One drizzly April evening, my parents and I ventured to the local movie cinema, took our seats in the empty theater and watched the lights dim for the beginning of Disney’s 2025 live action film Snow White. 1 hour and 49 minutes later (a surprisingly reasonable length for a live-action movie) we emerged from the theater, laughing, smiling, and generally pleased with the movie. It seems that despite its controversy, negative critical reviews, and rather lumpy CGI, Snow White was a genuinely good movie in ways that can be measured only by seeing it.

Rather than forcing political correctness, Disney used the movie to present legitimate moral truths. One of my favorite elements of the story was that the question “Who’s prettier, the Queen or Snow White?” became irrelevant. In the end, for all the Queen’s vanity and confidence, she lacked the good intentions and heart to be the fairest of them all. Snow White was the fairest, not because she was better looking or more attractive, but because she was trying her best to be a good person. Its not that Snow White isn’t beautiful (Rachel Zegler is a very attractive woman in her own right and the spitting image of the original animated Snow White); it’s just that that isn’t the focus of the story. In my opinion, too many movies these days value physical appearance over good intentions and development of character. Snow White learns to fight for what she wants and make connections with people from many different backgrounds in a way that showcases inner beauty no matter your political leaning or opinion on physical beauty. A brilliant moment in the film is when Snow White meets Jonathan for the second time, and he begins to put off her moral inquiries as “princess problems.” While in the original film, Jonathan was a handsome prince with no backstory, here he represents one of the people dealing with the tyranny of the Evil Queen. His relationship with Snow White is comfortable and genuine and affords her agency without somehow making him seem less masculine. Eventually, Jonathan learns that it is possible to fight for one’s values despite hardship.

Rather than sticking to a prescribed story, Snow White had fun with it. The entire soundtrack was full of high-energy numbers like “Whistle While You Work” and “Waiting on a Wish” that gave the story color and life. Snow White and Jonathan’s love theme, “A Hand Meets A Hand,” opens with bluegrassy chords and a lilting traditional style that eventually transitions to a typical Disney-style song. The villain anthem “All Is Fair” resembles a classical waltz at moments. Overall, the film showcases musical creativity and energy that make a good film. The everyday people in Snow White’s kingdom are present in this film and lend color and depth that is simply not there in the original, and characters like the huntsman and an excitable crossbowman are given a chance to show themselves as real people rather than two-dimensional characters. 

Rather than hating it, as my friends insisted I would, I genuinely loved Snow White. The movie really tapped into my inner child, giggling at the banter between the titular character and Jonathan. Laughing at the antics of Grumpy and Doc. Even sitting on the edge of my seat as the Evil Queen belts out “All Is Fair.” It is, at its core, a movie for the young and the young at heart. While it is not the best movie ever, it is definitely worth giving a chance.