Why The ‘Snow White’ Remake Is Such A Tangled Mess
Rachel Zegler backlash is hardly fair.
Disney’s live-action Snow White remake is a box office nightmare that no prince’s creepy kiss can end. The film has earned just $77 million domestically since its release on March 21, and at this rate it’s not likely to cross $100 million in the U.S. There are plenty of reasons why the live-action Snow White is a disaster, but I disagree with the critics (and reactionary pundits) who fault the film’s star Rachel Zegler. I consider her the sole redeeming feature. (Watch her sing below, and yes, my son made me watch this alone.)
However, Zegler expressed political opinions on social media, as if that’s why Snow White played to empty houses. Disney has now cancelled plans for a live-action remake of Tangled, which I think fundamentally misreads the reason why the live-action Snow White failed. The problem isn’t live-action remakes. It’s not even women who open their mouths without permission.
The problem is Snow White not Rachel Zegler
Disney’s live-action remakes date back almost 30 years to 1996’s 101 Dalmatians with Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil (I’m deliberately ignoring The Jungle Book), but a flurry of straightforward adaptations began in 2015 with Cinderella. Since then, the most successful live-action remakes were The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. Those films were all from Disney’s Renaissance period, starting in 1989 with The Little Mermaid and ending with 1999’s Tarzan.
Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) are from Disney’s post-war Silver Age. Snow White, from the pre-war Golden Age, was a bad gamble from the start, considering that the other live-action remakes from the same period also flopped. This includes Pinocchio (1940) and Dumbo (1941). The critically panned 2022 live-action Pinocchio, directed by Robert Zemeckis, didn’t fail because star Tom Hanks made controversial political statements.
Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White was released in 1937, which means that anyone who saw the film then is either dead or serving in Congress. The story simply doesn’t resonate as well with modern audiences, and even the recent live-action versions of Sleeping Beauty and One Hundred and One Dalmatians were drastic departures from the source material. I would’ve loved to have seen an Evil Queen solo film like Maleficent (2014) and Cruella (2021) but with someone who could, you know, sing and act. (Watch below to see Gal Gadot fail at both.)
It’s especially unfortunate that Disney has decided to pause a live-action remake of Tangled, because the 2010 film is a more modern “twist” on Snow White and a better choice to remake in the first place. When I mentioned this on social media, some people helpfully reminded me that Tangled is in fact based on Rapunzel. I’m aware of that, but my point is that everything interesting or compelling about Snow White is already in Tangled, which is very different from the Grimm fairy tale.
Snow White is kind of a nothing character unless you make changes that appeal to modern audiences (of normal people, not MAGA loons who pretend they regularly watch the original Snow White). Tangled came out during the Golden Era of Barack Obama’s first term, so perhaps that’s why Disney was able to modernize the story and characters without freaking out the anti-woke crowd. Tangled’s Rapunzel shares Snow White’s most defining traits — she’s very pretty and very nice — but she also has dreams, goals, and a personality.
The 1937 Snow White’s “I want” song is “I Wish,” where she wishes a man will come and love her. There’s not much of an obstacle here like “I’m a mermaid who’s curious about the surface world but my dad won’t let me learn more about it” or “everyone in my small village is an idiot and the guy who wants to marry me is the head idiot.” Snow White’s the fairest of them all so it’s not like many princes are going to swipe left on her. Rapunzel’s “I want” song is “When Will My Life Begin?,” which provides a better foundation for a story. She also wants to explore the outside world, but unlike Ariel, she’s literally a prisoner.
Snow White’s other big number is “Someday My Prince Will Come,” performed when she’s on the run from the Evil Queen and takes a moment to tell the seven dwarves about the hot guy she met. Obviously, you need to change this for a modern audience. Tangled’s “I See The Light” is a song of realization not passive waiting.
Tangled makes Mother Gothel (my beloved Donna Murphy) more like the Evil Queen. She’s a beauty obsessed twisted “parent” of our hero, who eventually becomes an old crone and dies. However, her motivations are more complex. Mother Gothel needs to keep Rapunzel alive and close (for her narcissistic supply) so she constantly breaks down her self-esteem to keep her from leaving. Her abuse is far more sinister than a poison apple and sadly relatable for many. (Watch below.)
The Evil Queen originally just wants to kill Snow White after having mistreated her for most of her life. She can’t even effectively execute a contract killing, because she sends a man to murder the girl who we’ve established is the “fairest of them all.” The new film adds a twist to how “fairest of them all” is defined — Snow White isn’t just hot, she’s also kind and just — you know, “fair,” except if the Magic Mirror wasn’t only referring to physical beauty, why would it have ever considered the Evil Queen the fairest person in her own bathroom, let alone the entire land?
The live-action Snow White tries to build an actual adversarial relationship between the two main characters. The Evil Queen is a cruel tyrant and Snow White is a benevolent ruler in what is still an undemocratic regime. They just forget to give Snow White a character arc. Her struggles and challenges are all external, so it’s not as moving when she inevitably overcomes them. Ariel makes an impulsive, stupid deal with Ursula that almost costs her everything that she truly values. When Rapunzel leaves her tower prison, she’s thrilled but also feels guilty about defying her abusive mother. This gives emotional weight to the moment when Rapunzel realizes the truth about Gothel. (Watch below.)
The Evil Queen is a classic Disney villain, but she has nothing on Mother Gothel, who’s more terrifying because her evil is so real. It feels as if Snow White was adapted without anyone asking who Snow White is, what she wants, and why we should care. Tangled’s creators clearly asked and answered those questions about Rapunzel. As a result, Tangled contains depth and emotional stakes. Snow White remains a suitably spooky ride at Disneyland, but it was never material for a feature film in 2025. That’s not Rachel Zegler’s fault. She should’ve played Rapunzel.
Today's post is absolutely superb.
I love seeing this examination of the issue. I have friends who were even panning the film and they usually love remakes. (But they too liked Zegler)
I feel like everyone is also just tired of remakes and they want to see something new and cool. And it's possible to do this right with something relatively new; everyone remembers the smash hit of Detective Pikachu! Or even how well the Sonic the Hedgehog movies did with live action, to the point that a miniseries happened (and I must say, I think the miniseries is good...my friend sat me down to watch that).
But just like in politics, people are dead set on learning the wrong lessons, which is their wont I guess.