“Snow White”, which is another re-packaged live action product from Walt Disney Pictures, does not have much reason for its existence in my trivial opinion. Probably because I have seen numerous movie adaptations of that famous fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm since I was very young, I saw nothing particularly new here during my viewing while observing how spiritless and insipid it mostly is, and that made me crave more for the greatness of animation film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937).

Considering the movie is simply titled “Snow White”, I should have known better before watching it. To be frank with you, the titular character is a fair but rather boring figure compared to all those other characters including that evil queen, and “Snow White” is no exception at all. While she is presented with some modern touches as required in addition to having some extra pluck, she is still not that interesting despite Rachel Zeagler’s sunny and gentle charisma, and we inevitably come to pay more attention to the rest of the movie.

Alas, I am sorry to report to you that the rest of the movie is not so engaging either. When Walt Disney produced “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, he and a bunch of animators under his command were really trying to make something new and challenging, and their considerable care and spirit shown and felt from the screen is the main reason why it has been regarded as one of the greatest animation films from Walt Disney Pictures for many years. In contrast, “Snow White” simply follows the story and characters in a mechanical fashion without trying anything particularly new or fresh, and it only reminds us more of why live action film often cannot surpass animation film.

The glaring difference in quality between the movie and the 1937 animation film is evident especially when Snow White runs away from her little kingdom and then tumbles into the darkness of a big nearby forest. While the movie surely put a lot of CGI for illustrating the terror surrounding Snow White across the screen, most of you will miss how the 1937 animation film skillfully handles this disturbing moment with much more style and details in comparison. In case of a number of CGI animal characters which later appear to help Snow White, they certainly look as realistic as possible, but, folks, they are less cute and colorful compared to their animation counterparts which are drawn with more personality and spirit.

And there are those dwarf characters in the story, which are incidentally also presented as CGI characters here in this film. Yes, I still cannot remember all of their names, but I remember well how they look colorfully different from each other in the 1937 animation film, and that makes them quite lovable in one way or another. In contrast, those CGI dwarf characters in “Snow White” feel rather creepy even when they cheerfully sing together that famous classic song during their first scene in the film, and, yes, “uncanny valley” immediately came to my mind as my eyes and mind were struggling to adjust to their artificial aspects. Sure, uncanny valley could be overcome to some degree as shown from Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson or Robert Zemeckis’ underrated animation film “The Polar Express” (2024), but it is only more exacerbated in case of “Snow White” – especially when its dwarf characters are around Snow White or some other supporting characters on the screen.

In case of the other main characters besides the dwarfs, most of them do not have much personality on the whole. The character played by Andrew Burnap is certainly a modern substitute for the Prince Charming figure in the original story, but he is still as boring as the similar figures in many other Disney animation films. Compared to the 1937 animation film, the movie looks more crowded with lots of secondary characters, but they are more or less than background details, and that is why the final confrontation scene between Snow White and the evil queen later in the story does not have much gravitas to hold our attention.

Speaking of the evil queen, she is indeed the showiest character in the story as always, and Gal Gadot willingly chews every devious moment of hers in the film as distancing herself from her most famous movie character as much as possible. Although her efforts are still one or two steps below Charlize Theron in “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012) and Julia Roberts in “Mirror Mirror”, Gadot is clearly having some hammy fun with her thoroughly evil character besides demonstrating a bit of her singing ability, and my complaint is that the movie presents her character’s eventual exit a little too easily.

Compared to Gadot’s showy villain performance, Zegler is relatively less distinctive at times, but her earnest performance provides a bit of precious warmth and spirit into the movie. As already shown from Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” (2021), she is a very good singer, and she ably handles not only the old songs from the 1937 animation films but also several passable new songs provided by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

In conclusion, “Snow White”, which is directed by Marc Webb, sadly forgets what really makes the 1937 animation film so special, and I am sure that it will be quickly forgotten just like many other recent Disney live action adaptation products during last several years. Right now, I begin to have an urge to revisit “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, and I think you should do that instead of watching its disappointing live action film version.