''Disney's Snow White'', or simply ''Snow White'', is an upcoming American

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

directed by

Marc Webb Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American music video director and filmmaker. Webb made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy ''500 Days of Summer'', and went on to direct ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' in ...

, from a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and

Erin Cressida Wilson Erin Cressida Wilson (born February 12, 1964) is an American playwright, screenwriter, professor, and author. Wilson is known for the 2002 film ''Secretary'', which she adapted from a Mary Gaitskill short story. It won her the Independent Spirit ...

. Co-produced by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

and

Marc Platt Productions Marc E. Platt (born April 14, 1957) is an American producer who has worked in film, theatre, and television. He has received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards ...

, it is a live-action adaptation of

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

's 1937 animated film ''

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...

'', which itself is loosely based on the 1812 fairy tale of the same title by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

. The film stars

Rachel Zegler Rachel Anne Zegler (; born May 3, 2001) is an American actress and singer. She made her film debut playing Maria Vasquez in the 2021 musical drama ''West Side Story'', for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Pictu ...

as the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Plans for a remake of 1937's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' were confirmed in October 2016, with Wilson announced as a screenwriter. Webb entered talks to direct the film in May 2019 and joined the film as director in September 2019. Filming took place primarily at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

from March to July 2022. The film elicited pre-release controversies, with criticism levied against Zegler's outspokenness during the

2023 SAG-AFTRA strike From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) was on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producer ...

s, story changes, and color-blind casting, as well as actors without

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition wherein an organism is exceptionally small, and mostly occurs in the animal kingdom. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dw ...

playing originally

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

characters. ''Snow White'' is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 21, 2025.

Cast

as Snow White * Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen *

Andrew Burnap Andrew Burnap (born March 5, 1991) is an American actor. He was born and raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and graduated from the University of Rhode Island. He starred in the 2019 Broadway production of '' The Inheritance'', for which he w ...

as Jonathan *

Ansu Kabia Ansu Kabia is a British actor. He attended the Drama Centre London and was a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company Ensemble. He is best known for his starring role in the British period detective series '' Miss Scarlet & the Duke'' as th ...

as the Huntsman * Dujonna Gift as Maple * Martin Klebba as Grumpy Colin Michael Carmichael will appear in an undisclosed role. The dwarfs Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, and Dopey will appear in the film.

Production

Development

On October 31, 2016, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' reported that

was developing a live-action remake of ''

'', with

being in talks to write the screenplay. On May 30, 2019, it was reported that

was in talks to direct the film. In November 2021, Greta Gerwig was reported to be co-writing the screenplay. Gurinder Chadha was also heavily considered for the job.

Casting

In June 2021,

was cast in the titular role, and in November, Gal Gadot was cast as the Evil Queen. On December 7, 2021, during an interview with ExtraTV, Zegler revealed that Snow White would be a lot "stronger" than the original. A new casting search was announced for a young actress to star as a younger version of Snow White in the live-action remake, and Emilia Faucher was cast. On January 12, 2022, it was announced that

was cast as a new character named Jonathan in the lead male role, replacing the character of

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

. At the 2022 Denver Fan Expo, Martin Klebba revealed that he would be portraying Grumpy in the film; Klebba previously played similar dwarf roles in prior productions based on the "Snow White" fairy tale: in the 2001 made-for-television film '' Snow White: The Fairest of Them All'' as Friday, and in the 2012 fantasy comedy '' Mirror Mirror'' as Butcher. Colin Michael Carmichael will appear in an undisclosed role. In August 2023, it was revealed that another Latina actress named Renata Vaca, who was cast in ''

Saw X ''Saw X'' is an upcoming American horror film directed by Kevin Greutert, from a screenplay by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. The film is the ninth main installment, and tenth installment overall in the ''Saw'' film series, and stars Tob ...

'', was one of two finalists in the casting process for the role of Snow White, the other being Zegler who ultimately won the role. Vaca, a Mexican national, stated that the casting call for the role of Snow White was "open to all

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

s", and that the first phase of auditioning consisted of singing a

Disney Princess ''Disney Princess'', also called the ''Princess Line'', is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who ha ...

song.

Filming

Filming for ''Snow White'' was originally set to begin in March 2020 in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, but it was delayed to July 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In August 2021, it was announced that filming would take place in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

from March to July 2022.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on March 7, 2022. A fire damaged the production set on March 15 at

; the stage was under construction when a tree reportedly caught on fire, leading to a huge blaze. A source from Disney confirmed that "no filming was underway". The shooting schedule was also reconfigured for Zegler to travel to

to present at the

94th Academy Awards The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles. The awards were scheduled after its u ...

ceremony on March 27, in support of her ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'' colleagues. While Zegler was attending the ceremony, Gadot began filming her scenes. During a podcast interview with ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'', Gadot revealed that she sings and dances in the film, which is something that the character did not do in the original. On April 22, Gadot confirmed that she had completed filming her scenes, much later adding that playing the role of the first Disney villain ever was "fun and delicious", feeling that she was able to make a more dramatic role by changing her voice due to the film being a

. On July 13, Zegler revealed that filming had wrapped.

Visual effects

Moving Picture Company The Moving Picture Company (MPC) is a multinational company providing visual effects, CGI, animation, motion design and other services for the film, TV, brand experience and advertising industries. Their artists have produced Academy Award W ...

provided the visual effects.

Music

Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who previously wrote the lyrics for two new songs for Disney's 2019 remake of ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

'', are set to write new songs for the film, which is expected to also feature songs from the original film by

Frank Churchill Frank Edwin Churchill (October 20, 1901 – May 14, 1942) was an American film composer and songwriter. He wrote most of the music for films directed by Walt Disney, such as ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'', ''Dumbo'', ''Bambi'', '' The Adve ...

and

Larry Morey Lawrence L. Morey (March 26, 1905 – May 8, 1971) was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He co-wrote some of the most successful songs in Disney films of the 1930s and 1940s, including "Heigh-Ho", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "Whis ...

, including "

Whistle While You Work "Whistle While You Work" is a song with music written by Frank Churchill and lyrics written by Larry Morey for the 1937 animated Disney film ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. It was performed in the film by voice actress Adriana Caselotti. It ...

," which was confirmed by Zegler.

Marketing

On September 9, 2022, during Disney's 2022 D23 Expo presentation, a 30-second first-look teaser of the film as well as first-look images were previewed. There were quick flashes of several major settings, including Snow White's cottage in the woods, the intricately designed interior of the Queen's castle and the moss-covered forest. There were also short glimpses of Gadot as the Evil Queen questioning her magic mirror, Zegler as Snow White, and Snow White's hand falling with the poisoned apple toppling along with her. Gadot said about her role that playing the Evil Queen was "very different than what hehad done before. he isused to playing the other end of where the heart should be", but she found it very "delightful" to "get under her skin". The title logo of the film was also revealed. In an interview with '' Vanity Fair'', Zegler criticized the "jokes" that were being made about the film's modern updates, including her casting in the role of Snow White as a Latina, and addressed the film's approach, saying: Zegler later said of the changes from the original film: On October 27, 2023, Disney released the official first image of the film with Zegler as Snow White as well as Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. Zegler confirmed that there is a lot of CGI in the film, which made her feel "nervous". Footage of Gadot as the Evil Queen was shown at the 2024 CinemaCon.

Release

During the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, it was announced that ''Snow White'' would be released in 2024. On September 15, 2022, the film was announced to have a release date of March 22, 2024. However, in October 2023, the film was delayed a year to March 21, 2025, with Disney claiming it was due to the

Controversies

Casting of Snow White

The casting of dark-skinned actress

as Snow White, a character described in the original material as having skin "as white as snow", attracted some controversy. While appearing on '' Variety'' ''Actors on Actors'' series with

Andrew Garfield Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Tony Award, a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. ''Time'' ...

, Zegler responded to the ''Snow White'' casting backlash with comments such as:

Zegler's criticism of the 1937 film

Zegler attracted criticism over statements expressing disapproval of the original film, the Prince, and Snow White's character. In response to her comments, many rebuked her for making Snow White "more feminist", while others criticised her for misinterpreting feminism, with accusations of promoting the

girlboss Girlboss is a neologism which denotes a woman "whose success is defined in opposition to the masculine business world in which she swims upstream". Popularised by Sophia Amoruso in her 2014 book ''Girlboss'', the concept's ethos has been descri ...

archetype or maligning women that seek traditional feminine roles uninterested in power or leadership. Ashten Stein, a brand strategist, felt that Zegler's statements made it appear that she had not received media training for marketing the film. David Hand, whose father of the same name co-directed the original animated film, criticised the remake, describing it as "insulting" and suggesting that his father and Walt Disney would be "turning in their graves". This controversy would lead to conservative media organization ''

The Daily Wire ''The Daily Wire'' is an American conservative news website and media company founded in 2015 by political commentator Ben Shapiro and film director Jeremy Boreing. The company is a major publisher on Facebook, and produces podcasts such as ' ...

'' announcing on October 16, 2023 (the day of Disney's 100th anniversary) the launch of the streaming service

Bentkey Bentkey is a subscription video service for children's programming by ''The Daily Wire'', an American media company. The service was launched in October 2023, and was created for conservative parents who did not want their children to grow up w ...

and the upcoming release of their own live-action adaptation of the original fairy tale, titled ''

Snow White and the Evil Queen ''Snow White and the Evil Queen'' is an upcoming American fantasy film written by Jeremy Boreing and produced by the media company ''The Daily Wire''. Starring actress and ''Daily Wire'' commentator Brett Cooper as Snow White, the film is ...

'', set for release in 2024 in an effort to compete with Disney's version.

Reimagining of the Seven Dwarfs

In January 2022, during an interview on

Marc Maron Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than forty ...

's ''WTF'' podcast, actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of

and has played dwarfish characters in his career, commented on the upcoming live-action ''Snow White'' remake, dismissing it as a "backward story". In response to Dinklage's comments, Disney stated that "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." Numerous other actors with dwarfism responded negatively to Dinklage's comments, feeling he was unduly speaking on their behalf and costing them roles. In July 2023, footage of the production from

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

revealed that the depiction of the Seven Dwarfs had been reimagined for the film, consisting of only one actor with dwarfism along with six other non-dwarf actors of varying ethnicity, 6 males and 1 female portraying the associated set of seven individuals, who were originally all portrayed as supernatural beings from German folklore, not actual human beings. After initially denying reports that these images depicted the actual film production, Disney later confirmed that they did indeed depict the production, with

stand-in A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins a ...

actors substituting for the leads (the already confirmed actor Martin Klebba not appearing in said footage). The decision to reimagine the characters as such was criticised by mainstream and social media sources as being overly politically correct, as well as potentially taking away acting opportunities from the dwarfism community. '' Jackass'' actor Jason "Wee Man" Acuña criticized Disney for not casting dwarf actors and expressed disappointment about the changes. Acuña said "You're replacing jobs that people could have as little people. It's for dwarfs. Why are you hiring 'Snow White and the seven average people'?" Wrestler and actor

Dylan Postl Dylan Mark Postl (born May 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Hornswoggle. He debuted in WWE in 2006, allied with Finlay. Hornswoggle won the Cruiserweight Championship in it ...

also disagreed with Dinklage's view and in an interview with Piers Morgan, he echoed Acuña's sentiments and defended the portrayal of the dwarf characters in the animated film. On October 27, 2023, along with the film's delay, Disney unveiled a first-look image for the film showing Zegler as Snow White alongside the Seven Dwarfs, all of which are CGI characters made to look similar to their appearances in the 1937 film, confirming that they are in the film.

References

External links

* {{Greta Gerwig 2020s fantasy adventure films 2020s musical fantasy films 2020s romantic fantasy films 2025 fantasy films Advertising and marketing controversies in film American fantasy adventure films American musical fantasy films American romantic fantasy films Casting controversies in film Disney controversies Disney film remakes Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films about dwarfs Films about friendship Films about poisonings Films about princesses Films about royalty Films about shapeshifting Films about witchcraft Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike Films based on Snow White Films directed by Marc Webb Films produced by Marc E. Platt Films set in a fictional country Films set in castles Films set in Germany Films set in mining communities Films set in the Middle Ages Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films with screenplays by Greta Gerwig Live-action films based on Disney's animated films Musicals by Pasek and Paul Race-related controversies in film Snow White (franchise) Upcoming English-language films Walt Disney Pictures films