Once upon a time, there was a girl who liked to speak her mind. She spoke so much that one day, her words sparked a global debate.
“Mark my words, there’s trouble coming,” Grumpy once said. He wasn’t wrong.
When Disney cast Rachel Zegler as Snow White in its $215 million live-action remake, they had no idea she would become another issue in an already troubled production.
I watched the film at a theater in Los Angeles on a massive 70-foot screen. The auditorium had 450 seats, but only six people showed up. Two left after about 40 minutes, right when Zegler’s Snow White started teaching Dopey how to whistle.
It wasn’t hard to see why they walked out. One online reviewer summed it up best: “If this film were playing on a plane, I would still walk out.”
For starters, the Prince is gone. Instead, there’s a character named Jonathan, played by Andrew Burnap. He comes off as a mix of Robin Hood and a mild-mannered commentator, the type to drink craft beer on a first date.
“You continue to impress me,” he tells Snow White. Not exactly a grand romantic moment.
The storyline feels forced, the new songs don’t stand out, and the animated dwarfs seem out of place. From the moment they appear in red outfits, it’s clear something feels off.
The original 1937 film focused on Snow White’s love story. Zegler, however, dismissed it as outdated. “The guy literally stalks her,” she said. “So we didn’t do that this time.”
Instead, she portrays a Snow White who isn’t waiting to be saved and doesn’t believe in true love. While updating a story isn’t bad, the film struggles to make it work.
Zegler’s off-screen comments also stirred controversy. Her social media posts about politics alienated some audiences, and Disney had to provide security for co-star Gal Gadot due to backlash.
But is Zegler responsible for the film’s poor performance? It has earned just $94.7 million worldwide—far from the $500 million it needs.
The real issue is that Disney tried to please everyone and ended up pleasing no one. If they had re-released the original, audiences might have lined up. Instead, the remaining four of us walked out, wondering how 109 minutes could feel so long. Heigh ho.