5 Snow White Movie Moments That Caused MASSIVE Backlash
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at the biggest princess problems from Disneys live-action Snow White remake that sparked the most backlash. Wed say spoilers, but we doubt anyone minds.
Snow Whites Name Origin
Okay, lets get this out of the way. The Snow White remake had numerous problems, but colorblind casting isnt one of them. Rachel Zeglers performance as Snow White, particularly her angelic voice, is one of the few praises we can sing. We have no qualms about a woman of color playing the titular character. That said, her name is litterally Snow White. In the original fairy tale, her mother wishes for a baby with skin as white as snow. In Disneys animated masterpiece, the Mirror singles it out as her defining physical feature. From the moment Zegler was cast, we were curious how Disney would address the characters name. In the opening, its revealed that the queen delivered Snow White in the middle of a blizzard. Thus, the king and queen decide to call their child Snow White. At first, we thought this was kind of a clever workaround. The more we thought about it, though, the more questions we had. You named your daughter after the weather? Maybe itd make sense if the first snow of winter fell just as she was born, but these harsh weather conditions probably made for a difficult birth. Why would you want a constant reminder of a natural disaster that couldve given your baby hypothermia? By this logic, Elsa is the Disney princess who should really be named Snow White. Maybe were overthinking things, but Disney overthought even more with this remake.
The Queens Transformation
For all the bright, colorful moments, the 1937 film wasnt afraid to throw in a dash of darkness. The remake sucks out any of the eerie elements - because hey, this is for little kids! The original was for all ages, once again showing that modern Disney management doesnt always understand the companys legacy. We feel zero dread as the huntsman contemplates killing Snow White, sending her into a CGI forest where the creep factor has been seriously downgraded. In the original, the nightmare-inducing imagery largely stemmed from the power of suggestion, implying Snow Whites eyes were playing tricks on her. Here, the imagery is taken more literally, making the sequence less psychological and disturbing. For us, though, the Queens transformation is watered down the most. Admittedly, we didnt recognize Gal Gadot in her witch makeup, so much so that we initially assumed it was another actress. While the makeup artists deserve props, the scenes execution is all wrong. The original took its time building tension, calling a Gothic story like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to mind. When the Queen drinks the potion, its hypnotically horrifying, leading to one of the most impactful reveals in animation. Here, she casually transforms while singing a reprise. It goes by too quickly to leave an impression. Even that macabre makeup becomes much harder to take seriously when we hear Gadots voice emanating from the witchs mouth.
Dopey Speaks
From the get-go, the dwarfs provided an ongoing source of backlash. First, people debated whether they should be included in the remake. While Disney tiptoed around calling them dwarfs, the characters were ultimately featured in the film with off-putting CGI designs. Ironically, theyre the scariest part of the movie. Audiences also took issue with the fact that most of them arent voiced by little people. Speaking of which, Dopey talks in this version. In fact, hes the narrator. Thats not the only way the remake overhauls the comedic relief. Its mentioned that the dwarfs have names that coincide with their personalities but not Dopey. Hes just a shy guy afraid to speak out. We guess that means the others gave him a demeaning nickname. After Snow White shows him support, Dopey finds the courage to speak, giving a speech about standing up to oppression. Yet, neither Dopey nor the other dwarfs do anything in the climax. Although we understand what the filmmakers were trying to do, hearing Dopey speak gave us flashbacks to Tom and Jerry: The Movie. Its an update to a classic character that just doesnt work. Dopeys arc feels like an overcorrection addressing the handful of people online who questioned if the character had a disability. If thats the case, the film seems to imply that Dopeys condition can be instantly cured with kindness. Empathy is important, but Dopeys depiction here oversimplifies a nuanced subject that the filmmakers arent well-equipped to handle.
The Queens Downfall
Disney clearly wanted to modernize Snow White by making the character more active. Fair enough, but the thing is, Snow White still doesnt have much agency. She spends most of the remake at the Queens mercy, even falling for the old poison apple trick again. The only significant addition comes during the climax when Snow White returns to her kingdom. Even then, Snow White does the bare minimum, rallying her subjects with a few pretty words that change everyones minds in a heartbeat. Well, everyone except the Queen, who Snow White refuses to harm. Disney cant have anyone else kill the Queen either. So, how are they going to write her out of the movie? Through more lazy writing, of course! The Queen learns that Snow White will always be the fairest in the land because its whats on the inside that matters. Throwing a hissy fit, the Queen breaks her magic mirror, turning into glass and getting sucked into a portal. Alright, how does that work? We know its a fairy tale. Magic doesnt have to be driven by logic, but it feels like the filmmakers wrote themselves into a corner. So, they just started making up rules. In any case, its not nearly as cool as the dwarfs chasing the Queen up a mountain where she falls to her doom.
All Is Fair
In addition to removing classic songs like Someday My Prince Will Come, the remake butchers Heigh-Ho by forcing in new lyrics. As for the original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, most of them sound like discarded tracks from The Greatest Showman. They also deliver what might go down as the worst villain song in Disney history with All Is Fair. It does little to advance the plot or flesh out the villains motivations. To be fair, though, a number like this mightve been fun with the right performer. Ideally, somebody who can balance comedy and camp with a hint of menace. Donna Murphy, who voiced Mother Gothel in Tangled, couldve hit this out of the park. Instead, they cast Gal Gadot, whose previous singing credits include her cover of Imagine. After that cornucopia of cringe, we thought everyone agreed to keep Gadot 500 yards from music at all times. Apparently, Disney didnt get the memo. Aside from not being able to sing, Gadot doesnt have the comedic timing to pull such an over-the-top number off. While her performance as a whole is worthy of a Razzie, this moment in particular left us asking, Has Gadot ever demonstrated the capacity to act? Well, there was the first Woman Woman, but even Steven Seagal had one watchable movie. Ironically, for a song called All Is Fair, this scene sums up why the remake is anything but.
Did any of these moments get under your skin, or do you think there are any good moments beneath the surface? Let us know in the comments.
