The new Disney Snow White was recently released in theaters a couple weeks ago with mixed reviews. At least on Rotten Tomatoes it’s 41%. The live action Lion King did a little better with 57% and The Little Mermaid even got 67%.
But all these ratings are of course much lower compared to the originals. It can be hard to make a good remake in general. But one of the few Disney live actions that did nearly as good as the original was Cinderella. What makes the 2015 Cinderella remake different from some of the more recent ones is the value of art and purpose. Despite having half the budget, the 2015 Cinderella showed far more compassion to storytelling and character arcs than the 2025 Snow White ever really did.
A small example of this is the princess’ main dress. The reimagined Cinderella dress took into account the new version of the character, the tone of the story and the worldbuilding of the reenvisioned kingdom. The construction of the dress also took hours of commitment and care — this is seen through the layers of tulle, the Swarovski crystals and hundreds of hours of labor. Compare that to 2025 Snow White’s which has minimal layers, looks very similar to the original aside from a few minor details. And yet, the character of Snow White is supposed to be different from the original — a point that has been made in multiple press tours. But you don’t see that visually.
Back to the big question, do we need more live action remakes by Disney? In short yes, but only if Disney is willing to create a compelling story — valuing both the writing and the visuals.
