Snow White Live-Action Movie: Release Date, Plot, Trailer, and Latest News

There’s plenty of buzz around Disney’s upcoming live-action Snow White movie, the first reviews for which have been glowingly positive.

Starring West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler in the title role and Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, the film hasn’t been without controversy, with reports of scaled-back promotion because of the criticism.

Marc Webb is set to direct the remake of Disney’s very first animated film, with Marc Platt producing and Dear Evan Hansen’s Benj Pasek and Justin Paul writing new songs for the upcoming movie.

Learn about the upcoming live-action film based on Snow White, including its release date and main cast members.

Snow White live-action movie UK release date

The film is scheduled to be released in UK cinemas on 21st March 2025.

The Hollywood premiere took place on 15th March, but was scaled back amid the film’s controversies.

In contrast to typical premieres featuring grand red carpet events where media outlets interview celebrities, Variety stated that this particular event will be limited to just photographers and their own staff.

The upcoming live-action Snow White movie isn’t the only upcoming Disney live-action remake fairytale fans have to look forward to, with Lilo & Stitch, Moana, Tangled and Hercules on the way.

Watch the original Snow White on Disney Plus – £4.99 a month or £89.90 for a year subscription

Snow White 2025 cast: Who stars in the live-action remake?

In 2022, it was officially announced that Rachel Zegler would play the role of Snow White in the upcoming film adaptation of the classic fairy tale.

17-year-old Zegler won a highly competitive role as Maria against over 30,000 other actresses after responding to a casting call she found on X (which was then known as Twitter). She later starred in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Zegler is the first Colombian-Polish actress to play a Disney Princess and joins an illustrious alumni of actresses who have tackled the Snow White role including Lily Collins in Mirror, Mirror, Sarah Patterson in Snow White, and Ginnifer Goodwin in Once Upon a Time.

Zegler shared her excitement on social media following the announcement.

In late 2022, it was revealed that actress Gal Gadot was in talks to assume the role of the wicked queen in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the classic tale.

Gadot told Entertainment Weekly in September 2022 that she was “all in”, saying “to be able to tell her story and to get under her skin was an incredible process”.

“I enjoyed it so much that I even took it home, and I changed my voice, and I used my body as a way to express her even more,” the actress continued. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to play such an iconic villain.”

In the upcoming film “The Chaperone,” Andrew Burnap will be taking on the role of Jonathan, a fresh character who is poised to take over from the traditional prince.

In March 2023, Burnap told Man About Town that, although he plays the love interest, “it’s no longer a princess waiting to be saved by a prince”.

Ansu Kabia (Murder on the Orient Express) will star as the Huntsman, who is the Evil Queen’s servant in the 1937 film, Emilia Faucher (CODA) will star as young Snow White, and Patrick Page – who previously played Scar in The Lion King musical on Broadway – will play the Magic Mirror.

It has also been announced that Martin Klebba (Jurassic World) will provide the voice of the digitally-rendered Grumpy in the new film, while Jeremy Swift (Gosford Park) will voice Doc, the leader of the seven dwarves.

Meanwhile, George Salazar (Superstore) will voice Happy, Andy Grotelueschen (The Good Wife) will voice Sleepy, Tituss Burgess (Central Park) will voice Bashful, Jason Kravits (The Practice) will voice Sneezy, and Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen) will voice Dopey.

The script will be written by Erin Cressida Wilson, who wrote Girl on the Train, and Marc Platt is producer.

Marc Webb will direct – you may know him from 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Webb previously told Deadline: “Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence, and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.”

Snow White live-action movie plot: What is Disney changing?

Disney’s initial animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was inspired by a classic tale from the Brothers Grimm and marked as the premier animation produced by the studio.

The remake is set to expand the story and music, so think along the lines of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin – the former saw Belle take more of a lead role and added a feminist message, whereas the latter saw Princess Jasmine push back against her father herself and had her sing her own Speechless song to capture the feeling of being treated differently as a woman.

In discussions about consent, Snow White is frequently criticized due to the prince kissing her while she’s unconscious – thus, it seems likely that adjustments will be made concerning this aspect.

Cast member Burnap’s recent comments strengthen this theory, with the actor – who’s set to play male lead Jonathan – recently telling Man About Town of his character: “[He’s] less of a full-on prince and more of a reluctant hero.”

We don’t know all the specific details of the remake just yet, but we’ll have to wait and find out how it will turn out.

Snow White 2025 remake controversy explained

After it was announced in 2022 that Zegler was cast, some conservative critics criticized her because she is of Colombian-Polish descent and will play a character who is described in the 19th century Grimms fairy tale as having very white skin.

Zegler faced criticism in 2022 at the D23 Expo when she described the original film as “dated” and added that Prince Charming “literally stalks” Snow White.

She sparked controversy again in 2023 when she suggested the remake would be more feminist than the original film, saying in an interview: “It’s no longer 1937… She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”

Following criticisms about the altered narrative, Zegler clarified her stance in an interview with Variety, explaining that her statements were misconstrued as negative towards the initial movie. She maintains that Snow White can simultaneously desire love and independence.

The film has also been criticised by Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, with the star accusing Disney of “hypocrisy” over the movie, citing the fairy tale’s “backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.”

“Literally no offence to anyone, but I was a little taken aback – they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White,” he said on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. “But you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me.”

He continued: “You’re progressive in one way but then you’re still making that f**king backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I’m not loud enough.”

Disney responded to Dinklage’s criticisms in a statement, which read: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.

We are excited to provide updates as the movie enters its production phase, which follows a long development period.

The film has also faced backlash for plot changes to the 1937 original, with the son of one of the 1937 movie’s animators and supervising director, David Hand, criticising changes to the storyline.

He told The Telegraph: “It’s a whole different concept, and I just totally disagree with it.

These days, their ideas seem incredibly innovative. They’re altering narratives and influencing character perspectives… They’re inventing progressive concepts, and to be honest, I don’t find it appealing at all.

However, both Zegler and the film’s director Webb have said the new movie honours the original while introducing it to a new generation.

In a conversation with Vogue Mexico, Zegler stated that Disney has achieved an exquisite balance between preserving the beloved 1937 animated classic and making it accessible to a new generation.

Meanwhile, in notes shared with press, director Webb said it was important for the new film “to honour the DNA of Snow White”.

He noted: “The initial Snow White didn’t fit into an existing mold… instead, it shaped the mold itself. In some way, Walt Disney taps into something deep within us, stirring a sense of childlike curiosity and positivity.

“But there was also an opportunity to re-tell the mythology to reflect the times that we’re in, and I think all good stories evolve over time. They become reflections of the world that we live in and what we want the world to be to a degree.”

What songs will feature in the Snow White live-action movie?

In addition to the cherished tunes from the 1937 film’s soundtrack, the reboot will feature fresh compositions penned by the talented duo behind La La Land, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Among the fresh tunes, there’s one titled “Waiting on a Wish,” which we caught a sneak peek of in the initial movie trailer that dropped in December 2023.

“Benj and Justin came up with the idea of Waiting on a Wish, inspired by the iconic wishing well first introduced to audiences in the animated Snow White,” Platt previously shared. “They have written a truly beautiful song for our new film that is bound to become iconic in its own right.”

On 4th March 2025, the song was released to the public and you can check it out below.

Snow White live-action trailer

Yes, Disney released the official trailer for the film back in December 2023, giving fans a first look at Zegler in action as she interacts with the Evil Queen and the seven dwarves.

Watch below:

Snow White will be released in UK cinemas on 21st March 2025. Watch the original Snow White on Disney Plus – £4.99 a month or £89.90 for a year subscription

2025-03-17 18:28