Taking aside all of the supposed controversies surrounding Snow White, many Disney fans are unhappy with the movie starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot not because of politics or skin colour, but what appears to be a series of sweeping changes from the original 1937 cartoon.
Leading up to the movie's release, it was reported that the Seven Dwarfs had been completely scrapped to instead focus on a group of "politically correct" Bandits (they were supposedly later added in reshoots, explaining what some have described as nightmare-inducing CGI).
Zegler's comments comparing the original Prince being a "stalker" also raised eyebrows, but just how extensive are the changes?
Disney has come under fire for making shot-for-shot remakes of its animated catalogue of titles but as soon as they start shaking things up, the backlash comes quickly and is always very loud.
As we first explained on Toonado.com, Marc Webb's remake makes many changes, starting with the origin of Snow White's name. No longer given that moniker for being born with skin "white as snow," this version of the Disney Princess was instead born during a snowstorm.
As expected, The Prince - who only played a small side role in the original movie and was never given an actual name - has been ditched in favour of Jonathan, a thief who is revealed to be an actor leading a struggling group of his fellow artists through a tough world. The romance is still there and he's given more to do.
The Seven Dwarfs are not "dwarfs" (or little people) but a race of fantasy creatures who live for centuries. They also have magic powers, primarily used to help them find valuable jewels. Dopey, meanwhile, can talk now and narrates the final act.
The death of the Evil Queen is also different. In place of a lightning strike that sends her plummeting to her death, she dies after shattering the Magic Mirror and turns to dust before seemingly being dragged into it. That's just one of many changes to the final act as events are shifted around in a bid to tell a better story.
Rather than the Evil Queen dying before Snow White is awoken with "true love's kiss," this movie has a whole final battle after that and a confrontation between the movie's lead and its villain. Snow White is then named ruler of the kingdom.
Songs are also switched up and, while most of the classics are in there, the movie is ultimately a very different beast when compared to its animated predecessor. For better or worse, but perhaps the latter based on reviews.
Snow White is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
The movie is directed by Marc Webb and produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer, and features all-new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Disney's Snow White opens exclusively in theaters March 21, 2025.