Review
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Disney’s live-action remakes have been both some of their most fruitful and most infamous movies of the last decade. These films can turn a significant profit. 2019’s Aladdin proved this, making over $1 billion worldwide despite its mixed reviews. That same year saw the release of a remake of The Lion King. Albeit not necessarily live-action, as it uses nearly entirely CGI environments, the film showed once again that Disney remakes could be huge hits, as it made over $1.6 billion worldwide and is still in the top 15 highest-grossing films of all time.
At the same time, Disney’s live-action work has been the source of immense controversy. Live-action films generate casting fervor in a way that animated voice acting does not, and the company has faced backlash several times. The Little Mermaid, which cast Black musician and actor Halle Bailey in the lead role of Ariel, particularly bore the brunt of this critique, as racist commentary was waged against her both before and during the movie’s theatrical run. Disney still cannot evade the negative discourse surrounding these films, one of which is now available on streaming.
Snow White's Remake Is Now Streaming On Disney+ After A Dismal Box Office Performance
Its Casting Caused Controversy
Snow White is now available to stream on Disney+. Remaking the beloved 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this version of the story featured Rachel Zegler as the leading princess, with the Evil Queen being played by Gal Gadot. Even before the film was released in theatres, it was subject to widespread controversy. In a similar vein to The Little Mermaid backlash, some took issue with the fact that a Latina actor was set to play the typically pale, white princess. Political beliefs held by both Zegler and Gadot also led to heated discourse surrounding the movie.
Whether directly tied to this controversy or not, the result ended up being that Snow White had a vastly disappointing box office run. The movie made just $205 million worldwide, which was nearly the lowest total of any of Disney’s live-action princess movie remakes, coming in ahead of only Mulan. Snow White‘s estimated budget was around $250 million, and that is before the cost of marketing. As such, the movie ended up losing massive amounts of money, becoming Disney’s first major disappointment of the year.
Rachel Zegler's Performance Is Reason Enough To Watch Snow White
She Is Fantastic In The Role
Despite the lackluster box office performance and mixed reviews, there is one clear reason to watch Snow White: Rachel Zegler. Her performance has been consistently praised by critics. ScreenRant‘s Rachel Labonte gave the movie overall 5 out of , she called Zegler a «true star» and «the perfect Disney princess.» This assessment is absolutely correct; Zegler’s angelic voice and energetic acting make her the perfect choice for the role, despite its backlash.
This performance alone makes Snow White worth watching on streaming, even for those that did not get to see it in theaters. A star was born when Zegler played Maria in Steven Spielberg’s version of West Side Story. In Snow White, her stardom was further honed, proving her vocal strength while showing her versatility and range. Zegler is an actor to watch out for, and Snow White is a critical moment in her career, even if the film falters in other ways.
Rachel Zegler's Snow White Performance Can Now Get The Attention It Deserves
The Press Emphasized Negative Elements About The Movie
Despite how good Zegler is in Snow White, praise of her performance unfortunately was not the emphasis of the discussion surrounding the live-action remake. The press heavily emphasized Snow White‘s box office failure and its review bombing from IMDb users. Now the film is on streaming and away from the negative attention it had when it hit theaters, it could be time for Zegler’s performance to get the recognition it well deserves. The film may have uncanny CGI dwarfs and other weak elements, but Zegler is incredibly strong, and merits acknowledgment.
