The Snow White Disney remake is officially on its way to us for 2025.
Starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot as Snow White and the Evil Queen respectively, we're excited to see what the live-action treatment will bring to such a much-loved story. We know from the just-dropped trailer that there will be a new original song, what else will this rendition of Snow White bring us?
Here's what we know so far.
Snow White trailer
The full-length trailer is here, enjoy! And remember to whistle while you work.
Our initial thoughts? We're loving our first listen to Waiting on a Wish, a new song written for the movie, as well as Hi Ho! of course.
Another highlight has to be Gal Gadot's low-key evil, that she plays so well. "You know I really don't remember you being this opinionated," she tells Snow White with some serious side eye.
Meanwhile, the first teaser trailer dropped back in August, where we got our first glimpse of Rachel Zegler as the iconic Disney princess (wearing the famous blue, red and yellow dress, naturally). We hear a snippet of the famous song Whistle While You Work and see a few clips of Gal Gadot stepping into the shoes of the wonderfully evil Queen.
This teaser trailer was released at D23, where Zegler and Gadot spoke about their experiences on the film. “It’s been the honour of a lifetime,” Zegler said at the event. “I think any young person, any little girl if you get to put on a Disney princess dress and be her for a day let alone six months… it’s just been the most amazing experience and I cant wait to share it with you all.”
Added Gadot: “It was a lot of fun to get to do something that is completely different than anything I’ve ever done before. She’s delicious, she’s evil, she’s magical. We got to sing all these different songs. It was incredible.”
Zegler also opened up about the role while speaking to E! on the red carpet at the Grammys. She said: “It's going really, really well. We're having so much fun on set, it's so magical. And every day I'm pinching myself that I'm a Disney princess.” Aw.
It has been said that Disney would be "taking a different approach" following Peter Dinklage's accusations that the movie could reinforce “backward” stereotypes around dwarfism.
Disney first announced that it was remaking the 1937 classic animated feature film, which is based on a 19th-century fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, in June last year.
Dinklage, best known for playing the role of Tyrion in Game of Thrones, has a rare form of dwarfism called achronoplasia. On the show, he pointed out the disparity between the “progressive” casting of a Latina actor – tapping into the very prevalent diversity conversation in Hollywood right now – yet the apparent silence around the story's inherently “backward” portrayal of dwarfism.
He told the podcast host: "Literally no offence to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Peter continued: "Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f**king backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough. They were so proud of that, and all love and respect to the actress and the people who thought they were doing the right thing, but I’m just like ... what are you doing?”
It wasn't the first time Peter had spoken out in support of those who share his condition. When accepting his 2012 Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor, he used his speech to admonish the practice of dwarf-tossing, citing the case of Martin Henderson, who was injured after being thrown in a bar by a rugby fan. Henderson died from his injuries five years after the accident, in 2016.
While there has been some adaptations of Snow White already, including Universal's darker tale Snow White and the Huntsman starring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart, as well as 2012’s Snow White-themed Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts and Lily Collins, Disney hasn't revisited the original Brothers Grimm tale. When Snow White and the Huntsman was released in 2012, production company Universal received criticism for failing to cast characters with dwarfism.
Disney later responded to Peter's comments, releasing a statement soon after the podcast episode aired. A spokesperson told Polygon: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
Based on the trailer, it appears that the dwarves will be CGI-generated, and won't be played by little people. The decision has already sparked some backlash. As Erik Kain, a writer for Forbes wrote, “The dark irony here is that there are many little people actors who would love to get roles in movies like Snow White.”
“You know what a good adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is?” wrote one person on X. “Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale theatre version where the dwarfs are seen interacting with people in ordinary scenarios and mostly given normal names. None of them are named Dopey or Grumpy.”
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Here's everything we know about the upcoming Snow White movie.
“I’ve played an elf. I also played a monster for two years. Everyone decides in their own faith about their own work. I wasn’t offended.”
Snow White live-action remake cast
Tony award-winning actor Andrew Burnap was cast as Jonathan – opposite Rachel Zegler, who will play Snow White. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he won't be playing either the huntsman or the Prince, but is due to sing.
Zegler recently starred as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story which was released last year. Wonder Woman herself Gal Gadot is set to play the Evil Queen.
Variety broke the news of Zegler's casting, and shortly after the actress wrote on Twitter: “I HAVE MANIFESTED MY ENTIRE LIFE I THINK I THINK."
She also shared a video of her meeting Snow White in costume, with the caption: "homegirl we have LOTS to catch up on.”
However, Zegler was met with some abuse on social media by people who questioned why a Latina actress had been cast as a character who is originally described as the "fairest one of all" with "skin as white as snow."
Thankfully, the actress hit back at critics, saying: "yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role [sic]" she wrote in a since-deleted tweet.
After coming under fire for whitewashing its princess characters and traditionally portraying lead characters with white actresses, Disney's casting of Zegler follows its 2019 announcement that Black R&B singer Halle Bailey would star as Ariel in its remake of The Little Mermaid, the first Black princess in a live-action movie in 22 years.
By the sounds of things, Zegler will be playing a very different Snow White.
“[Snow White’s] not gonna be dreaming about true love," said the actress at D23. "She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true. And so it’s just a really incredible story for young people everywhere to see themselves in.” Ansu Kabia also stars as the Huntsman.
Who else is involved in making the Snow White live action remake?
The director confirmed for the Snow White remake is Marc Webb, who previously worked on 500 Days of Summer and The Amazing Spider-Man.
In a statement, Webb said: “Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale."
Will the remake revitalise the beloved songs from the original Snow White?
The remake will contain some of our old favourites from the 1930s version, along with new songs penned by musical geniuses Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are the Tony Award and Oscar-winning duo behind songs from La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman.
Zegler and her singing voice have already won our hearts with her incredible performances in West Side Story, and we can't wait to hear the magic she performs with Snow White's tunes.
Snow White release date
An official release date has finally been confirmed for March 21st, 2025.
