Why Does Everyone Hate 2025’s ‘Snow White’ Without Even Seeing It?
Ask any comic book movie fan about pre-release hatred for a film – they know all about it.
In the digitally connected era, it isn’t strange to see fans despise a project before even watching a single frame of the movie. Why? Because they can, really. Cinema brings out both the best and worst in people because of how strongly everyone feels about it.
In the case of 2025’s Snow White, it appears like the live-action remake of the Disney classic is already doomed to be on a one-way trip to the bottom of the box office. Rachel Zegler, who plays Snow White in the film, says the noise around the film is due to the audience’s passion. “What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about,” she told Vogue Mexico. “We’re not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us and all we can do is our best.” Zegler provides a PR-sanitized sound bite here, but the reality is she’s wrong. There are three main reasons as to why fans turned on Snow White.
Rachel Zegler criticized the original ‘Snow White’
Whether you’re a fan or not, there’s no disputing that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a Disney classic. The film kicked off the whole Disney empire and turned out to be the catalyst for the production of other legendary animated films, such as Pinocchio, Bambi, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King. It’s also a staple part of childhood, since so many people are familiar with the story.
After the news broke that Rachel Zegler had been cast as the lead in 2025’s Snow White, there was already controversy because racist parts of the fandom didn’t like the fact that a Latina was cast as the Disney princess. Matters weren’t further aided after the actor made remarks about how the new movie needed to move away from the damsel-in-distress trope of the past. “The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so,” Zegler told Extra. “There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird. So we didn’t do that this time.”
Zegler’s comments ruffled the fanbase. While her point about moving away from story tropes of the past is a valid take, since filmmaking and society evolved since the 1930s, the quickest way to lose fans of a property is to insult the original. It also raises the question: If you’re vehemently against critical parts of the original story, why remake it then? You might as well make a new film with new characters – but oh wait, then you wouldn’t be able to capitalize on the name value of Disney’s Snow White…
Rachel Zegler needs media training
Hollywood is a perception business. While Rachel Zegler is more than entitled to have an opinion about Snow White – and anything else, really – she’s also the face of a $200 million+ movie. With that comes a lot of responsibility. After her comments about the original movie created controversy, it was the perfect opportunity for her to issue a response to clarify what she meant. Because even if someone watches the interview, it’s clear that she’s laughing and speaking off the cuff – which can often result in something being interpreted differently than intended.
Instead, Zegler says the backlash is due to the audience’s “passion” for the original movie. That isn’t the reason and everyone knows it. It’s no secret that viewers are sick and tired of studios remaking and rebooting properties, since an original idea in Hollywood appears to be rarer than a dodo. Yet, to hear actors/producers/directors come out and slam the original work and proclaim their version as better doesn’t endear them to anyone.
Zegler’s comments did no favors to 2025’s Snow White. There was the need to address the elephant in the room and issue a statement, but it’s been full steam ahead and a pretence that all’s well here.
Disney’s live-action films just aren’t great
For some reason, Disney has been adamant about remaking its classics into live-action films. It’s been largely a hit-and-miss affair, with more misses than hits in recent years. The reason is simple: Audiences are no longer curious to see how these movies translate to live action. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who says any of the live-action remakes are better than the originals. They aren’t.
It’s no different with 2025’s Snow White. Forget the Rachel Zegler and dwarf casting controversies, and just look at the trailer. It’s a CGI fest that’s devoid of the soul and magic of the original. It’s an unnecessary remake. Everyone knows that this film won’t have the significant cultural impact that the original did, and it only exists to add more money to Disney’s coffers. The reality is that it might end up being one of Disney’s most costly mistakes.
