“Snow White” (2025) has been under fire for its casting choices, portrayal of the seven dwarves and fresh approach to the story. As of April 2025, it is rated at a 1.6/10 on IMDb, and a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.
But how much of this criticism is actually a reflection of the film’s quality? And how much of it is unnecessary hatred for Rachel Zegler, and the new, diverse take on the film? And why is everyone so mad at Disney?
Released in 1937, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was the first full-length animated film released by Walt Disney Productions.
A live-action adaptation of the beloved classic was initially announced in late 2016, and in June 2021 Rachel Zegler was revealed to be taking on the titular role.
Since gaining widespread attention for her role as Maria in Steve Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” Zegler has been a source of scrutiny and hatred from the public.
Many were outraged by comments made by the actress in 2022. In an interview with “Extra,” she claimed the 1937 film was “extremely dated when it comes to the idea of women being in roles of power.” She also claimed that “there’s a big focus [in the original film] on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! So we didn’t do that this time.”
These comments were seen as a denial or dig at the original film.
It is clear that without knowing anything about the film, people were anti “Snow White” remake, and even more anti-Rachel Zegler.
OK, but that was in 2022. Surely three years is plenty of time for people to cool down and give the movie a second chance?
Unfortunately, that is not the way the world and the internet work.
These comments were just the beginning of what is a long-standing public dislike for Rachel Zegler.
Zegler’s outspoken political views have also been a subject of backlash.
During the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Zegler wrote on Instagram that she hoped “Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” She has since apologized for this.
She is also an outspoken advocate for Palestine. In Aug. 2024, Zegler wrote “and always remember, free Palestine” in a thread posted on X.
https://twitter.com/rachelzegler/status/1823146134769893534?s=46
The post gathered 8.8 million views, and it is alleged that Snow White’s producer, Marc Platt, flew to New York to scold Zegler for being too political.
As if this weren’t enough, the film has also been criticized for the lack of similarities between Rachel Zegler and the animated portrayal of Snow White.
Zegler is of Colombian descent and has been a target of hate for her skin not being “as white as snow.”
Zegler has comically snapped back at these critiques on multiple occasions.
On June 22, 2021, Zegler tweeted: “yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role.”
Another (yes another) point of contention amongst audiences was the new idea to turn the seven dwarfs from the original film into seven “magical creatures.”
The choice to CGI the seven beloved characters was seen as dismissive of actors with dwarfism who could have been in the film.
This creative choice was a risk, a risk that may not have paid off.
Because of these choices to alter the original source material, along with Zegler’s outspoken political views, some audiences have deemed the film as “woke,” and refuse to watch the film.
A recent headline from GBN reads “Snow White humiliation hits new low as ‘woke’ Disney remake poised to lose NINE-FIGURE sum at box office.”
The movie is set to lose Disney $115 million, at least partially due to the aforementioned controversy.
Which goes back to my previous questions, is it fair to let political or personal disagreements tank the reviews of the film?
As sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb have their film ratings decided upon by audiences and not critics, it could be said that the film’s controversies play a part in the harshly negative reviews.
However, a young woman speaking out for change doesn’t deserve death threats and scrutiny by millions.
Disney hasn’t backed Zegler in any way. They have let her take the fall for the colossal failure of the film.
This goes to show that maybe not all press is in fact good press. Once the public has formed a negative opinion on someone, it can be extremely hard to reverse or shake that. If people don’t find you “likeable” they won’t want to see you in a starring role on screen.
It can be an impossible standard to live up to, and it is incomparably harder for women. People like Anne Hathaway and Kristen Stewart have repeatedly been deemed “unlikeable” by the press. But why?
There is a certain expectation of women in Hollywood. Rachel Zegler is everything executives don’t want her to be. She is proudly opinionated, and she doesn’t take whatever punches are thrown at her. She sticks up for herself.
While these traits, in theory, should be admirable, it has landed her nothing but disdain and hostility from the public.
Snow White is just a concoction of controversies and missteps. The public hasn’t necessarily given them grace, and it has cost Disney more than they imagined.