a live-action remake of Disney’s classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Let’s be real, we all know the story. The Magic Mirror (Patrick Page) tells the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) that Snow White (Rachel Zegler) is the fairest of them all, so she tells the Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) to kill her, he fails, then Snow White goes to live with the Seven Dwarfs, yadda yadda yadda. I’ll let you assume the rest.

My thoughts

Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is like the animated film. Does it deserve the moniker of “The Greatest Animated Film of All Time”? Maybe not so much almost a century later, but its legacy and impact on the film landscape can’t be understated. Steamboat Willie and his doppelgänger Mickey Mouse may have got the ball rolling for Walt Disney Pictures, but Snow White officially put them on the road to become the enormous conglomerate they are today.

There have been some live-action Snow White films like Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror, but we’re finally being treated to a live-action retelling of Disney’s iconic rendition of the classic tale. It’s kind of surprising that it took Disney this long to do a remake of Snow White, considering it’s their first and one of their most iconic animated films. I guess that a well of popular classics to adapt is running a little dry.

Someday my depth will come

Snow White is one of those movies I watched over and over as a little kid but haven’t really seen in its entirety since. I rewatched the original film to prepare for this version, and while it’s one of those classics where I understand the impact it made and why it’s so revered, it doesn’t hold up all that well by today’s standards. It makes sense, as it was the first movie of its kind, and Disney hadn’t perfected their formula yet, but wow is it ever old-fashioned.

Even if these live-action Disney remakes are usually pointless because the original animated movie is fine, I thought while watching the 1937 version that it could be updated and given some more depth. I try not to address behind-the-scenes controversies, but Rachel Zegler is 100% correct about everything she said regarding the original story being out of touch in the modern age with its portrayal of a woman lacking any sort of agency.

Well, this modern version of Disney’s Snow White certainly adds a bit more content to the story and characters, particularly for the title character. It’s not exactly a tall order to add some complexity to the original film, as it’s quite short and shallow. Still director Marc Webb and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson do a solid job at updating the original movie for the modern age. Unlike that version, Snow White feels like an actual character here.

Some may take issue with the filmmakers’ not fully committing to making Snow White completely self-sufficient, as she still has to get help from the bandit Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who essentially serves as a stand-in for the Prince. I think Webb and Wilson struck a nice balance between making Snow White capable enough and, like any well-written character, having some faults that other characters help her overcome. We can’t just rely on ourselves to get things done.

Becoming a Disney princess

It was refreshing that this Snow White wasn’t just lying on the ground whimpering or singing longingly about wanting a prince to come whisk her away. She’s strong, intelligent, and asserts herself. Most importantly, she uses her good heart to her advantage, showing how that can be used to rule a kingdom as opposed to the Evil Queen’s cruelty and need to rule with an iron fist. This new version of Snow White feels like something little girls can actually learn something from.

Rachel Zegler is absolutely perfect in the lead role, giving what’s probably my favorite performance of the year so far. She’s the definition of a star here, as the entire movie gravitates around and benefits from her performance. With her wide variety of animated facial expressions, she completely embodies Snow White’s sweet and wholesome personality with bounds of charisma, which goes a long way when you’re acting with yourself or CGI characters.

Zegler was impressive in her debut performance in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, but Snow White proves that she has the skills to carry an entire movie on her shoulders and lead a grandiose musical with amazing confidence. With her beautiful voice and marvelous stage presence, I couldn’t get enough of her performance, particularly during these musical sequences.

Gal Gadot doesn’t get too many opportunities to show her range in other movies, but she gets all the time to shine here. The Evil Queen remains ridiculously (and simplistically) evil, so Gadot chews the scenery, but only when required to. She does cold and calculating very well, but you can also sense the jealousy she carries when she occasionally breaks out into sneers. She doesn’t quite have the musical talents of Zegler, but makes up for that with plenty of her own distinct stage presence.

Magic and music

Even if the filmmakers did expand on these things, there’s also this feeling that they’re not doing enough when it comes to the other characters and plotlines. It’s funny, in hindsight, there was so much controversy regarding how to handle the dwarfs in this because they kind of feel like an afterthought in the end. The same goes for Jonathan and his band of merry robbers, who only really serve to fill out the cast and needlessly complicate things.

The CGI dwarfs and all the other effects looked pretty stellar, which was genuine surprise, as the few glimpses we got of them before looked kind of horrifying. They’re still slightly off-putting, creeping into the uncanny valley, but their classic personalities and voice performances were amusing. They just don’t get anything to really do, but perhaps that’s by design as they basically do everything in the original movie.

Unfortunately, for a Disney fairy tale musical, it totally lacks magic. Marc Webb’s direction is competent but lifeless. He keeps all the singing and dancing in frame, but the camera doesn’t move around in that many creative ways and the editing from Mark Sanger is quite clunky. The sets and costumes are dazzling and do a lot of heavy lifting to give us something nice to look at, because the direction is so flat and workmanlike. Workmanlike directors are exactly what Disney likes, though.

There are plenty of songs to enjoy with a healthy mix of old and new. You get some of the classics like “Heigh-Ho” and a splendid rendition of “Whistle While You Work” (a song I always thought was lame until now), but even the new songs are fun and catchy. New songs for these remakes usually end up pretty lame, but I loved every new tune here. Even the Evil Queen gets an awesome villain song! If only the direction could have matched the fantastic songs and performances by the actors, because these are the sequences I was close to loving.

Final verdict

When it comes to remakes, my main question is whether they justify their existence or not. Sometimes they do, usually they don’t, and in the case of Disney live-action remakes, they’re often completely pointless. Snow White joins the ranks alongside 2015’s Cinderella and 2019’s Dumbo as Disney live-action remakes that aren’t “Just the cartoon, but now realistic,” but actually gives people of all ages something that’s actually worth their time.

With Disney’s track record with their live-action remakes and the numerous production issues over the past few years, signs were pointing to the new Snow White being an unmitigated disaster, but it’s surprisingly decent. It’s still a soulless, desperate cash grab at its core, but sincere intent from the filmmakers and a wonderful lead performance from Rachel Zegler, give it a warm beating heart.