Snow White's Teaser Trailer Got an Iconic Scene Wrong (2024)

The upcoming live-action remake of Snow White has been anticipated for years now, but it's already fairly contentious. This is partially due to the growing antipathy towards Disney's live-action remakes, not to mention the potential changes being made to the iconic story. One such change can even be seen in the movie's trailer, and it showcases just how divergent the story will be from what audiences are used to.

For one, the Evil Queen in the Snow White Trailer seems to be campier and more cartoony than her animated counterpart. Likewise, her main premise now seems to primarily focus on her vanity, which completely diminishes what makes the character so terrifying in the original 1937 animated feature. In doing so, the movie is set to reduce one of the most iconic Disney villains into a shadow of her true self.

Snow White Messes Up 'Magic Mirror on the Wall' Scene

Among the many iconic scenes recreated in live-action that are shown in the trailer for Snow White is one where the Evil Queen summons the council of her Magic Mirror. Thankfully, the movie correctly quotes the villain, as she says "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" instead of the erroneous "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all" that some believe she's supposed to say. Unfortunately, this is the extent of what the scene gets right in adapting the classic Disney era movie, as shown by the glimpses of the queen's personality. The Evil Queen gleefully and playfully asks the mirror questions, cartoonishly adjusting her crown all the while.

This matches up with statements made by Evil Queen actress Gal Gadot, who has spoken about how this version of the villain will be a bit more energetic than her 1937 counterpart. Apparently, her Evil Queen will even have her own song and this time around to match the rest of the musical. This is a completely wrong direction for the iconic character, as the Evil Queen isn't supposed to be a "fun" villain. Instead, she represents evil in its most dangerous form, as the combination of her vanity, hatred and envy create a cold, harsh personality within her. This sense of dread also gave her a majestic tone, and it's hard for this to coincide with her other mannerisms. From the trailer alone, it's obvious that the regal presence of the classic Evil Queen will not be adapted, and her sometimes goofy actions are just one manifestation of this.

The Evil Quinn's Hatred Motivating Her to Kill Snow White Makes Her Scary

In the original fairy tale and the 1937 animated Disney adaptation, the Evil Queen is jealous and envious of Snow White, who's actually her stepdaughter. This is somewhat based out of fear that the young lady will become more beautiful than her, but even if this was not true, she would still have a grudge against her. Ultimately, the Evil Queen is true to her name, as she callously seeks to remove her rival from the equation, by any means necessary. At first, she forces Snow White to be a maid in her own house, even making her dress in tattered rags and pauper's clothes. When even this isn't enough, she aims to kill the young girl, even having her huntsman assassinate the princess.

Of course, the Huntsman refuses this task, and it's suggested that the Evil Queen has him killed upon realizing this. This is what makes the Evil Queen so scary: she stops at nothing to outright kill those who stand in her way. Given that this was in a family movie from the 1930s, it seems almost jarring that a villain would be portrayed in so dark a fashion. Adding to her evil is the fact that she never jokes and always speaks in a taciturn manner, complete with a transatlantic accent. Whereas many Disney villains since then have been characterized by catchphrases or humorous aspects, these elements were nowhere to be found with the Evil Queen. Her seriousness is what made her so terrifying, which is why making her "livelier" through song, dance and camp is such a bad idea.

Even compared to the likes of The Lion King's Scar or Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Evil Queen's villainy reaches a higher level. The former feels scorned by the fact that his brother leads the lions of Pride Rock, which is why he plots against him. Likewise, the hypocritical fiend Frollo is supposedly "tempted" by his fiery desire for Esmeralda, and his own religious leanings are completely at odds with his actions. While these aspects don't justify the villainy of these antagonists, it does give them a degree of layers. On the other hand, the Evil Queen is simply evil, and she has no real reason for this outlook beyond her own vile heart. This actually makes her more interesting to watch, and it seems this is being diminished in the live-action remake.

Downplaying the Evil Queen's Hatred Diminishes What Makes Her Scary

Of course, vanity is a big part of the Evil Queen's character, which is why she constantly asks her mirror about the identity of the fairest in the land. This isn't the only part of her villainy, however, and Snow White's beauty is only one aspect of why the queen despises her so. Snow White is loved by those who know her, even with the Evil Queen trying to make her less appealing and attractive. This is due to more than just the fact that Snow White is beautiful, as she's also a caring, gracious and loving young lady. Thus, when she grows up and is able to take the throne for herself, she would easily be able to wrest power from the queen. After all, her rule would reflect the popularity that Snow White would attain through her kindness, while the Evil Queen's rule is merely a reflection of her forcefulness and hatred.

In the end, the Evil Queen is purely driven by her hatred and envy, and isn't a misunderstood or tragic character. Still, there are layers to her immorality that make her so fascinating, and they're completely lost if her issues with Snow White are merely based on vanity. The Evil Queen is actually fearful and insecure, as she sees her own reign potentially slipping through her hands. Snow White, even in rags, easily attracts the amorous ambitions of Prince Charming, which is something that the queen would have had much more issue with. After all, her reputation precedes her, with even the dwarfs knowing of her evil and black magic. Likewise, they're also aware of who Snow White is, and she's clearly the more popular of the two. Emphasizing the Evil Queen's vanity does away with a lot of this, and feels particularly clichéd.

The idea of a female character or villain who's more obsessed with her appearance than anything else isn't exactly encouraging, at least when the character in question is supposed to be much more than that. Further compounding the issue is the fact that many of the rumored plot elements in the Snow White remake are supposedly being made in order to make the story more "modern and progressive." If this is truly the case, then devolving the female villain in such a way completely flies in the face of these controversial changes. In essence, the Evil Queen becomes more of a parody of herself than a true reinterpretation. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a year to see if this is actually how the villain is handled, but for now, it seems as if the Evil Queen is one of several things in the new version of Snow White that are far from the fairest of them all.

Snow White debuts in theaters on March 21, 2025.

Snow White

Adventure

Drama

Fantasy

Director

Marc Webb

Release Date

May 22, 2024

Cast

Gal Gadot , Rachel Zegler , Andrew Burnap , Ansu Kabia

Writers

Greta Gerwig , Erin Cressida Wilson

Main Genre

Adventure