A parent's guide to 'Snow White': Is Disney's movie suitable for little kids?

USA Today

20-03-2025

Just like in 1937, a generation of movie kids has its own Snow White.
The latest in Disney's growing supply of live-action redos, "Snow White" (in theaters now) changes up some aspects of the original animated classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." It also adds new songs, courtesy of Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and casts "West Side Story" breakout Rachel Zegler as the "fairest of them all." (Naturally, the Evil Queen, now played by Gal Gadot, has something to say about that.)
The OG "Snow" has entertained children for almost a century. But is the latest musical take suitable for younger audiences?
Here's what parents need to know about the new "Snow White":
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What is 'Snow White' about?
There's a lot familiar from the original movie, with some narrative tweaks and a meatier character arc for Snow. An orphaned princess, Snow is a scullery maid for her stepmother, the Evil Queen obsessed with asking her Magic Mirror who's the fairest of them all. When Snow begins to question the villainess about how she treats the kingdom's people, and it's clear Snow is the fairest, the queen orders her huntsman to kill Snow and bring back her heart.
He doesn't, she escapes into the magical forest, and Snow befriends Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), the bandit leader, as well as Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Grumpy, Happy, Dopey and Doc. Her new allies help hide her and also plan a move against the queen's forces, though the disguised antagonist delivers a poison apple to Snow, putting a wrinkle in her rebellion.
Who plays Snow White in the new movie?
The new Snow is 23-year-old Rachel Zegler. She won a Golden Globe for her breakthrough role as the lovestruck Maria in Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of "West Side Story." New fans should also check her out in the superhero sequel "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "Hunger Games" prequel "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" and the Netflix animated fantasy musical "Spellbound."
What happened to Snow White's parents?
In the original "Snow White," it's left rather vague. The new film digs into that a bit with a backstory that begins with kid Snow and her parents in a musical number with pies and lots of dancing before things turn bleak. Snow's mom dies at a young age, her father unfortunately remarries Gadot's character and Dad ventures off to another kingdom to never return. His fate remains a mystery for most of the movie and Snow holds out hope that he will return one day.
What age rating is the 2025 'Snow White'?
While the original animated classic is rated G (for general audiences), the new "Snow" is PG for "violence, some peril, thematic elements and brief rude humor." Movies are rarely rated G anymore, and the film is not only appropriate for most ages but also delivers an important message for kids. "Snow White" champions kindness and empathy over cruelty and tyranny – Zegler's character even benefits from the simple lesson of making sure she remembers someone's name.
What's the controversy with 'Snow White'?
People have been angry about something or other with this movie for two years now. First, Internet trolls were angry about Zegler, who's of Colombian descent, being cast as a character that the Brothers Grimm fairy tale describes as being 'white as snow.' Then she got backlash for criticizing the original film as "weird" for having a cartoon prince who 'stalks' Snow White, adding that this new version is 'not about the love story at all." "Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage also took Disney to task for retelling a "backward story" about dwarves.
More recently, the two lead stars' political beliefs have been brought into the conversation, with activist groups calling for boycotts because of Gadot's pro-Israel views of the war in Gaza while Zegler has been very pro-Palestine and anti-Trump on social media.
Not that your child is likely to care about any of that if they're coming to see a Disney princess sing songs.
Is 'Snow White' too scary for little kids?
Not overly, though there are a few moments where moms and dads might need to hold the hands of very little ones. When Snow escapes into the magical forest, the branches try to grab her, she runs into a very angry-looking monster tree and then goes on a perilous journey through some raging rapids. (She comes out OK, though, with just a little wet hair.)
The scene where Snow bites into the poison apple and "dies" is a smidge traumatic, though obviously she gets better. And as for that Evil Queen, Gadot plays her more campy than scary, and she meets a fate that's different from the original movie but is a tad freaky.
Grown-ups might be bothered by the CGI Grumpy and Co., who are just really weird and don't fit in the movie at all, but kids will love 'em.
Where can I watch 'Snow White'?
The new film is in theaters and those who prefer to watch things from their couch will need to wait. If it follows a similar path like recent Disney releases "Moana 2" and "Mufasa: The Lion King," "Snow White" will likely be available on-demand in late May or early June and on Disney+ sometime this summer.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan