Disney’s ‘Snow White ‘ Reboot Continues Studio’s Backslide

BY: Philip Sayblack

Some years ago when executives at Walt Disney Studios decided to stop producing original content and just reboot every one of its classic animated films as live action/CG presentations, the decision put the company on a crash course with disaster.  While the studio has not yet completely collapsed, odds are it is only a matter of time.  The company’s latest reboot, that of its landmark offering Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) is definitely bringing the company one step closer to that collapse.  As of the time of this review’s posting, the company’s latest reboot, which premiered in theaters nationwide March 21, has received an aggregate score of 39% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.  Interestingly, audiences’ reactions have offered it a score of 71% by comparison.  Neither score is 100% and justifiably so.  Set for home physical release June 24, the reboot is another largely forgettable presentation from what was a once powerhouse company.  That is due in large part to its general presentation in comparison to the original.  This will be discussed a little later.  The movie’s only saving graces are its look and the bonus content that accompanies it in its forthcoming home release.  Keeping all of that in mind, Walt Disney Studios’ reboot of one of its most iconic movies is also among the worst of this year’s new cinematic offerings.
Walt Disney Studios’ brand-new reboot of its classic 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is very much a disappointment in comparison to its source material.  As disappointing as the movie is, it is not a complete failure.  There are at least two saving graces, minor as they are.  One of those saving graces comes in the form of the movie’s look.  Yes, there is a lot of the same cookie cutter CG look that Walt Disney Studios has used in so many of its reboots over the past few years or so, but at the same time, there was also clearly an attempt to give the movie at least something of a realistic look.  That comes from the sets and costumes.  The costumes are actually discussed at length as one of the movie’s extras and will be addressed later.  Thanks to the efforts of those behind the cameras, the costumes actually reflect quite well, the look of the original movie right down to Snow White’s dress and the evil queen’s look.  The darkness that looms over the kingdom during the evil queen’s reign versus the lighter look before her arrival and after her departure makes for an interesting use of light and dark to help set the mood.  The dwarfs’  home is another interesting set.  Clearly a lot of attention to detail was spent on the set.  In turn, it ensures a positive aesthetic for audiences just as much as the other sets and the costumes.  To that end, the stylistic approach that was taken to the movie’s look helps entertain audiences if not keep them engaged and in turn gives audiences at least some reason to take in this movie.
Speaking of keeping audiences engaged, what does not keep audiences engaged or entertained, is the very approach that was taken to this story.  Rather than being the timeless musical that Walt Disney Studios premiered more than eight decades ago, this adaptation comes across as far more of a Broadway type music, complete with all of the over the top musical numbers; numbers that are way too frequent.  In all the musical numbers featured here total 35.5 minutes of the movie’s 108 minutes.  That is roughly six minutes less than the 41 minutes taken up by musical numbers in the original movie, but at least in that movie, the musical numbers are far shorter and more spread out.  The whole makes the movie’s musical side feel like it was another presentation controlled by Lin Manuel Miranda.  Intriguingly, he had nothing to do with this movie even with that sense in mind. 
On a related note, not only does the frequency of the songs and their stylistic approach hurt the movie, but the songs also are way too comparable to songs from so many other Disney movies (E.g. Moana, Frozen, and their respective sequels).  In other words, it is like the people behind the music (who are also featured in another of the movie’s extras) just took the songs from those movies, copied, pasted and slightly tweaked for this movie.  The overall impact herein is that the movie’s musical content does little if anything to establish engagement and entertainment.
Moving on to the story, plenty of changes were made.  One of the most notable changes made comes in the story’s final act.  Those who remember the original movie will remember that things turned out ok after the evil queen, as the old woman, falls off the cliff and dies.  That piece of history was changed here.  The evil queen does not fall off of a cliff here.  In fact, not to give away too much, but she meets with Snow White one last time in the story’s final act and even survives.  The finale honestly feels like something right out of yet another Disney movie, Tangled.  There is no way this is coincidental. 
Speaking of the comparison to Tangled, there is yet another aspect of this story that is comparable to that movie’s story.  It comes in the presentation of Snow White’s love interesting being not a prince but a bandit.  As is revealed through the bonus “making of” featurette, however, that was actually one of the various story lines that had been proposed for the original 1937 movie.  That is interesting in itself.  It will be discussed a little later along with more information on the bonus content.  All things considered, the story featured herein, complete with its far too frequent musical numbers, makes the whole of the general presentation a difficult pill to swallow.
Thankfully as difficult as the story and its musical counterpart are to handle in this movie, the noted bonus content that accompanies the movie in its forthcoming home release works with the movie’s look to make the whole at least somewhat more worth watching.  The  movie’s “Making of” featurette, which runs nearly 12 minutes, offers lots of what audiences expect: plenty of back patting by the movie’s cast, and looks at other aspects of the movie.  There is one notable aspect of this extra that proves interesting in the revelation that for the movie’s original script, there was actually the possibility of having the prince chained up in the dungeon by the evil queen.  That story aspect clearly never made it to the original 1937 movie but it was pulled for use here.  Add in that Snow White’s love interest, who is not in fact a prince, but a bandit was the one who was chained up, and audiences get another interesting take.  Yes, it adds to the sense in the end that the movie’s creative heads just lifted from Tangled, but knowing that was an original idea makes for at least some respect.
On another note, the in-depth look at the movie’s costumes ties back into the movie’s general look.  Learning of the time and effort that went into making the movie look as much like the original movie this time out as truly deserving of applause.
The deleted scene reel that also accompanies the movie is of note because it presents some scenes that do make sense in having been cut.  There is one scene though, that maybe should have stayed in.  It explains where the evil queen came from, how she knew about the king.  It is a background but brief.  To that end, it is still perhaps a scene that should have stayed.  When it is considered along with the other deleted scenes, the whole therein prove collectively to make this extra a true bonus.  When the cut scenes are considered along with the rest of the bonus content, that whole therein makes for at least one more reason for audiences to give this reboot a chance.  All things considered the bonus content and look of Snow White makes the movie worth watching at least once but sadly not much more. 
Walt Disney Studios’ reboot of its classic 1937 animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a largely forgettable offering from the studio.  It is not a complete failure.  The movie’s look makes it worth seeing at least once.  That is because the look does show someone made the effort to try and stay true to the look of the original movie even in live action setting.  The movie’s story is the real problem.  It just feels over the top and has way too much frequency of musical numbers; numbers that feel like they were the work of one Lin Manuel Miranda, even though they weren’t.  the movie’s companion bonus content works with its look to give audiences at least some reason to take in the presentation.  All things considered, Snow White is a disappointing update to a classic and timeless animated film from a studio that used to be one of Hollywood’s powerhouses.
Snow White is streaming now through Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.  It is scheduled for home physical release June 24.