Development On October 31, 2016,
The Hollywood Reporter reported that
Walt Disney Pictures was developing a live-action remake of
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, with
Marc Platt, an avid fan of the original film, signed on as lead producer and
Erin Cressida Wilson being in talks to write the screenplay. Callum McDougall, in his third producing collaboration with Disney and Platt, serves as an executive producer. On May 30, 2019, it was reported that
Marc Webb was in talks to direct. In November 2021,
Greta Gerwig was reported to be co-writing the screenplay. Wilson ultimately received sole credit for the screenplay; Gerwig,
Jez Butterworth,
Steven Levenson,
Jeff Nathanson, Victoria Strouse and
Chris Weitz each received an "additional literary material" credit from the
Writers Guild of America, although they are not credited in the film itself.
Casting In June 2021,
Rachel Zegler was cast in the title role. The casting of an actress of
Latina descent as
Snow White, who is described in the original
Grimm fairy tale as having skin "as white as snow", was met with criticism from some quarters. Zegler responded to the criticism in January 2022, stating that Snow White is popular in
Spanish-speaking countries and that casting a Latina actress in the role was significant due to its rarity. Zegler's casting was solidified through a "glowing recommendation" to Webb from
Steven Spielberg, who directed Zegler as María in his
2021 film adaptation of
West Side Story. In November 2021,
Gal Gadot was cast as the
Evil Queen. A new casting search for an actress to star as a younger version of Snow White was launched and Emilia Faucher was cast. On January 12, 2022,
Andrew Burnap was cast as a new character named Jonathan in the lead male role, replacing the character of
The Prince. At the 2022 Denver Fan Expo,
Martin Klebba revealed that he would be portraying Grumpy; Klebba previously played similar dwarf roles in earlier productions based on the "Snow White" fairy tale: in the 2001 made-for-television film
Snow White: The Fairest of Them All as Friday, and in the 2012 fantasy comedy
Mirror Mirror as Butcher. Colin Michael Carmichael was confirmed to appear as Farno, one of the bandits.
Andrew Barth Feldman,
Tituss Burgess,
Jason Kravits,
George Salazar,
Jeremy Swift, and Andy Grotelueschen were all cast as the remaining members of the
Seven Dwarfs, with Salazar and Grotelueschen both making their film debuts.
Writing In October 2024, Zegler explained that the film would feature an altered origin for Snow White's name, with the character being named as an homage to the weather on the night of her birth, after surviving a snowstorm with her parents, a narrative element she stated was inspired by
a previous adaptation of the fairy tale. She also faced criticism for comments about modernizing the titular character, particularly regarding the prince's role. At
D23 Expo 2022, she stated: Some criticised these changes as overly
feminist, while others accused Zegler of misrepresenting feminism. David Hale Hand, son of the original film's co-director
David Hand, called the remake "insulting". The controversy prompted
The Daily Wire to announce a competing adaptation, though production stalled after star
Brett Cooper's 2024 departure. Zegler later clarified that the film would still include a love story, expressing sadness that her comments were misunderstood. In January 2022, actor
Peter Dinklage, who has a form of
dwarfism, criticised the film for remaking a "backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together". Disney responded that "to avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film," they were "taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community." Dinklage's comments drew mixed reactions from other actors with dwarfism, including Jeff Brooks, Katrina Kemp, and
Dylan Postl, who felt Dinklage may have been denying roles to people with dwarfism. Photos published by the Daily Mail in July 2023 led to speculation that the dwarfs had been reimagined as one actor with dwarfism and six non-dwarf actors of diverse backgrounds. Disney initially called the photos fake, then said that while they did come from production, they were unofficial. These rumoured changes were criticised as overly
politically correct and reducing opportunities for dwarf actors.
Jason "Wee Man" Acuña of
Jackass criticized Disney, asking "why are you hiring 'Snow White and the seven average people? The actors in the photos appear to have featured in the film as the seven bandits, rather than as dwarfs. The final film features seven CGI characters resembling the 1937 dwarfs, It also avoids Snow White being relegated to the dwarfs' maid; upon arriving at the
cottage, she falls asleep, and the dwarfs agree to let her stay for her safety. During the musical number "
Whistle While You Work", all the characters share in cleaning up the home.
Filming Filming took place in
London,
England from March to July 2022. A fire damaged the production set on March 15 at
Pinewood Studios; the stage was under construction when a tree caught fire according to a worker, leading to the blaze. A source from Disney confirmed that "no filming was underway". The shooting schedule was also reconfigured for Zegler to travel to
Los Angeles to present at the
94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, in support of her
West Side Story colleagues. While Zegler was attending the ceremony, Gadot began filming her scenes. Unlike in the original, her character sings and dances. On April 22, Gadot confirmed that she had completed filming her scenes, much later adding that she enjoyed playing the role of the first
Disney villain and that she was able to make a more dramatic role by changing her voice due to the film being a
musical. On July 13, Zegler revealed that filming had wrapped.
Mandy Moore, known for her work on
La La Land, choreographed the musical sequences. The resulting cut of the film replaced some of the originally intended ending with a new scene involving the Evil Queen and the Magic Mirror. Much of the plotline involving the bandits was excised, as was a song titled "Hidden in My Heart", which was described by
The New York Times as a "second-act…tear-jerker sung by one of the miners." For Snow White, Powell said that she decided to remain faithful to the visual identity of the original Snow White while adapting it for the film's aspects, explaining that the design retained the character’s well-known color palette but introduced subtle changes to create a more realistic and period-appropriate appearance. She stated, "[She] knew [she] couldn’t deviate too far from the iconic color palette of the original Snow White but wanted to create a new version nonetheless." While Snow White's main costume retained its blue bodice with puffed sleeves, it also included a removable blue overskirt that tore away during a forest escape sequence, revealing a yellow skirt made from specially dyed silk beneath and forming a silhouette similar to the animated character. The costume also added long sleeves to its bodice to give it "a more period feel reminiscent of the Middle Ages." In an interview with
Hello!, Powell explained that she intentionally kept the character’s look recognizable because of the cultural importance of the original Disney design. She said, "Everybody knows what Snow White looks like, so there was no way [she] could change it. [She] just did a different version." She also noted that the character’s iconic red headband was removed early in the film to reflect Snow White’s growth throughout the film because she felt it appeared “too childlike." For the Evil Queen, Powell took inspiration from the glamorous evening gowns of the
1930s Golden Age of Hollywood. She explained in an interview with
People that the character’s wardrobe was designed to reflect "glamour and sophistication and yet be intimidating." The costumes featured sleek silhouettes and luxurious materials such as sequins, velvet, and richly colored fabrics. According to Powell, the designs were intended to evoke the figure-hugging, bias-cut gowns worn by classic Hollywood stars while still maintaining a shape reminiscent of medieval fashion. The character's color palette progressed through darker tones to convey a sense of authority and intimidation. Powell also explained that the outfit "had to have a clean silhouette without too much detail to showcase the jewels she accumulates," adding that the crown was inspired by stained-glass windows and the colors of the character’s gemstones. The Evil Queen's iconic outfit from the 1937 original film, which was only worn during the musical sequence "All Is Fair", reportedly took 159 days to complete with a team of artisans working on its design. Powell noted that the character’s wardrobe was meant to project the image of someone "imposing" and impeccably dressed. ==Music==