“Magic mirror on the wall, must Disney remake them all?”

Well, Disney has finally done it; they’ve gone back to where it all began and remade Walt Disney’s masterpiece of animation Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a live action film, complete with new songs, new plot threads, and a princess for a new generation. Their past live-action efforts have been a mixed bag, ranging from very good to downright questionable. So where does Snow White land? Somewhere in the middle.

Let me start by saying, I have no real problem with the idea of adapting these classic animated films into more fleshed out remakes. The originals still exist, and I can still watch and appreciate them whenever I want. That being said, the problems that exist with these remakes lie in their execution and just how closely they stick to the source — by which I mean the Disney original, not the actual fairy-and-folktale stories. The issues seem to stem from the underlying desire to do something that’s different enough to justify the remake’s existence, but also to make it familiar enough to not upset fans of the original animated films. And, more often than not, they end up being unable to fully satisfy either goal.

In the case of Snow White, it’s at its best when it’s attempting to put a new spin on the fairy-tale, and at its worst when it’s attempting to pay homage and tribute to 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This is best demonstrated by the film’s songs. There are new original tracks here written by the award-winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman) and, for those familiar with the duo’s work, it will be no surprise that they bring their pop-musical sensibilities to the songs; which are admittedly quite catchy and, in some cases, genuinely beautiful. Case in point: “Waiting on a Wish” replaces the animated film’s memorable “I’m Wishing” in an attempt to deepen Snow White’s character and to better fit with this updated version of the story. It’s a great song, with an absolute show-stopping performance from Zegler, and it’s a shoe-in for a “Best Original Song” Oscar nomination next year.

But here’s the problem: these new songs are completely at odds with the few kept from the original film. Most, if not all, have also been updated with additional lyrics and modern orchestrations. The songs are very much in the Pasek/Paul pop-musical wheelhouse (“Waiting on a Wish” feels not that far off from “Waving through a Window” from Dear Evan Hansen), while the original songs have that timeless, dare I say “simple” Disney style. While the updated orchestrations and added lyrics help, you cannot help but feel we’re getting two completely different styles smooshed together, and they don’t really gel.

That’s the overall issue with the film and nothing emphasizes this better than the famous seven dwarves. The film chooses to render them as photo-realistic CGI characters, rather than using actual actors with dwarfism (save for Martin Klebba who plays Grumpy). They instead end up as a truly horrifying blend of real and cartoon; not unlike those memes you’ve likely seen of “What if this Simpsons character was a real person”. It speaks to the films inability to decide what it truly is: a modern, realistic re-telling of the classic fairy tale, or a live-action adaptation of the Disney classic.

This is not to say that the film doesn’t work at all. Snow White is certainly a feast for the eyes. Production designer Kave Quinn has done a fine job of capturing and recreating Disney’s original imagery faithfully, while also elevating it on a grand scale; think Disneyland but bigger and better. The forests are lush, the mines glitter with diamonds, and the Dwarves’ cottage feels so unbelievably cozy. Similarly, Sandy Powell’s costumes both evoke and elevate the original costume designs–though here too, the costumes are at their best when they’re original or deviating from the source. The Evil Queen’s costumes are especially impressive. Mandy Walker’s cinematography captures the action beautifully and gives everything a storybook glow that feels appropriate. Unfortunately, director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man) is not the most stylish of filmmakers, or even one with a particularly unique visual style; and that’s does detract from the overall impression made.

The film is also buoyed up by a dazzling lead performance from the brilliantly talented Rachel Zegler. She instills the Disney princess with a strength and nuance we have yet to see on screen in these live-action remakes. Combined with her absolute powerhouse vocals, she is without question the best part of the film, and alone is worth the price of admission.

Also firing on all cylinders is Andrew Burnap as Jonathan; a rebel bandit who is dedicated to putting a stop to the Evil Queen’s tyranny. He’s our replacement for the animated film’s Prince, and he does very well with what he’s given. He brings to mind the the sort of effortless charm of Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride. He may not have the greatest chemistry with Zegler, but he more than makes up for that with supremely capable singing and dancing.

Unfortunately, not only does The Evil Queen find herself overshadowed by Snow White as a character, but Gal Godot also fades next to Zegler’s powerhouse performance. Godot never manages to go full cartoon villain here, but that could also be a casualty of the film’s dual tone. While she looks absolutely incredible in her various costumes, she never quite feels as menacing as she should. Even as the impressively made-up crone, she never manages to fully convey the evil and terror the original did. Many movie goers will have gotten their first true childhood scare from the evil witch, so it’s very much a hard act to follow in that regard. But perhaps most unfortunately, Godot doesn’t quite have the vocal chops to stand up against Zegler. It doesn’t help that she probably has the least memorable original song in the film either.

And then that brings us back to the Dwarves, which will be the most polarizing element of the film. While I do somewhat admire the choice to not cast a bunch of celebrities as the voices, you’ll likely still spend almost every moment they’re on screen trying to decipher who they’re supposed to be: are those faces just photo-realistic representations of the Disney drawings? Are they supposed to look like the actors providing the voices? Is Dopey really supposed to look like Alfred E. Neuman? Everything about them just feels so terribly misjudged and at odds with the style and power of the rest of the film.

At the end of the day though, this isn’t a movie for adult film critics—even ones with a soft spot for Disney. It’s a fairy tale, a children’s tale. And for all its colour and charm, kids will likely come away enjoying Snow White. It certainly helps that Disney has seemingly, finally learned their lesson and brought this in under two hours. It’s not a breezy 109 minutes, and you can certainly feel the areas that have been padded out from the original (which ran a brisk 83 minutes), but it wasn’t a slog like some of the other live action remakes have been. And as a parent myself, I appreciate that they’ve managed to take what was previously a rather straightforward “princess story” and imbue it with some real heart and meaning. The message about bad leaders pitting the lower classes against themselves, along with the power of empathy to enact real change certainly feels pointed and meaningful in 2025.

Ultimately, whenever the film is trying to do its own thing, it works. And every time it’s rehashing what the original had done before (and done better), it doesn’t. And perhaps that should be Disney’s takeaway for whatever animated classic they look to remake next. Take a cue from Walt himself and use those stories as a jumping off point to tell a new version for a new generation, and leave the originals as they are.

Snow White opens in theatres across Canada March 21.