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And They're GLORY(ous)!
In the wake of the new Disney trailer released at D23 2024 this year, we got our first look at Disney’s latest live action remake “Snow White.” The film will feature a couple of well-known stars, including Rachel Zegler, who plays the new Snow White; Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen that gets jealous of Snow White when a mirror tells her that the young princess is the fairest in the land; and Andrew Burnap, who plays Jonathan, a mysterious man who hasn’t shown up in any of the lore retellings prior.
(For the record, if I was the mirror and Gal Gadot asked me who the fairest in the land was, I would say “It’s definitely you, you absolute queen, no contest.” But that’s just me.)
And who can forget one of the film’s most controversial topics right now? That’s right—the CGI seven dwarves.
Back when Disney first released BTS images of the project, they faced instant backlash on several things, one being the fact that they had completely replaced the seven dwarves in the story with regular humans (ethnically diverse as they may have been), almost as if they were erasing the fact that shorter and little individuals exist; and hence the argument arose that in their pursuit of inserting more diversity, Disney instead got rid of their already existing diversity.
Due to the backlash, Disney has decided to re-insert the dwarves into the story, another controversial topic at the moment as instead of hiring little people actors to portray the roles, they have instead made the decision to use CGI to create the dwarven characters.
Say what you will about the new film. I have yet to form my own opinion on it yet, mostly because I haven’t seen the actual film in its entirety. I do recommend that you watch the trailer and feel free to check the comments section of the newest trailer for it as it is fairly entertaining.
What I’m here to talk about is that while Disney is creating its own live action film based on the tale of Snow White (and getting A LOT of hate for their own creative artistic choices), there are other options to watch if people want to see a visual representation of Snow White that isn’t the typical Live-Action Disney-fied version and that is also different from the PG original.
This article will contain some spoilers, so do be wary if you haven’t seen either of the films I will be mentioning. Also, this is an opinion piece, and as always, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (2012)
Directed by Rupert Sanders, “Snow White and the Huntsman” tells the story of Snow White in a dark fantasy lens.
A young Princess Snow White (later played by Kristen Stewart in the midst of her Twilight era) endures years of imprisonment and isolation in a dungeon hidden from existence after Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) marries and then murders the king, Snow’s father. Years pass and with fate’s intervention, Snow White manages to escape the castle and flee into the Dark Forest, where she must try to reach the duke and his son William (Sam Claflin) with the help of a depressed and drunk Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) so that she can escape being killed by the Queen and take back her father’s kingdom.
This film too did face some controversy when it came out. In this case, it was due to the fact that the filmmakers hired regular actors that were digitally altered to portray the dwarven characters instead of hiring little people. The Little People of America had spoken up about the decision, saying that little people should have been hired for the roles instead, and suggested that the film itself was prejudiced and an injustice.
That being said, the film itself was dark yet refreshingly entertaining. It dealt with several adult concepts, much like the television show “The Game of Thrones” did, so it’s not exactly child friendly. Concepts like purposeful self-mutilation, rape, pillaging, and underaged kidnappings do make appearances, but it adds to the dark backstory and environment of the film.
This is not your typical lovey-dovey, flowery romance where Snow White breaks into song when things get tough or where a prince shows up to save her from the Queen. She’s too busy saving herself, her kingdom, and planning how to defeat the all-powerful Queen Ravenna.
(Alas, since this was made in 2012 during the dystopia phase, we do have a bit of a love triangle situation between the Duke’s son William and the Huntsman, but it is tamer compared to other films of that era.)
Personally, I love watching this film despite the fact that normally I detest really dark films that deal with more difficult subjects. The more monochrome and/or selective color cinematography really adds to the darkness and evil feel of the world that the filmmakers created.
The concept of the magic mirror is also so fascinating to me. It morphs into a golden being without a face, so you are still looking at your reflection as if you are speaking to another version of yourself. The filmmakers decision to make the audience question if the mirror is actually magic or if Queen Ravenna is simply mad adds to the intensity of Charlize Theron’s character’s overall performance. It’s as if we start going into the Evil Queen’s head.
I also really like the use of costumes in this film as it adds to the atmosphere of a dark medieval fantasy film. Specifically, there needs to be a shoutout to whoever was in charge of the wardrobe for Charlize Theron, because Queen Ravenna’s neutral or dark, raven-like outfits were perfect in portraying her evil and dark magic nature. She is a woman with power, and she wears it like her own armor.
Additionally, the actors in this film did a good job in their performance. Sam Spruell’s performance as the secondary antagonist and step-uncle to Snow White (brother of the Queen) was particularly creepy and predatory like, really nailing his role. He never fails to give me the chills.
Charlize Theron also does a fantastic job at portraying a powerful woman whose childhood trauma has led her to become an angry and ruthless queen who inside is simply a scared and fearful child afraid to be taken advantage of by older, greedy and selfish men—and to die. I have no doubt that if I was one of the actors on set facing her during her scenes, she would make me tremble.
Plus, Florence & The Machine have an EPIC song that is included within the credits of this film. The song, titled "Breath of Life" is an epic battle-esk song that is dark, edgy, and soulful. I recommend this song highly.
A second film was made following this one, but the story of Snow White made in this film becomes less impactful overall, so if you are going to watch the sequel for the continued story of Snow White, don’t. You’ll be disappointed when she makes one appearance for less than 10 seconds.
But this film? It is definitely worth the watch.
MIRROR MIRROR (2012)
2012 must have been the year for live action Snow White retellings, because two of them came out at the same time.
If “Snow White and the Huntsman” is a dark fantasy, “Mirror Mirror” is its bright and colorful sister fantasy film, directed by Tarsem Singh.
Enter the world of Snow White, a young woman who has been under the “care” and strict supervision of her stepmother, the Queen Clementianna, after her father’s—the King—disappearance years ago. Snow White is kind, but shy and unsure of herself while her stepmother dominates the kingdom and runs the kingdom’s monetary reserves dry with her lavish parties. On her 18th birthday, this Snow White adventures outside the palace for the first time in a while, saves a half-naked prince, and sees the absolute destitution of her kingdom—all which gives her the resolve to fight back against the Queen. Meanwhile, the Queen gets the hots for the young and rich Prince Alcott; and when Snow White gets in her way, she sends the young girl to be killed. However, things don’t go according to plan, and instead of Snow White’s death, Snow White comes back to get her prince and to fight to save her kingdom with an army—an army made up of her own seven bandit dwarves.
This film is a much more child friendly variety of the Snow White retellings. Its goal is to be a little childish and comical to make its audience laugh, and I think it succeeds in that aspect. What lacks in cinematic quality is retained through the acting, costume design, and overall storyline.
First of all, the cast for this film is absolutely wild. We have our Snow White, which is played by the lovely Lily Collins, who you may recognize as the Golden Globe Nominee for “Emily in Paris.” She pulls off a kind, soft, innocent, and slightly naive Snow White who then transitions into a strong spirited woman set on following her heart and protecting those she loves.
The legend herself, Julia Roberts, plays Queen Clementianna, Snow White’s fabulous yet vain and evil stepmother. (Fun fact: I had no idea her character’s name was officially Clementianna until I was researching for this article because in the film, I can only recall her being called “your majesty.”) Julia Roberts is fantastic as an actress and really nails the vain, passive aggressive, hot and cold attituded queen. Her line delivery can be comical one minute and then dramatic the next, and she does it flawlessly. The whole time, her character thinks the story is about her, and it carries through until the very end.
Of course, we have our Prince Andrew Alcott from the Kingdom of Valencia, who is played by none other than the one and only Armie Hammer, the actor who has been accused of being a cannibal and an abuser in the past. Regardless of his personal life and what may or may not be true about the allegations against him, his acting pulls through to create the slightly patronizing and insensitive straight-up whipped Prince with an extreme hero complex. Thankfully, with Snow White’s influence, he does become a better human being, one that does not fall into stereotyping people, being insensitive to those around him, and being a sexist privileged man by the end of the film. Love can change a man, I guess. (Ladies and gents, you can’t always change him. #DontBeToxicPlease)
Our King is played by none other than the meme master himself, Sean Bean. To save you from spoilers, I will say he does make an appearance in the film, and he is regal as ever.
Other notable cast members include legends Nathan Lane, Mare Winningham, and Michael Lerner, along with the talented actors Danny Woodburn, Martin Klebba, Mark Povinelli, Jordan Prentice, Sebastian Saracento, Joey Gnoffo, and Ronald Lee Clark—all who are little people actors who portrayed the seven bandit dwarves.
Yes, unlike Disney and “Snow White and The Huntsman,” “Mirror Mirror” decided to hire little people actors to portray the dwarves instead of regular people or CGI. They also use their screentime very well and craft each dwarves’ personalities so that they each have their own individual goals, backgrounds, and quirks; thus, their characters are well-developed and feel authentically whole, adding to the overall experience of the film’s story. These dwarves also take names and kick butt about 80% of the movie, which carries a pretty cool message—that despite what others may perceive of you, you are able to do so much and be so much more if you put your mind to it.
The movie even makes a bit of social commentary on little people’s status in the world, saying that the reason they had all become bandits was because the evil Queen had banished them for being “undesirables.” However, as proven by Snow White and the other villagers in the kingdom, just because someone is born different does not mean that they are undesirable or less worthy of being around in society. Instead, they prove the evil Queen and her prejudiced self wrong. I am all for that kind of message, and I hope that Disney does so with their version of Snow White as well.
Secondly, I am in love with the costume design in this film. While this film does not limit itself to a specific time period or location, its costumes do seem to be heavily inspired by 18th and 19th century fashion. The outfits for men and women are super saturated in color, which I love. The dresses—much like French rococo styled-dresses—are big, bold, and borderline obnoxious. They look stunning and luxurious, and scream royalty at its finest. In particular, I fell in love with Julia Roberts’s and Lily Collins’s wardrobes, both which added even more dynamics to their characters.
Eiko Ishioka, who headed the costuming in this film, did a fabulous job picking out which outfits would be used for each actor. She was ahead of her time with Snow White’s bandit outfit, which consists of a blue blouse with a corset over the top of it and black pants that look very comfortable.
And Snow White’s final dress made of blue tones, white lace, puffy sleeves, and an enormous bright orange bow? Chef’s kiss. Its higher saturated colors are so symbolic for her character and her growth as a leader.
And the fact that Lily Collins wore an actual world-famous Van Cleef & Arpels tiara valued at around 77.34 carats instead of just wearing a faux crown is both absolutely insane and incredible. I don’t know about Lily Collins, but I know I would have been a little nervous wearing such a valuable piece of jewelry!
Julia Roberts’s outfits are also phenomenal for her character. Even at the end, she retains her sense of fashion, albeit a bit more dulled than her more lavish, extravagant, and colorful getups in the beginning of the film. I thought her red peacock dress from the ball scene was iconic, going out of her way to be the main character to her own ball and forcing everyone else to wear muted cream colors. It’s such a power move, and she wields it like a pro.
And come on, can we talk about the Queen’s wedding dress for a second? I don’t care that she’s been married over five times, and she wants to bag the sixth one. That wedding dress is fabulous.
Hats off to you Eiko Ishioka, for you truly captured the vision for this world. Everything does feel like you are inside the world of a fairytale book.
Lastly, the overall storyline was simple yet entertaining. It would probably be considered basic for a retelling of the classic fairytale, but there are enough twists within it to create a unique take on the story.
It also maintains enough comedy throughout, so it doesn’t just become a theatrical drama film. There are plenty of iconic lines from this film, many which I sometimes slide into my everyday conversations, although I don’t think many people catch the references. A classic line which will never be beaten, probably ever, is “I yearn for the nectar of her skin.” An instant classic with the context that it is said in. It’s up there with “I don’t like sand.”
Moreover, Lily Collins follows in her father’s footsteps and proves that she too can sing by surprising the audience at the end of the film with the song “I Believe In Love.” If you haven’t listened to it yet, please do. It’s a certified bob that has you guaranteed to get up and dance. I even downloaded it on my iPod, so that’s how you know it’s good.
With all of that mixed together, this film is a fantastic and entertaining watch, I promise. It is worth the time to go see it. It’s one of my go-to fairytale films, and it never fails to make me laugh and bring my spirits up.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Do I think that Disney’s Snow White will be a flop? Not necessarily, but it has a lot to catch up with in order to compete with the other two Snow White films that have been already created, at least in my opinion. I am going to remain positively hopeful and cross my fingers that Disney actually does the fairytale justice, as it would be disappointing to see the classic Snow White tale not be honored as it should.
In the end, regardless of what Disney releases for the masses to watch, we can only hope that the newest Snow White adaptation will prevail enough to be at the same level as these two goated live action Snow White retellings.
Reviewer Name: Kaitlyn Liddicoat
Date of Review: 9 September 2024
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