Snow White Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Snow White 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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Snow White is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p 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). I'll once again cut to the chase and pretty strongly recommend those with an interest in this title who have the appropriate equipment to opt for Disney's 4K UHD release, since it offers some noticeable improvements in both detail levels and probably especially palette nuance. That said, this is another gobsmackingly gorgeous 1080 transfer from Disney, one that seamlessly blends CGI with practical elements and which delivers consistently excellent detail levels throughout. Detail levels throughout this 1080 version are consistently inviting, and both practical items like sets and costumes as well as the glut of CGI characters tend to offer really precise fine detail levels almost all of the time. The palette virtually explodes regularly, and while the 4K UHD version certainly benefits from Dolby Vision / HDR, those with "only" SDR 1080 playback options are going to be in for a treat themselves. The production design is really candy colored a lot of the time, but the spooky teal to jade tones used for many of the Evil Queen sequences are really quite evocative.

Snow White Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney once again is offering an Atmos track on their 4K release, while this standalone 1080 disc offers DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 as its surround option. I'd probably argue there's not a huge difference between the two, but as with the video side of things, yes, there is probably some clear new immersion available in the Atmos version when compared to this option (see my 4K review for some examples). The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track on this disc is nonetheless hugely enjoyable and offers a frequently sumptuous surround listening experience. Ambient environmental sounds are near nonstop in the forest sequences, but even some of the Magic Mirror material can offer near whirlwinds of panning spookiness. The score is very well rendered throughout, and the orchestral backgrounds in particular reside quite discernably in the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Snow White Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 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.

Note: Disney sent their 4K SteelBook release (which includes a 1080 disc) for purposes of this review. It looks like this standalone 1080 release offers a DVD, digital copy and slipcover.

Snow White 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.