I must have gotten true love’s kiss because this is truly the film that just never dies, huh?
No, on a real note, the live-action adaptation of Snow White was doomed from the start. Already, many Disney live-action films have received significant pushback from fans over the last few years and haven’t performed as well. Still, there were comments and other remarks made by the leading stars – as well as outside circumstances and the first trailer for Snow White – that made it a shoo-in for being a bomb in some way.
And bomb it did, my goodness.
Either way, the film finally dropped on the streaming service Disney+. I decided to stream it (again) because I wanted to really see if it was as bad as I remembered it being – and honestly, there’s one aspect of the film that makes me snicker thinking about it because it reminded me of an older movie I was not expecting. Let’s get into it.
The Movie Is…Fine
Look, the movie is…fine.
I don’t think Snow White is as egregiously bad as people say it is. I believe Rachel Zegler, who is known for her starring role in the West Side Story cast as well as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is actually a good Snow White. She has a beautiful voice, and she captured some of her essence.
But the rest of the movie didn’t feel like an adaptation of the original story from Disney’s animated classics. It felt altered and morphed to supposedly fit a modern view when, in reality, people just wanted the original story. And really, I don’t even want to talk that much about the Evil Queen because, yeah… Gal Gadot was not the best choice for that.
Either way, I can see why kids love the Snow White live-action, but it’s fine and alright if you’re looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon, but it certainly is not my favorite. However, there’s one aspect of the film that reminded me of an old movie – and it has to do with Christmas.
But I Have To Admit, The Dwarves Reminded Me Of The Polar Express
Ya’ll, these dwarves are creepy as heck.
I really wanted to give the movie time. I thought that when the first trailer dropped for Snow White, they would take the feedback from the fans about the strange-looking dwarves and really dive into redoing the designs. Think Sonic from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies and how they redid his entire thing.
But, ah…they didn’t. They kept the dwarves the way they were, and why????
I’m looking at them, and honestly, the first thing that came to mind was that these little creepy CGI monsters look like the kids from The Polar Express. There! I said it! And I’m not taking it back! It’s an uncanny valley up in here!
There’s just something about their eyes or the way they move that doesn’t feel right. I mean, I know they did it because of comments from other actors, specifically Peter Dinklage, where they felt little people should not be cast as dwarves because it’s type-casting and offensive, but if the result is this? I’m not sure. I understand the sentiment, but we can do so much better.
It’s Shocking How CGI Has Somehow Evolved Backwards
I know what you’re going to say. “Alex, you’ve said before that you love The Polar Express! You’ve said it’s one of your favorite animated Christmas movies!”
And yes, you’re right. I do love The Polar Express. However, there’s a difference between loving something from my childhood and acting like a critic nowadays to suggest that a 2025 film should not resemble one from 2004.
Animation, in general, has undergone significant changes in the last several years, particularly over the last decade and a half. And what else has changed is the live-action remake landscape because we’ve had so many of them. And I have seen much better within the world of bringing creatures and animals to life.
Granted, these are smaller humans, but it’s still within the same realm of trying to bring something alive in animated form, as they are entirely CGI-animated. I think of Mufasa from The Lion King, which had some of the best live-action animals from an animated movie that I’ve seen. They felt at least relatively realistic and stood out on the big screen.
And while, again, dwarves aren’t animals, they could still easily be recreated. But here we are, with animated characters that feel less like humans and more like strange creatures that needed a lot more time in the editing room.
Is This Just The New Standard For Creatures In Disney Live-Action Movies?
I hate to say this, but it feels like Disney is moving in this direction, where live-action creatures and humans in their remakes are not going to be great. And it’s not just Snow White.
Let me tell you frankly that the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake, aside from Nani, was excellent in its animated form, particularly with Stitch. He felt real, fun, and cute, and it looked like a lot of effort had been poured into his design. However, many other movies don’t evoke the same feeling. The dwarves are one example. Another one is Pinocchio from the live-action adaptation.
And honestly, there are others, but I don’t want to talk about all of them because we’ll be here all night.
I’m just starting to feel that this might be the new normal for Disney, where they… don’t care as much as they used to. I know that some live-action productions have been placed on pause, but there are still new ones coming out (like the live-action Moana), where there’s still time to make these animated creatures look good.
Even so, I’m eager to see what other people think of when they finally see this movie on Disney+ and if most feel the same way I do about these dwarves. Maybe I’m totally on my own here, but I still think that you could pick them up and place them on their train to the North Pole. Time to see Santa meet the Seven Dwarves somehow.
