Heigh-Ho, heigh-ho, it's off to the live-action Snow White we go! This spring, the first Disney Princess is getting a reimagining played by Hunger Games' Rachel Zegler, and the first footage has just been released at D23 Expo. You can check out the first trailer above.
While this isn't the first time we've seen Zegler in the princess' iconic dress, the trailer does mark the debut of Gal Gadot, our former Wonder Woman turning into the Evil Queen. Take a look:
Well, doesn't she look simply diabolical? Stylistically, Disney is really going all out on preserving the designs and aesthetics that got Walt Disney Animation off the ground with feature film making back in 1937. Zegler's dress is nearly identical to the animated Snow, and Gadot is definitely channeling the baddie from the classic.
The trailer also offers a bit of Zegler singing some of the memorable tunes from the original movie, like "Whistle While You Work," or being sat in front of a wishing well for the first number "I'm Wishing." There's also a brief look at Snow White's prince, played by Andrew Burnap in the trailer, as well.
Despite Zegler being hit with backlash over this casting, she looks like she will absolutely embody the role of Snow White, and I particularly cannot wait to hear her sing the Disney songs I grew up with. She has a beautiful voice that she has showcased in West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The original Snow White movie is not a complicated story. I do wonder what changes will be made to reimagine it after all this time. Last year, Zegler did go viral for allegedly being fired from the role (which was clearly not true) after she said Snow White will not be "saved" by a prince this time, which led to a lot of hate. How will her story differ?
Gadot, on the other hand, looks like she's having an absolute blast as Evil Queen. After seeing her play a superhero for the Wonder Woman movies, I want to see her in this, and after seeing her in this trailer, I get the vision for this casting.
This new Snow White movie was actually supposed to be part of 2024 movies, which would have lined up a bit better with Disney's recent 100-year anniversary. However, the movie was struck with a big delay towards the end of last year when the studio announced moving down its release date an entire year. This was allegedly due to the SAG-AFTRA strike that was ongoing at the time. Rumors also came out that Disney moved the movie because they were nervous about it bombing at the box office.
Snow White is hitting theaters on March 21, 2025, without any other big movies out at the same time. The first trailer unveiled at D23 definitely has me sold on the main two roles and its gorgeous visuals.
