But what do children think of it? Ben Dowell, deputy TV critic for The Times, and Ed Potton, deputy film critic, dispatched their own kids to find out. Here is what they thought.
Daisy Dowell, 16
I liked the story of a female lead not being rescued by the prince because it sends out a good message to girls. But I felt this message was shoved down my throat a bit. It could have been done with more subtlety.
The songs also felt unoriginal and were a bit forgettable. I can’t hum any of the new ones and the only one I do remember — called Princess Problems — felt slightly annoying. The older songs are lodged in my brain as I have seen the 1930s original, which I preferred. This live-action version probably had too much action, too much going on.
However, when Snow White sang Whistle While You Work and got the dwarfs (or magical creatures, as I think we have to call them now) to do the tidying, it sent a feminist message which I enjoyed and appreciated along with the fact that she didn’t wait for her prince to come along.
I see on social media that some people don’t like Rachel Zegler, who played Snow White. I quite liked her, and the Wicked Queen, played by Gal Gadot, who probably would have scared a younger me — though I would have had to have been five or so for that to happen.
I’m fairly glad I saw it. It was, well, OK … If I was reviewing it, I’d give it three stars.
Izzy Potton, 14
I found Snow White nostalgic because I used to love the original film. The new one included familiar details like the dress and an apple replacing Snow White’s heart.
One way the new film differed from the original was the portrayal of Snow White’s love life. In the old version she was coupled with a perfect prince who seemed to be her main interest, whereas in the new version she is with a bandit who doesn’t steal her spotlight. She was more independent in this film — not just thinking about boys — which better reflects how women think today. It was a more refreshing concept, considering the original was made in 1937 and ideas have changed.
s for the dwarfs, I wouldn’t say it was weird that they were CGI. It was a respectful decision even though it may have looked better if they were real people.
Rachel Zegler is an amazing singer — I knew she could sing but I didn’t know how good she was, so her performance surprised me. I can really picture her as Snow White. However, she could have been more expressive. Gal Gadot is a great actress and her costume was beautiful but she wasn’t evil enough as the queen for my liking. I would compare her to my mum when she’s angry at me rather than a despicable villain.
I would give the film three and a half stars.
Arlo Potton, ten
My favourite part of Snow White was the scene where Dopey the dwarf spoke for the first time. I also liked all the loud fighting scenes in the forest.
I haven’t seen the original Snow White but I know it is a classic story about a young princess who is heartbroken after her mother dies. Then, suddenly, an undercover evil queen kills her father.
My least favourite dwarfs were probably Happy and Grumpy — Happy just kept on laughing at Dopey when the bowl of porridge landed on his head. The thing about the dwarfs, though, is that they were CGI. Lots of people were saying they didn’t like this but I actually thought it was a good idea because it made the dwarfs looks more they did in the original film.
Snow White is a very nice young woman: she cares for everything, especially nature and all the animals living in it. She never raises her voice or shouts at people, she just tells them what she thinks so everybody knows. And still she is not treated the way she deserves.
My star rating would be three and a half stars.
