From controversial casting decisions to questionable musical numbers, Disney's latest live-action remake has sparked heated debates across social media. Join us as we explore the most controversial moments from the new Snow White adaptation that left audiences and critics divided.
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00:00Oh, I know it's naive, but tonight I believe that something so good could come true.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the biggest princess problems from Disney's live-action Snow White remake that sparked the most backlash.
00:16We'd say spoilers, but we doubt anyone minds.
00:19Snow White's name origin. Okay, let's get this out of the way.
00:30The Snow White remake had numerous problems, but colorblind casting isn't one of them.
00:35Rachel Ziegler's performance as Snow White, particularly her angelic voice, is one of the few praises we can sing.
00:41Where the good things grow.
00:47We have no qualms about a woman of color playing the titular character.
00:50That said, her name is literally Snow White.
00:54In the original fairy tale, her mother wishes for a baby with skin as white as snow.
00:59In Disney's animated masterpiece, the mirror singles it out as her defining physical feature.
01:04Lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony, skin white as snow.
01:13From the moment Zegler was cast, we were curious how Disney would address the character's name.
01:17In the opening, it's revealed that the queen delivered Snow White in the middle of a blizzard.
01:21Thus, the king and queen decide to call their child Snow White.
01:25To honor the night she arrived, her parents named the girl Snow White.
01:30At first, we thought this was kind of a clever workaround.
01:33The more we thought about it though, the more questions we had.
01:36You named your daughter after the weather?
01:38Maybe it makes sense if the first snow of winter fell just as she was born,
01:41but these harsh weather conditions probably made her for a difficult birth.
01:45Why would you want a constant reminder of a natural disaster that could have given your baby hypothermia?
01:50By this logic, Elsa is the Disney princess who really should be named Snow White.
01:54Maybe we're overthinking things, but Disney overthought even more with this remake.
01:58They say all you have to do, to make your wish come true, is let it go.
02:06The Queen's Transformation
02:08For all the bright colorful moments, the 1937 film wasn't afraid to throw in a dash of darkness.
02:14The remake sucks out any of the eerie elements, because hey, this is for little kids.
02:18Goodbye!
02:20The original was for all ages, once again showing that modern Disney management doesn't always understand the company's legacy.
02:32We feel zero dread as the huntsman contemplates killing Snow White, sending her into a CGI forest, where the creep factor has been seriously downgraded.
02:40In the original, the nightmare-inducing imagery largely stemmed from the power of suggestion, implying Snow White's eyes were playing tricks on her.
03:00Here, the imagery is taken more literally, making the sequence less psychological and disturbing.
03:12For us, though, the Queen's transformation is watered down the most.
03:16Admittedly, we didn't recognize Gal Gadot in her witch makeup, so much so that we initially assumed it was another actress.
03:22While the makeup artists deserve props, the scene's execution is all wrong.
03:26My plan can begin.
03:32The original took its time building tension, calling a gothic story like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to mind.
03:38When the Queen drinks the potion, it's hypnotically horrifying, leading to one of the most impactful reveals in animation.
03:44Here, she casually transforms while singing a reprise.
04:02It goes by too quickly to leave an impression.
04:04Even that macabre makeup becomes much harder to take seriously when we hear Gadot's voice emanating from the witch's mouth.
04:10Dopey speaks.
04:26From the get-go, the dwarves provided an ongoing source of backlash.
04:30First, people debated whether they should be included in the remake.
04:34While Disney tiptoed around calling them dwarves, the characters were ultimately featured in the film.
04:38With off-putting CGI designs.
04:41She really tried to kill you?
04:42Well that's terrible.
04:43It's also exactly why you have to leave.
04:46Ironically, they're the scariest part of the movie.
04:49Audiences also took issue with the fact that most of them aren't voiced by little people.
04:53Speaking of which, Dopey talks in this version.
04:56In fact, he's the narrator.
04:58She was fearless, fair, brave, and true.
05:03And her name was Snow White.
05:07That's not the only way the remake overhauls the comedic relief.
05:10It's mentioned that the dwarves have names that coincide with their personalities.
05:14But not Dopey.
05:15He's just a shy guy afraid to speak out.
05:17I guess that means the others gave him a demeaning nickname.
05:20After Snow White shows him support, Dopey finds the courage to speak.
05:23Giving a speech about standing up to oppression.
05:25When I was a little girl, my mother taught me how to whistle.
05:28So, even when I'm afraid to speak, I whistle.
05:31Because when you whistle, it's your heart singing.
05:34And that voice, the one that's hidden in your heart, can be heard.
05:39Yet, neither Dopey nor the other dwarves do anything in the climax.
05:43Although we understand what the filmmakers were trying to do, hearing Dopey speak gave us flashbacks to Tom and Jerry the movie.
05:49It's an update to a classic character that just doesn't work.
05:52I'm Tom.
05:53I'm Jerry.
05:54You talked!
05:56Dopey's arc feels like an overcorrection addressing the handful of people online who questioned if the character had a disability.
06:03If that's the case, the film seems to imply that Dopey's condition can be instantly cured with kindness.
06:09Empathy is important, but Dopey's depiction here oversimplifies a nuanced subject that the filmmakers aren't well equipped to handle.
06:16Once upon a time, there was a peaceful kingdom governed by a virtuous queen who believed that the true beauty of her land was not to be measured in gems or jewels, but in its people.
06:31The Queen's Downfall
06:33Disney clearly wanted to modernize Snow White by making the character more active.
06:37Fair enough, but the thing is, Snow White still doesn't have much agency.
06:41She spends most of the remake at the Queen's mercy, even falling for the old poison apple trick again.
06:46What's happening?
06:48Something's wrong?
06:50The only significant addition comes during the climax when Snow White returns to her kingdom.
06:55And then, Snow White does the bare minimum, rallying her subjects with a few pretty words that change everyone's mind in a heartbeat.
07:01Well, everyone except the Queen, who Snow White refuses to harm.
07:05I remember you.
07:07All of you.
07:08I said enough!
07:09There was a time where we lived with hope.
07:12Good things were nurtured and allowed to grow.
07:15I remember.
07:20Disney can't have anyone else kill the Queen either.
07:22So, how are they going to write her out of the movie?
07:24Through more lazy writing, of course.
07:26The Queen learns that Snow White will always be the fairest in the land, because it's what's on the inside that matters.
07:32Throwing a hissy fit, the Queen breaks her magic mirror, turning into glass and getting sucked into a portal.
07:37All fairs, we have won!
07:52Alright, uh, how does that work?
07:55We know it's a fairytale.
07:56Magic doesn't have to be driven by logic, but it feels like the filmmakers wrote themselves into a corner.
08:01So they just started making up rules.
08:03In any case, it's not nearly as cool as the dwarves chasing the Queen up a mountain, where she falls to her doom.
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08:35All is fair.
08:36In addition to removing classic songs like Someday My Prince Will Come, the remake butchers Hi-Ho by forcing in new lyrics.
08:42Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! It's home from work we go!
08:46Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho!
08:52Hi-Ho!
08:53As for the original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, most of them sound like discarded tracks from The Greatest Showman.
08:58We'll sleep, arise, and then it's off to work we go again!
09:05Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho!
09:11They also deliver what might go down as the worst villain song in Disney history, with All Is Fair.
09:16It does little to advance the plot or flesh out the villain's motivations.
09:19All is fair when you wear the crown to be the queen means you do as you please.
09:27To be fair though, a number like this might have been fun with the right performer.
09:31Ideally, somebody who can balance comedy and camp with a hint of menace.
09:35Now I could forgive, even forget, let you live, you'd be all set but to start.
09:40I don't have the heart, as you might recall, surviving all this fair.
09:47Donna Murphy, who voiced Mother Gothel in Tangled, could have hit this out of the park.
09:51Instead, they cast Gal Gadot, whose previous singing credits include her cover of Imagine.
09:56Imagine there's no heaven.
10:00After the cornucopia of cringe, we thought everyone agreed to keep Gadot 500 yards from music at all times.
10:06Apparently, Disney didn't get the memo.
10:09Aside from not being able to sing, Gadot doesn't have the comedic timing to pull such an over-the-top number off.
10:14Ready to get the deed, finally done, I'll proceed, second to none with no doubt, when I'm going out, mirror on the wall.
10:21Mirror on the wall.
10:22Tell me who is fair, who it's there, the odds not fair.
10:29While her performance as a whole is worthy of a Razzie, this moment in particular left us asking,
10:34has Gadot ever demonstrated the capacity to act?
10:37Well, there was the first Wonder Woman, but even Steven Seagal had one watchable movie.
10:41Yeah, but they're expecting me.
10:44Ironically, for a song called All Is Fair, this scene sums up why the remake is anything but.
10:58Did any of these moments get under your skin, or do you think there are any good moments beneath the surface?
11:03Let us know in the comments.
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