Snow White live-action movie: Release date, plot, trailer and latest news

Marc Webb is set to direct the remake of Disney's very first animated film, with Marc Platt producing and Dear Evan Hansen's Benj Pasek and Justin Paul writing new songs for the upcoming movie.

Read on for everything you need to know about the Snow White live-action film, including when it's set to be released and who's set to star.

Snow White live-action movie UK release date

The film is scheduled to be released in UK cinemas on 21st March 2025.

The Hollywood premiere took place on 15th March, but was scaled back amid the film’s controversies.

Ahead of the premiere, which would usually include a large-scale red carpet event with press outlets invited to interview the stars, Variety reported that it would only involve photographers and in-house crew.

The upcoming live-action Snow White movie isn't the only upcoming Disney live-action remake fairytale fans have to look forward to, with Lilo & Stitch, Moana, Tangled and Hercules on the way.

• Watch the original Snow White on Disney Plus - £4.99 a month or £89.90 for a year subscription

Snow White 2025 cast: Who stars in the live-action remake?

Deadline confirmed back in 2022 that West Side Story star Rachel Zegler had been cast as Snow White.

Zegler beat more than 30,000 actresses for the role of Maria when she was just 17 and replied to a casting call she saw on X (then called Twitter). She also starred in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Zegler is the first Colombian-Polish actress to play a Disney Princess and joins an illustrious alumni of actresses who have tackled the Snow White role including Lily Collins in Mirror, Mirror, Sarah Patterson in Snow White, and Ginnifer Goodwin in Once Upon a Time.

Zegler shared her excitement on social media following the announcement.

Later in 2022, Deadline announced that Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot was in negotiations to play the Evil Queen in the live-action remake.

Gadot told Entertainment Weekly in September 2022 that she was "all in", saying "to be able to tell her story and to get under her skin was an incredible process".

"I enjoyed it so much that I even took it home, and I changed my voice, and I used my body as a way to express her even more," the actress continued. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to play such an iconic villain."

Meanwhile, Andrew Burnap (The Chaperone) is set to play the male lead role of Jonathan, a new invention set to replace the original prince.

In March 2023, Burnap told Man About Town that, although he plays the love interest, "it's no longer a princess waiting to be saved by a prince".

Ansu Kabia (Murder on the Orient Express) will star as the Huntsman, who is the Evil Queen's servant in the 1937 film, Emilia Faucher (CODA) will star as young Snow White, and Patrick Page – who previously played Scar in The Lion King musical on Broadway – will play the Magic Mirror.

It has also been announced that Martin Klebba (Jurassic World) will provide the voice of the digitally-rendered Grumpy in the new film, while Jeremy Swift (Gosford Park) will voice Doc, the leader of the seven dwarves.

Meanwhile, George Salazar (Superstore) will voice Happy, Andy Grotelueschen (The Good Wife) will voice Sleepy, Tituss Burgess (Central Park) will voice Bashful, Jason Kravits (The Practice) will voice Sneezy, and Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen) will voice Dopey.

The script will be written by Erin Cressida Wilson, who wrote Girl on the Train, and Marc Platt is producer.

Marc Webb will direct – you may know him from 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man. Webb previously told Deadline: "Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence, and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale."

Snow White live-action movie plot: What is Disney changing?

Walt Disney's original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale and was the very first animation released by the studio.

The remake is set to expand the story and music, so think along the lines of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin – the former saw Belle take more of a lead role and added a feminist message, whereas the latter saw Princess Jasmine push back against her father herself and had her sing her own Speechless song to capture the feeling of being treated differently as a woman.

Snow White often comes under fire when people discuss consent – she's kissed while asleep by a prince – so we anticipate some changes around that.

Cast member Burnap's recent comments strengthen this theory, with the actor – who's set to play male lead Jonathan – recently telling Man About Town of his character: "[He's] less of a full-on prince and more of a reluctant hero."

However, with exact plot details yet to be revealed, we'll have to wait and see exactly what the remake will look like.

Snow White 2025 remake controversy explained

Following the announcement of Zegler’s casting back in 2022, there was backlash from conservative critics over the actress, who is of Colombian-Polish descent, playing the character who, in the 19th century Grimms fairy tale, is described as having “skin as white as snow”.

Zegler faced criticism in 2022 at the D23 Expo when she described the original film as “dated” and added that Prince Charming “literally stalks” Snow White.

She sparked controversy again in 2023 when she suggested the remake would be more feminist than the original film, saying in an interview: "It’s no longer 1937... She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be."

After some commentators took issue with the story change, Zegler responded to the backlash in an interview with Variety, saying that her comments were wrongly interpreted as being critical of the original film – and that she believes Snow White can want both love and independence.

The film has also been criticised by Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, with the star accusing Disney of “hypocrisy” over the movie, citing the fairy tale’s “backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.”

"Literally no offence to anyone, but I was a little taken aback – they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White," he said on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. "But you're still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me."

He continued: "You're progressive in one way but then you're still making that f**king backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I'm not loud enough."

Disney responded to Dinklage’s criticisms in a statement, which read: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.

"We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period."

The film has also faced backlash for plot changes to the 1937 original, with the son of one of the 1937 movie’s animators and supervising director, David Hand, criticising changes to the storyline.

He told The Telegraph: "It's a whole different concept, and I just totally disagree with it.

"Their thoughts are just so radical now. They change the stories, they change the thought process of the characters... They’re making up new woke things, and I’m just not into any of that."

However, both Zegler and the film's director Webb have said the new movie honours the original while introducing it to a new generation.

In a recent interview with Vogue Mexico, Zegler explained: “It’s very important for the public to know that Disney has found this beautiful and delicate balance between the 1937 animated classic that everyone knows and loves, and at the same time, introduces it to this new generation.”

Meanwhile, in notes shared with press, director Webb said it was important for the new film "to honour the DNA of Snow White".

He added: "The original Snow White didn’t break the mould... it created the mould. Somehow, Walt Disney connects to something inside of us, a kind of childlike wonder and optimism.

"But there was also an opportunity to re-tell the mythology to reflect the times that we’re in, and I think all good stories evolve over time. They become reflections of the world that we live in and what we want the world to be to a degree.”

What songs will feature in the Snow White live-action movie?

Along with the beloved songs from the original 1937 film's soundtrack, the remake will also include new songs written by La La Land's Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

One of these new songs is Waiting on a Wish, which fans were first given a glimpse at in the film's first trailer, which was released back in December 2023.

"Benj and Justin came up with the idea of Waiting on a Wish, inspired by the iconic wishing well first introduced to audiences in the animated Snow White,” Platt previously shared. “They have written a truly beautiful song for our new film that is bound to become iconic in its own right.”

On 4th March 2025, the song was released to the public and you can check it out below.

Snow White live-action trailer

Yes, Disney released the official trailer for the film back in December 2023, giving fans a first look at Zegler in action as she interacts with the Evil Queen and the seven dwarves.

Watch below:

Snow White will be released in UK cinemas on 21st March 2025. Watch the original Snow White on Disney Plus - £4.99 a month or £89.90 for a year subscription

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