Disney's Controversial ‘Snow White' Is 2025's Biggest Critical Failure—So Far

Forbes

04-07-2025

The long-awaited live-action remake of Disney's classic 'Snow White' has been hailed by critics as the worst of 2025's widely released films so far after years of pre-premiere controversies that included racist backlash, concerns about the casting of dwarves and politically motivated criticism of its two leading ladies.
Rachel Zegler stars in "Snow White." Disney
'Snow White,' which was released in 4,200 theaters in March, was reviewed favorably by only 39% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
With more than 250 critics weighing in, the movie was called "contrived," "cheesy" and 'mediocre' on its way to becoming the worst reviewed of the year's biggest films so far.
Despite the unfortunate claim to fame, "Snow White" has grossed $87.2 million to become the 11th highest-grossing film of the year as of June 30.
'Snow White' is one of five of the year's highest-grossing releases that received a positive rating from less than 60% of reviewers, as did 'A Working Man (47%), "A Minecraft Movie' (48%), "Captain America: Brave New World' (48%) and 'Karate Kid: Legends' (59%).
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to [phone] or sign up here : joinsubtext.com/forbes.
Despite also being among the worst-reviewed films of the year, 'A Minecraft Movie' has made more than any other U.S. release. The film has grossed $423.9 million since April. Key Background
Plans for a live-action remake of 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" were first reported almost a decade ago, and news broke in 2021 that Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, would star as the title character. Since then, the film has been a hot bed of controversy. The decision to cast Zegler was met with immediate backlash online and racist comments about the decision to cast a person of color as the "fairest of them all.' Others were angered when Zegler called the original story, first told in a 1937 animated movie, "dated" and referred to the story's Prince Charming as a "stalker," vowing the new adaptation would take a 'different approach.' The inclusion of actress Gal Gadot as the film's Evil Queen was met with calls for a boycott over her pro-Israel stance. The actress is Israeli, served in the Israel Defense Forces and has publicly supported Israel since the start of the recent Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2023. Zegler has been publicly pro-Palestinian rights. In 2022, the concept of the new 'Snow White' film was criticized by actor Peter Dinklage, who has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, when he questioned the need for dwarfs in a modern-day retelling of the story, calling the original 'backwards.' Other actors with dwarfism spoke up to express the opposite view, saying not casting dwarfs would be a "missed opportunity to make a movie with seven little people." Ultimately, the seven dwarves in the remake were created using CGI, instead of being played by actors.
Gal Gadot in "Snow White." Disney
'You're progressive in one way but then you're still making that f—ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f— are you doing, man?' Dinklage said. 'Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I'm not loud enough. I don't know which studio that is, but they were so proud of it. All love and respect to the actress and all the people who thought they were doing the right thing. But I'm just like, 'What are you doing?'' Tangent
Supporters of President Donald Trump vowed to boycott 'Snow White' after Zegler spoke out against his election in 2024. Zegler posted on Instagram to say she hoped "Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace". She said his election would lead to "another four years of hatred." Trump supporters demanded Disney fire Zegler, including conservative media personality Megyn Kelly, who called Zegler "a pig." Zegler later apologized, saying, "I let my emotions get the best of me." Disney reportedly hired a social media guru to vet any further online posts from Zegler between the election and the film's March release. Further Reading
Report the details...