To say that Disney's latest live-action remake was long-awaited would be an insult, but Snow White has at last come to theatres everywhere. While social media platforms around the interweb are on fire with the amount of vitriol for this film, is it really 100% bad?
Behind-the-scenes drama aside, the film itself will still resonate well with families with children, but not the Disney purist. Be that as it may, even this die-hard Disnerd will admit that the film at least has one advantage over its predecessor.
Heigh-Ho, let's go!
Rachel Zegler's Snow White might not be everyone's favorite princess, and Gal Gadot's performance might also come with mixed reviews, but this writer certainly wasn't expecting the dwarves to be the most memorable feature (at least in a positive light). They aren't perfect, but they are still a refreshing take on the original characters.
Doc, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, and Dopey might still be motion-capture monsters, but the performances from their voice actors Jeremy Swift, Andy Grotelueschen, Jason Kravits, Titus Burgess, George Salazar, Martin Klebba, and Andrew Barth Feldman paired with the music of Pasek and Paul are a remarkable match. Take a listen to the newest rendition of "Heigh-Ho" below.
This song makes me believe that the remake should have been told from the dwarves' point of view, as it was clear that more imagination was given to them in both lyrics and design (CGI aside). It takes the familiar tune from the 1937 film and expands on it with a larger arrangement, and it works brilliantly. If only the yodeling song were given the same treatment.
There might be some Polar-Express-esque visuals with the animation at play, but the dwarves are arguably the movie's most memorable feature. Despite the controversial elements that have fans frothing at the mouth, the production at least retains one core element of the landmark original.
Disney's Snow White is now playing in theaters everywhere.