Controversial Snow White remake finally hits Disney+ and fans are split

After behind-the-scenes clashes, public criticism, and tanking at the box office, the live-action Snow White has finally arrived on Disney Plus.

It was meant to be the jewel in Disney’s remake crown and modernise the beloved classic, but Snow White was a poisoned apple from the start.

While critics largely praised leading lady Rachel Zegler as ‘enchanting’, the scandal that surrounded the release overtook any positives about the film itself.

However, fans are now able to judge for themselves as it has landed on Disney’s streaming service – and they’re feeling a little split.

Some declared it made them cry, while others branded it ‘unfinishable’, many viewers likely watching for the first time out of morbid curiosity as it flopped in cinemas.

In March, amid all the controversy, the box office clawed back $205.5million (impressive until you consider the budget was around $270million).

‘Oh my god, the evil queen’s song in SNOW WHITE is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard in a musical,’ slammed cinemattie on X.

‘I just tried to watch the live action Snow White… I can’t finish it. It’s awful. I want to cry,’ complained NotTodayZurg__.

FloridaFlyer86 added: ‘I got some paint drying on a wall. Think I’ll watch that instead.’

The response hasn’t been all bad though, as many were praising the film (particularly focused on Rachel’s performance as Snow White).

‘I give 8/10 it was very different to the classic one it’s more extended I did enjoy it tho,’ said lewisjneal.

I just watched the live action snow white movie. yes, Gal Gadot is as bad as everyone says,’ added inpainla67. ‘But Rachel Zegler reminded me why snow white is one of my favorite princesses. The ending made me cry.’

A_mitchell1991 shared: ‘7/10 for me, definitely better than people made it out to be.’

The film had trouble from the start, with problems seeming to come from all angles as Disney reportedly rolled back the scale of their London premiere.

With just 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, the remake may have even stopped the controversial live-action remake push from Disney (not in time to pull Lilo and Stitch, though).

After the mixed response, Tangled has ‘been put on pause’, according to insiders speaking to The Hollywood Reporter.

Moana, set for release on July 10, 2026, is still thought to be in the works as one of Disney’s biggest animated hits of recent years.

Disney was facing pushback from fans as its slate appeared to be overwhelmingly focused on these remakes, with some even boycotting.

However, Snow White was hit was even more controversy than the others – until maybe the bizarre choices made for the recently released Lilo and Stitch.

First came the complaints that Rachel, 24, was a ‘woke’ casting choice given her Colombian heritage, echoing similar (distasteful) sentiments voiced over Halle Bailey’s Ariel.

The West Side Story star may have proved those naysayers wrong but this was just the start of the problems.

Game Of Thrones star Peter Dinklage then branded the studio ‘backwards’ for still making a ‘story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together’.

Peter, 55, has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia and asked Disney to ‘take a step back and look at what you’re doing’.

As well as dropping half the film’s original title, director Marc Webb opted to portray the characters using CGI – which was pulled apart when the Seven Dwarfs were first unveiled in the movie’s teaser trailer – after erroneous reports that Disney would be using diverse ‘magical creatures’ instead.

Pro-wrestler Hornswoggle, 39, as well as other actors, said ultimately the decision was detrimental to their careers as the roles would have traditionally gone to seven actors with the condition.

Then came the girl boss-ification of Snow White herself – a common move in all the live-action remakes but garnered extra heat for Rachel.

Snow White was ‘not going to be dreaming about true love’ anymore and rather ‘becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true’.

Fans slammed Disney (and its leading lady) for the outdated feminism, which many felt turned its back on the core of who Snow White is in the original 1937 film.

Finally, there was the boycott over the casting of Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress who has publicly advocated for Israel over the years.

She has stated that ‘killing innocent Palestinians is horrific’, but mostly her public posts are about Israeli hostages, while Rachel was criticised for her support of Palestine.

After an incredibly messy road to get here, Snow White’s release was quickly forgotten in the wake of other remake missteps.

Snow White will be available to watch on Disney Plus now.

This article was originally published on June 5, 2025.

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