Snow White 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Snow White 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 16, 2025

Is the original 1937 animated version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs dated? Of course, but that may either redound to the film's benefit, if one is a fan of nostalgia and vintage charm, or to the film's detriment, if one is averse to some potentially troubling elements, including such cited "issues" as a man planting a kiss on an unconscious woman and/or the use of "dwarfs" in the very title of the film. One way or the other, were audiences somehow clamoring for a live action remake of what was at the time of the animated version's production a fairly risky move for Walt Disney? If so, that hue and cry certainly never reached my personal vicinity. The original Snow White may indeed have been a huge risk for Disney, if also an incredibly innovative one, with Walt and his team trying to produce and market a feature length "cartoon", though it was a risk that obviously ended up paying enormous dividends. That success and its inherent gambling may therefore be arguably diminished somewhat by the studio's almost relentless push to remake previous efforts in new if not exactly improved versions, and over the course of the last several years in particular, though actually stretching back literally decades by now, a veritable glut of either flat out live action or photorealistic CGI remakes of earlier animated efforts have appeared. Only a partial list includes The Jungle Book (1994), 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, The Jungle Book (2016), Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, and their latest effort as of the writing of this review (and one which is setting box office records), Lilo & Stitch.

The fact that as of the writing of this review Lilo & Stitch seems poised to be another huge box office bonanza for Disney suggests that these live action remakes are not in and of themselves an issue, other than perhaps that there are so many of them. But Snow White would seem to be a particularly "thorny"* source for this remake obsession, if not for some of the above "nay voter" reasons, then for the very "yea vote" reason that the original film is considered to be such a classic, despite any niggling qualms contemporary sensibilities may try to superimpose on it. In that regard, it's rather interesting to compare and contrast quasi "making of" supplements on both this disc and the relatively recent reviewed Mufasa: The Lion King 4K, in that both pay deliberate almost hagiographical homage to the original films that inspired them (in the case of Mufasa, that means the 1994 The Lion King, not the CGI suffused remake).

All of this is to say, while probably damning with faint praise, this particular Snow White was not the unmitigated disaster I had been led to believe by all sorts of preliminary press reports and reviewers (and you know how they can be). There are some of the same "Disneyfied" modernizing approaches here, including yet another huge multiracial cast that may at least help ameliorate the lack of people (and/or dwarves) "of color" in the 1937 version (despite its three strip Technicolor blandishments). There's also the tendency toward what might be considered "woke" sensibilities, something that seems to really instigate umbrage in some. Here it's subtext that includes everything from environmentalism to what might be thought of as indigenous rights.

And the powers that be have interpolated a host of new, more contemporary sounding tunes courtesy of "it" collaborators Pasek and Paul. Their songs are frequently winning, though many of them feature triplet underpinnings, so that a glut of either 6/8 or 4/4 songs with a 12/8 underbeat left me feeling like the score was made up of sea shanties after a while. Their songs for the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) were a bit on the lackluster side, obviously meant to ape "villain production numbers" in other Disney outings, but several of the songs for Snow White (Rachel Zegler) have that "new" Disney heroine sound down pat, and a duet called "A Hand Meets a Hand" for Snow White and this film's version of Prince Charming, Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), is a real standout (and it might be salient to note that it is the one ostensible Pasek-Paul tune written in collaboration with Lizzie McAlpine). There are several newly expanded lyrics for tunes from the 1937 version which are not exactly models of Sondheimian craft, so to speak.

In terms of actual plot changes, it might be jokingly argued that this Snow White is actually cosplaying as Cinderella, since she is more or less consigned to being a scullery maid by her evil stepmother (and when pray tell will another live action Cinderella be coming along, since it is apparently preordained that one is coming?). The change from the prince to Jonathan is perhaps a distinction without a difference, but the "development" (such as it is) of the relationship between Snow White and her would be suitor/savior maybe makes that big kiss a bit more "acceptable" for the #metoo generation.

*One of the many variant versions of Snow White has the princess being put into her "deep sleep" by a poisoned thorn on a rose rather than a poisoned apple.

Snow White 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Snow White is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa as having captured the often stunning imagery, and while as of the writing of this review there's no listing for the resolution of the DI, a source capture resolution of 4.5K is listed, so I'm assuming this had a 4K DI (as always with my reviews, if anyone has verifiable information to the contrary, private message me, and I'll happily update things here). This is another gobsmackingly gorgeous transfer from Disney, one that seamlessly blends CGI with practical elements and which delivers consistently excellent detail levels throughout. The uptick in fine detail from Disney's perfectly excellent 1080 presentation is observable from the get go, in something as picayune as the texture of the "fabric" underneath the fairy tale book seen in the opening. But throughout this 4K version, the already impressive clarity and general detailing of the 1080 version receives even more precision here. The palette virtually explodes a lot of the time, and elements like Snow's bright yellow dress or (probably especially) the teal and jade drenched scenes with the Evil Queen have noticeable highlights courtesy of Dolby Vision / HDR. I will say in passing that while a lot of the CGI, including the seven dwarfs and/or dwarves and/or little people, is quite winning, whoever did the animal designs for the scene where Snow awakens in the forest after her ordeal with the huntsman might want to dial down the mind altering drugs they seem to have taken.

Snow White 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney once again is offering an Atmos track on their 4K disc, with the included 1080 disc featuring DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. I'd probably argue there's not a huge difference between the two, but certain kind of gonzo set pieces like the minecar ride by the seven dwarfs and even some of the Magic Mirror material do noticeably engage the Atmos speakers and can provide at least a bit more of an immersive listening experience than the 7.1 track on the 1080 disc. A glut of background forest sounds is noticeably evident throughout much of the central section of the film. The music is beautifully spacious and some lovely orchestrations offer some really warm and inviting "beds" of sound that are comfortably ensconced in both the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Snow White 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Song Selection allows direct access to individual songs, or as a collective courtesy of a Play All option.


• Sing Along with the Movie option is accessible under the Play Menu.

1080 Disc

• Fearless, Fair, Brave and True: Making Snow White (HD; 11:40) is an appealing EPK with some good interviews and a lot of references to the impact of the 1937 version.


• Merry Tunes (HD; 9:29) focuses on the score.


• Fairy Tale Fashion (HD; 8:53) looks at costume design.


• Bloopers (HD; 2:28)


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 2:20)


• Song Selection allows direct access to individual songs, or as a collective courtesy of a Play All option.


• Sing Along with the Movie option is accessible under the Play Menu.

Disney's SteelBook is something of a, well, Grimm affair in that the front panel in particular offers a somewhat spooky look through either a portal or perhaps the Magic Mirror going "faceless", with Snow and her animal cohort threatened by the Evil Queen in her hag guise. The back panel features our lovable dwarfs traipsing across a tree fallen over a crevasse. The interior panels offer a close-up of a certain poisoned apple. A digital copy is included.

Snow White 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Was this live action remake strictly necessary? Of course not. But as far as these things go, this version has some stunning visuals and at least some occasionally enjoyable new music. Zegler is winning as our heroine, but I kind of surprisingly found Gadot to be a less than convincing arch villain(ness). Technical merits are first rate and the supplements brief but enjoyable. With caveats noted, Recommended.