Fearless. Fair. Brave. True.
Snow White’s parents told her she’d need these qualities to rule the kingdom someday. It was their greatest wish that she’d grow into a young woman who exemplified these traits.
It was Snow White’s wish, too. But she’s been wishing and waiting for a long time now.
You see, Snow White’s mother passed away when she was young. She and her father were heartbroken. But then, the king fell in love with a beautiful and enchanting woman from a far-off land, and they got married.
Then the new queen told Snow White’s father that their kingdom was in danger of invasion. He took his best soldiers to stop this impending threat, promising Snow White he’d return once their realm was safe.
Years passed. Nobody heard from the king or of the invasion forces he’d ridden off to fight. And the new queen revealed her true nature: She was evil as she was beautiful.
The Evil Queen started hoarding the riches of the kingdom for herself, allowing the people to starve. She turned farmers into her own personal soldiers, loyal only to her. And she forced the young princess to earn her keep as a scullery maid.
Snow White has all but resolved herself to her fate. But then she meets a bandit named Jonathan as he’s pilfering food from the castle’s pantry.
“I only steal because I’m hungry, and my friends are hungry,” Jonathan tells Snow White. The queen has plenty to spare; she certainly won’t miss a few potatoes.
Snow White is sympathetic to Jonathan’s cause. Surely her stepmother must not be aware of the people’s suffering. Surely if Snow White just pleads the young man’s case, the queen would be merciful and fix the problem.
Surely the Evil Queen wouldn’t send a huntsman to kill Snow White …
Snow White’s parents were virtuous. They believed the bounty of the land belonged to all who tended it. So their kingdom prospered as they ruled with fairness and kindness. As a young woman, Snow White still believes in their values, but she doesn’t initially have the courage to stand up to her stepmother—and neither, for that matter, does anyone else.
However, Snow White’s desire to finally become the ruler her parents wanted her to be emboldens her to stands up to the Evil Queen. She resolves to become fearless, fair, brave and true, just as her parents hoped she would. And impressively, she manages to do so without ever acting mean-spirited. Even when she goes head-to-head with the queen, she still exercises patience and kindness.
Moreover, Snow White finds a way to rally her people without inciting violence. She doesn’t win them over by defeating the Evil Queen, but by showing them that she cares for them and will treat them with the fairness that they deserve—fairness that they have been denied for so long by the queen. And she reminds them that their kingdom was at its strongest when everyone worked together for the good of all rather than working selfishly for themselves, as the queen does.
Snow White also helps and is helped by the people around her. When she flees to the woods, animals guide her to a cottage where seven dwarfs live. The dwarfs are delighted to have her company. They keep her hidden and safe. And Snow White helps them to settle centuries-old disputes between them, reminding the dwarfs of their brotherly love and reforming their bonds.
Meanwhile, Jonathan and his friends live as bandits in the woods because they refuse to submit to the Evil Queen’s wicked ways. Their parents were loyal to Snow White’s father, and they still believe the good king might return one day to reclaim his kingdom. Snow White rallies them, and they come to her aid when she stands up against the queen. Snow White also inspires Jonathan, who had all but given up hope of escaping the queen’s rule, with her courage and determination.
The huntsman sent to kill Snow White spares her, to his own detriment. When the Evil Queen questions him, the huntsman begs the queen to show mercy to the princess rather than himself.
There’s no doubt that the Evil Queen is evil. We don’t know exactly what caused her to be so wicked, but the story’s narrator lets us know early on that her beauty is part of the problem. It gives her power over those around her: People are enamored with her beauty. But it also grants her literal magical powers.
The Evil Queen is able to summon objects into her hands, make roses bloom and reduce things to ash. Her powers seem to be tied to a magic mirror. Every day, she asks it a single question: Who is fairest in the land? Every day, it gives her the same answer: The queen is the most beautiful. But after Snow White stands up to the Evil Queen, her inner beauty begins to outshine the queen’s outer beauty. The mirror says Snow White is the fairest, sparking the queen’s jealousy and threatening her power over her subjects.
The Evil Queen also brews a few potions. One potion temporarily transforms her into an ugly, old crone. Another, which she reads from a grimoire, causes “Sleeping Death.” The book tells her the only cure is “True Love’s Kiss.” She uses this spell to poison an apple, which takes on the appearance of a skull for a few moments after she dips it in the potion. And, as anyone who knows the story of Snow White can tell you, the Evil Queen tricks Snow White into eating this apple, causing the princess to fall unconscious into a death-like sleep. (And again, as anyone who knows the story can tell you, Jonathan eventually awakens Snow White from the Sleeping Death with True Love’s Kiss.)
The dwarfs whom Snow White meets also have some magical powers. They’re as old as the forest they live in—274 years to be exact. That whole time they’ve been mining the jewels of the kingdom, which is made easier thanks to their magical ability to locate the precious stones. With a touch of their hands, they can light up every gem in the mine, no matter how deeply buried, creating a sort of glowing map to every valuable item in the area.
The forest itself is also quite magical. When Snow White flees into it, tree branches reach out and grab her. One tree even uproots itself. And the animals that live there seem to be a bit more sentient than your average deer and rabbits. Fairies are also seen in the forest.
Snow White is told to make a wish at a wishing well when she’s a young girl. And for a long time, she cherishes the belief that the well will actually grant her wish someday. However, Snow White eventually realizes that the only way for her wish to come true is if she makes it come true by taking matters into her own hands.
Thunder and lightning seem to follow evil magic throughout the film. When the dwarfs first meet Snow White, they can’t see her properly and wonder if she might be an ogre, demon or ghost. A dwarf’s whistling is compared to a baby angel.
[Spoiler Warning] Soon after she’s awakened from the Sleeping Death, Snow White confronts the Evil Queen at the castle. And when the magic mirror once again says that Snow White’s inner beauty is greater than the queen’s outer beauty, the queen smashes it. Unfortunately, this proves to be her undoing, since the queen’s power is linked to the mirror. She’s turned into ash and sucked into the mystical depths of the mirror. Then the mirror repairs itself, and we never see the queen again.
Snow White and Jonathan fall in love. They flirt, dance and nearly kiss several times. After Snow White falls under the enchantment of the Sleeping Death, Jonathan gives her a gentle kiss on the lips as a way of saying goodbye. When she awakens, they kiss and embrace.
Other couples also flirt and dance together. A man kisses a woman’s hand. Friends tease each other about potential love interests.
Obviously, the Evil Queen has an inherently violent nature. She orders a huntsman to kill Snow White and then to cut out the princess’s heart and bring it to her in a box. The huntsman threatens Snow White with a knife, but he changes his mind and urges her to flee. After his failure, the Evil Queen takes matters into her own hands, attempting to kill Snow White with a poisoned apple.
Elsewhere, the Evil Queen hands a diamond blade to Snow White, telling the princess that if she wants to rule, she’ll have to kill the queen herself. But Snow White lowers the weapon, so the queen takes the blade and hands it to a nearby soldier, ordering him to kill the princess before the people. He refuses. So the frustrated queen takes the blade once again, intent upon doing the job herself. But someone shoots her hand with a crossbow, causing her to drop the blade.
The Evil Queen’s soldiers fight a troop of bandits in the forest using swords and crossbows. The bandits fight back using makeshift weapons, such as a slingshot, and their bare hands. Nobody is seriously injured in these encounters until Jonathan takes a crossbow bolt to the shoulder to save Snow White. (He’s ultimately OK after receiving medical attention, but a dwarf initially thought Jonathan had died on the operating table.)
Soldiers are forceful with prisoners. The Evil Queen orders them to take a man’s coat and boots, then tie him to the castle gates, intending the prisoner to freeze to death (though he’s rescued). Two prisoners are locked in the dungeon, where a skeleton rots in a nearby cell.
When Snow White flees through the woods, she’s assailed by trees, animals and other frightening creatures. She falls through a hole into a river, where she’s caught in the current. She’s OK, but the whole ordeal is quite frightening.
The dwarfs are sometimes clumsy, causing several painful-looking accidents. They get into a couple of scuffles and damage some of their own property, but nobody is ever injured. One dwarf threatens to shove a brush “where the sun don’t shine.”
[Spoiler Warning] Snow White learns that her father was murdered in a plot set by the Evil Queen.
None. But we do hear name-calling, such as “idiot” and “chump.” A dwarf yells “yippie ki-yay” as he swings from a rope, perhaps an homage to the R-rated action movie Die Hard, where that signature phrase is followed by a very harsh profanity. The same dwarf (Grumpy) also exclaims, “Shishkabob,” after hitting his thumb with a hammer.
None, apart from the Sleeping Death potion the queen uses to poison Snow White.
In addition to her magical powers, the Evil Queen is also vain, greedy, arrogant, manipulative, condescending and selfish. She steals from the kingdom, allows her people to starve and forces Snow White to work in the castle as a maid. She even cruelly cuts Snow White’s hair short, jealous of the young woman’s beauty. And in the end, it’s the queen’s own envious ways that bring about her downfall.
Up until Snow White helps the dwarfs to reconcile their differences, they can be quite mean, mocking each other and making cruel remarks. The taciturn Grumpy is perhaps the meanest dwarf in the group, persistently pessimistic. But another dwarf, Dopey, is so discouraged by the meanness of the others that he never speaks. He’s too afraid of being made fun of to speak up.
For all his good qualities, Jonathan and his friends are thieves. The queen lies.
I know what you’re all wondering: Does the live-action Snow White hold up to the 1937 animated Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?
Well, yes and no.
In terms of content concerns, parents won’t find anything here that wasn’t in the original. The Evil Queen’s magic is still really dark. The Evil Queen herself is still quite cruel—I mean, she is trying to kill Snow White, after all. The enchanted forest where Snow White flees is just as haunting as the original. And Grumpy is obstinate as ever.
Now, of course, I don’t want to brush aside those concerns. The magical elements alone, involving spellbooks and potions, may be enough for some families to steer clear. And younger kiddos could easily get freaked out by some of the more frightening aspects of the enchanted forest or even the Evil Queen herself.
But the film does do a few things that are, arguably, more positive than the original.
There’s been quite a bit of controversy about these changes thanks to some interviews with star Rachel Zegler (Snow White). Many fans were concerned that she was overly critical of the merits of the original film in comparison to this film’s more contemporary, feminist approach.
Well, having seen the film, I think that criticism—understandable though it may be, given Snow White’s iconic status in Walt Disney’s catalog—may have gotten blown out of proportion. There’s certainly a more empowering message here for young girls who might see a bit of themselves in Snow White. Rather than wishing and waiting for things to change, we’re told that we should strive to work toward making positive changes happen for ourselves—and for those around us, too.
Snow White never acts in a mean or obnoxious way, either. Nor does she exhibit any other questionable behavior or attitudes that you wouldn’t want your daughter to mimic. She embraces the values taught to her by her parents (particularly her father) that she should be fearless, fair, brave and true. She acts courageously, leading her friends and her people to do the same. And she is kind and gentle in all circumstances.
Those changes undoubtedly make Snow White a more active agent in the outcome of her story, instead of one who’s largely passive in the original movie. Some may still criticize the way her character deviates from that classic and beloved 1937 version. But the Snow White we meet here is undeniably a strong and brave young woman—character traits I suspect most parents would want their daughters to emulate.
Does Snow White get saved by a prince? Technically, no. After all, Jonathan isn’t a prince. But he does save her. However, what’s nice about this version is that we see a relationship develop between the young couple before they share that fateful kiss. No longer is this unconscious young woman kissed by a stranger in the woods, another change that some might also see as positive.
Having said all that, I don’t think that Snow White is a cinematic masterpiece by any stretch. Too much CGI slop, if you ask me. However, families with little girls dancing around in Snow White costumes will find a stronger character arc in this iteration of Disney’s most famous princess.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
