Snow White Parent Guide

Born to the queen (Lorena Andrea) during a winter storm, the royal infant is named Snow White (Emilia Faucher) in honor of the weather. Her parents ensure that the rest of her childhood is peaceful, surrounded with abundance and filled with lessons of duty, compassion, and kindness. The kingdom is an idyllic place - but then the queen dies. When the king is killed a few years later, his new wife (Gal Gadot) ruthlessly rules the kingdom, trapping Snow White (Rachel Zegler) in a life of domestic servitude.

Obsessed with power and beauty, the evil Queen communes with a magic mirror that tells her she is the most beautiful woman in the land. When the mirror informs her that Snow White is now more beautiful, the Queen snaps and orders the girl’s death. Soon, Snow White finds herself navigating the dark woods alone – a journey that will bring her into contact with seven dwarfs, seven Robin-Hood-type bandits, and a poisoned apple.

Most of us are familiar with the story told in Disney’s 1937 animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This show begins with the same basic plot but instead of being the tale of a sweet, passive princess who is rescued by a handsome prince, this story gives us an empowered princess who squares her shoulders, joins forces with the bandits (and their handsome leader), and sets off to save her kingdom. I’m always up for movies that give female characters more agency, so I think the change in plot direction is an upgrade.

Unfortunately, the movie falters in a few places, most controversially in its depiction of the socially cohesive, utopian kingdom governed by Snow White’s father. I agree that some of the dialogue is heavy-handed but let me say it clearly: it’s absurd to impose 21^st century political and economic perspectives on a fairytale that involves swapping out a cruel absolutist monarch with another absolutist monarch who happens to be kind. I’d rather steer away from misdirected culture war terminology and towards a discussion of the movie on its merits as a piece of entertainment.

From a critic’s perspective, the film has more pressing issues than the kingdom’s economy – critically the pacing, which really drags in the first half, making the movie feel longer than its actual runtime. Also, the CGI dwarfs are certainly skillfully created, but there’s always an uncanny valley problem with computer generated characters. (And is it just me or does Dopey look like MAD Magazine’s Alfred E Neuman?)

More problematic is the soundtrack. It’s not all bad: the expanded version of “Heigh-Ho”is lots of fun (as is the scene in the mine, which bears an unsurprising resemblance to Disney World’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster). The peppy and wry “Princess Problems” even had me laughing out loud. But many of the new songs are forgettable, when they are not cringe-inducing. “A Hand Meets a Hand” might be Disney’s most painful romantic ballad. I’m not sure which line is worse: “’Cause a hand meets a hand/Like it found where to land” or “So I start to let go/And give in to the glow”. Both made me gag in my seat.

Parents who are considering taking kids to the film should keep in mind that live action movies are always scarier than the animated versions. The evil Queen is cruel and murderous, the battles can be frightening, and there are some dark moments, including a death scene. Unless your child is completely obsessed with Snow White, I’d save some money and wait until the movie streams on Disney+ in a few months. Then if no one feels the magic, you can simply grab your remote and find a film that’s a better fit.