I saw Snow White on March 23, 2025! I vividly remember watching the 1937 animated classic several times when I was younger. It's a staple of Disney, and a huge reason why the company is one of the most profitable in the world. Animation was always a cornerstone for Disney. In recent years, we've seen Disney adapt their animated classics into live action versions. Some have worked. Some have not. For me, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast were well made live action versions. I haven't really enjoyed other live action versions...until, I saw the newest iteration of Snow White. I was hesitant on initially checking this out due to the "controversies" around it, but then I thought about it, and realized the "controversies" surrounding the movie have more to do with media fascination and people getting caught up in a frenzy rather than just ignoring it and see what the movie's about it. I was thoroughly impressed with this live action version which, in my opinion, holds the spirit of the original well, while also adding a more well rounded interpretation of the story and it's characters. 

Rachel Zegler's casting as Snow White may have turned heads, but she was exceptionally brilliant in her performance! She someone fearless! She's someone fair! She's someone brave! She's someone true! Zegler takes the elements that established Snow White as the preeminent Disney princess, but adds qualities to her that make her a female character that speaks to the girls and women of a new generation, while also being inspirational to everyone around her as a beacon of truth and hope that establishes that good can win. She has such a natural, innocent effervescence about her, displaying beauty both externally and internally in a way that helps her become one of the most likable heroines of Disney canon. Zegler made me appreciate and love Snow White more than I did when I was watching the younger animated movie. This Snow White is all about her connection to the roots of her parents, her people, and her kingdom. Zegler's sublime performance really pulled me in, and made me a huge fan of what I was watching unfold. She is simply remarkable here! 

Gal Gadot's casting as the Evil Queen/Grimhilde was fantastic. She portrayed her as a remorseless dictator that took the soul of her kingdom and snuffed it out. Gadot's accent and appearance makes the original queen's motivations work really well in this modern setting. She's able to add some dark humor elements to her performance as well that make her stand out as a more intriguing character. Her dark magic is mysterious and does a great job of balancing out the light that Snow White brings. She's the yin to Snow White's yang. Whenever she's on screen, there's an intimidating presence about her that accentuates her villainous qualities. If we were talking about Lana Parilla's Regina from Once Upon A Time, then I'd be rooting for her, but I 100% support Zegler's Snow White over Gadot's Grimhilde, because the storytelling really made the hero and villain dynamics work exceedingly well throughout the course of the movie. However, Gadot's performance here is indicative of how well she understands the roles she takes. She made her completely ruthless, and that worked so well for the overall crux of the story. 

While there may not be a traditional Prince Charming role, there certainly is a solid love story within this movie. Andrew Burnap's casting as the bandit Jonathan was great. Jonathan grows into a more courageous character throughout the movie. His role as a bandit rather than a prince made him more interesting, and his chemistry with Zegler's Snow White was palpable. It was very fun and believable. He had a Robin Hood aura about him, and, in many ways it reminded me of the Snow White and Prince Charming from Once Upon A Time as Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas had a similar aura to their story. He was a great male protagonist that helps to keep the story flowing, while adding some solid action sequences along the way

When I was younger, I always liked the seven dwarfs. I still fondly recalling Doc saying apple dumpkins and laughing. In this version, the dwarfs are highly entertaining, and, there are even more interesting qualities added to them. Each of the dwarfs has a unique quality about them, while the voice work and visual representations worked really well. Snow White helps each of the dwarfs to realize how important they are to one another, while also helping their brotherhood and camaraderie to naturally grow. Bringing more out of the Dopey character was especially great to see, and Dopey adds so much raw emotion to the whole group. There's some standout moments with all the dwarfs, but be on the lookout for Dopey, especially, because he steals the show for the dwarfs. 

While I enjoyed the performances and the story a great deal, one aspect of this movie that helps to add more heart and excitement to everything is the incredible music.The songs add a melodious aura of lyrical luminescence that displays how powerful musicals can be. Rachel Zegler's voice is so beautiful, and I felt her emotion and energy in each of her lyrics. Waiting on a Wish is such an incredible song that exemplifies how a character can maintain it's original identity, while also showing the importance of evolving to stay relevant in an ever changing world. It's such a poignant and powerful song that helps define Snow White's fairness, courage and beauty so vividly. Her personality is extremely likable, and that's what you want from your protagonist. While Snow White has amazing songs, a big standout song is the Evil Queen/Grimhilde's All Is Fair which displayed her cunning and intellect, as well as her ruthless character. Gadot was having so much fun with this song and showed it through her charismatic presentation of the lyrics. Where Zegler's songs for Snow White displayed her sweet innocence, Gadot's rock opera style was perfect for her antagonist nature. I also loved the inclusion of traditional songs like Whistle While You Work and Heigh-Ho. This is an exceptional soundtrack that would be perfect if Broadway decides to adapt this to a stage production. I really can't say enough good things about the songs here. It's the heartbeat of the movie, and helps to add commentary and inner monologuing to the storytelling for the audience. 

Through brilliant performances led by the astonishing Rachel Zegler, fun storytelling holding true to the original animated version, while also adding more depth to speak to future generations, excellent soundtrack, and beautiful costumes and make-up, this is proof that a solid live action version of Disney animated classics can be made. For me, it's currently my favorite movie of 2025, and I've seen a lot so far this year. I would ask people to stop focusing on the "controversies" the media is spreading, and the unfair low ratings it's getting, because it's really an excellent movie. It's a lot of fun, and there's so much heart at it's core.