Hollywood loves a reboot. Usually, these projects sail through on a wave of nostalgia and expensive CGI, but Disney’s 2025 live-action Snow White didn't get that memo. Instead, it became a case study in how a few soundbites can ignite a multi-year firestorm. At the center of it all is Rachel Zegler.
The actress, known for her powerhouse vocals in West Side Story, found herself in the middle of a digital whirlwind long before the first trailer even dropped. It wasn't just about the casting. It was about what she said—and how people heard it.
The Comments That Started It All
The friction began at the 2022 D23 Expo. Zegler was doing the standard press rounds, but her take on the 1937 classic felt, to many, like a sharp critique rather than a tribute. She called the original film "extremely dated" when it comes to women in roles of power.
She didn't stop there.
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Zegler told Extra TV that the original story had a "big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her." She laughed and called it "weird." For a generation that grew up viewing Prince Charming as the gold standard of romance, "stalker" was a heavy word. She also noted that the new version wouldn't be about true love, but rather about Snow White becoming the "leader she knows she can be."
The internet, being the internet, took these snippets and ran. Hard.
A "Girl Boss" Overhaul?
The backlash was swift. TikTok creators and Twitter users argued that feminism should include the choice to want romance and a domestic life. They felt Zegler was "disrespecting" the source material. It sparked a massive debate about whether every modern princess needs to be a "girl boss" or if there’s still room for the soft, kind agency of the original character.
Beyond the Prince: The "White as Snow" Pivot
It’s no secret that the 1937 film defines the princess by her "skin as white as snow." When Zegler, who is of Colombian and Polish descent, was cast, the usual bad-faith actors on social media had a field day. But the conversation shifted when Zegler explained a fundamental change to the lore.
In the 2025 movie, the name "Snow White" isn't about her complexion.
According to Zegler, the new script suggests she survived a "deadly snowstorm" as a baby. Her parents named her Snow White to honor her resilience. This was a deliberate move by Disney to move away from colorist tropes, but it further alienated traditionalists who felt the "DNA" of the story was being rewritten for the sake of modern sensibilities.
The Dwarfs and the Dinklage Effect
We can't talk about the Snow White controversy without mentioning Peter Dinklage. In 2022, he called the remake a "backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave." Disney panicked. They issued a statement saying they were "taking a different approach" to avoid reinforcing stereotypes.
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What did that look like? Initially, there were "magical creatures" of various heights and ethnicities. Then, after a massive outcry over the loss of iconic characters, Disney pivoted to CGI dwarfs that looked more like the 1937 designs. This back-and-forth made the production look messy and reactive.
Political Posts and the Box Office Bomb
As if the movie itself wasn't enough of a lightning rod, Zegler’s social media activity added fuel. In August 2024, she signed off a post about the trailer with "always remember, free Palestine." This reportedly caused friction within Disney, especially given that her co-star, Gal Gadot (the Evil Queen), is a vocal supporter of the Israeli military.
Then came the 2024 U.S. election.
Zegler posted a series of Instagram stories expressing deep anger at the results, at one point saying, "May Trump supporters and Trump himself never know peace." This was the breaking point for many. Conservative commentators called for a total boycott. Zegler eventually issued a formal apology, stating she "let her emotions get the best of her" and regretted contributing to the "negative discourse."
What Really Happened When the Film Released?
Disney’s Snow White finally hit theaters on March 21, 2025. It wasn't the triumph they hoped for. With a massive production budget rumored to be between $240 million and $270 million, the film struggled.
- Box Office: It grossed roughly $205 million worldwide. By industry standards, that’s a "bomb."
- Critical Reception: Critics were actually quite kind to Zegler herself, praising her "supernova" performance and singing voice. However, they hated the CGI dwarfs and the "muddled" tone of the script.
- The Streaming Save: Interestingly, the movie found a massive second life on Disney+. It became the most-streamed film on the platform in June 2025, suggesting that while families didn't want to pay $15 at a theater, they were still curious enough to watch at home.
The Reality of the Modern Remake
The lesson here isn't that audiences hate change. They don't. They loved the 2015 Cinderella and the 1997 Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The issue with the Rachel Zegler comments about Snow White was the perception of "cynicism."
When an actor appears to dislike the very thing they are selling, the audience feels it. Zegler tried to bridge this gap during the 2025 press tour, crying in emotional speeches and saying she "loved" the character's heart. But by then, the narrative was set.
Navigating the Discourse
If you're following this saga, the best way to understand it is to look at the numbers versus the noise. The noise was loud—politics, "wokeness," and Twitter feuds. The numbers show a movie that was simply too expensive to survive its own PR crisis.
Moving forward, Disney seems to be cooling off on "deconstructing" their icons. The upcoming Tangled live-action casting news suggests a return to a more traditional fairy-tale aesthetic. For Zegler, she remains a formidable talent, but her time as the "Fairest of Them All" will likely be remembered more for the headlines than the high notes.
To keep up with how these changes affect future Disney releases, look into the production notes for the upcoming Zootopia 2 or the live-action Lilo & Stitch, which are already seeing shifts in how they handle "modernization" after the Snow White fallout.