The first full-length trailer for Disney’s live-action Rachel Zegler as the titular princess and Gal Gadot as her Evil Queen stepmother. It will be released in theaters on Mar. 21, 2025.
Among the reactions are “damn, I’m rooting for the apple,” a comment saying, “Can’t wait to NOT watch this,” and an eloquently put reply that reads, “I can’t wait to see it flops in the box office.” It has some advocates (who are defending it with their lives), but they’re outnumbered.
To play devil’s advocate, the delayed Snow White doesn’t look much worse than the other Disney live-action remakes. Zegler is a talented singer, the CGI has more of a child-like wonder than the usual realistic-to-a-fault slant, and the production design is suitably lavish. Still, it was never going to be an easy ride. Aside from the reasonable concerns over the movie’s quality, plenty of people harbor a bias against its lead.
So you Mary Sue'd Snow White?
— NCK (@NathanCiano) December 3, 2024
Anyone who keeps up with the “random hated woman of the month” trends online will know Zegler has ended up with a specific target on her back — the sort Associated with wokeness.
But we can’t blame everything on right-wing YouTube channels that love slapping an unflattering photo of a woman on their thumbnail and calling it “analysis.” Unfortunately, people’s problems with the remake range from IP fatigue to the now-common complaint it lacks a suitably saturated color grade.
This looks so bad. I can’t get ed the seven dwarves. CGI sucks.
— Court (@TEvermore93) December 3, 2024
The CGI is also, unsurprisingly, under fire. One of the reasons (aside from cash money) Disney first embarked on this live-action remake-athon was presumably that the Mouse has the modern technology to bring these ideas to life. After all, many classic films used practical effects or the animation medium because it was what was available and affordable at that time, not necessarily because that was the interpretation of their dreams.
Now, the sky is the limit. Here’s the thing, though: limitations breed innovation. Snow White and the other golden age animated films of its ilk are gorgeous. The 2D animation holds up beautifully, and if something’s not broken, people may not like you trying to fix it. A lesson learned from the relatively low-budget success of Disney Plus’ Agatha All Along is that sometimes the modern bells and whistles are best left out.
That being said, there’s no solid argument for the idea CGI is a monolithic evil. Good VFX can make a film soar, especially when paired with immersive production design, set dressing, and costuming; however, people are clearly tired of the Mufasa: The Lion King is facing the same blowback.
Snow White is unlikely to do Zegler or any other people behind the scenes favors as it fails to pick up momentum and follows the coattails of numerous mediocre remakes. It may still do well at the box office, though. An inspired retelling can still make bank — just ask The Lion King.
Published: Dec 3, 2024 11:46 am