The first trailers invite you to a magical, sun-dappled idyll
And feature Rachel Zegler’s Snow White crooning “Whistle While You Work” as well as the new original song “Waiting on a Wish”. Watch them in full below.
It’s an especially high-stakes project for Disney
In the pantheon of classic Disney princesses, Snow White holds a special place. Inspired by the Brothers Grimm story of the same name, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves famously became the first-ever animated film to hit cinemas when it premiered in 1937, going on to influence directors ranging from Orson Welles to Federico Fellini. As New York Times critic Frank S Nugent tellingly wrote in his ’30s review, “If you miss it, you’ll be missing the 10 best pictures of 1938.” Walt Disney’s take on the 19th-century German fairytale ultimately became the highest-grossing film ever at that point – cementing his status as a Hollywood power-player in the process.
Rachel Zegler is stepping into Snow White’s golden slippers
Disney has pledged to cast more diverse leads in its upcoming films, following Halle Bailey’s take on Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Snow White, meanwhile, will be played by Rachel Zegler, who has dazzled audiences with her singing and dancing in recent years in the likes of West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
The Evil Queen, meanwhile, will be played by Gal Gadot
Another recent trend at Disney? Reevaluating its villains, from Maleficent to Cruella. Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot is set to appear as “the fairest of them all”, the Evil Queen who orders the murder of her stepdaughter Snow White, only for the princess to escape into a forest and hole up with the seven dwarves. Cue the Queen disguising herself as a “hag” and setting off to find Snow White with a poisoned apple that will put her to sleep for 100 years. The question is: is she a deranged psychopath who chats to mirrors, or just another victim of gendered ageism?
The production team is as noteworthy as the cast
Marc Webb – the director best known for 500 Days of Summer – will helm Snow White, while Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson have penned the screenplay. Little is known about the plot at this stage, other than that it will build upon the 1937 film. There’s a wealth of material that Gerwig and Wilson could draw on from the original fairytale, of which countless variations exist. Take the fact that, in the Brothers Grimm story, the Evil Queen actually tries to murder Snow White several times using different magical objects, including tightly-laced bodices and a poisoned comb.
Expect the music to be catchy, too
While Disney may have eliminated musical numbers from some of its more recent live-action films, rest assured that Zegler’s pipes will be on full display in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves 2.0. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul – the team responsible for the soundtracks to both La La Land and The Greatest Showman – have penned original songs for the film.
It’s already generated some controversy
Particularly amongst members of the dwarfism community. Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage made headlines when he called out the fairytale’s storyline as prejudiced. “You’re progressive in one way,” he said, referring to Zegler’s casting, “but then you’re still making that backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together… If you tell the story of Snow White with the most fucked up, cool, progressive spin on it, let’s do it. All in. But I don’t know.” Disney quickly issued a response: “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,” a spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
It’s heading to the big screen next spring
Look out for the musical in cinemas from 21 March 2025.
