DMR - Deweys Movie Reviews - Podcast
Welcome to DMR The Official Dewey's Movie Review - Podcast. At DMR, we review all things film, cinema, series, the latest and the greatest! Upcoming films, actor/actress news along with dropping a few impressions as well. DMR's main platform is on IG and can be found at deweysmoviereviews1 Thank you for tuning in and we will see you at the movies! The Red Carpet Treatment 🍿
DMR - Deweys Movie Reviews - Podcast
Episode 114: When Legacy Meets Arrogance: The Snow White Catastrophe
Hollywood's perfect storm has arrived in the form of Disney's live-action Snow White remake, a film that may go down in history as one of the studio's most spectacular failures. With a staggering production and marketing budgets, this reimagining of the 1937 classic is projected to loose eye watering amounts of money.
At the heart of this catastrophe lies a fundamental disconnect between filmmakers and audience expectations. The original Snow White wasn't just any film – it was Walt Disney's revolutionary gamble that changed animation forever. Disney mortgaged his family home to complete what industry insiders mockingly called "Disney's Folly," only to see it earn $8 million during the Great Depression and establish his studio as an entertainment powerhouse.
What went wrong with the remake? The trouble began well before release when lead actress Rachel Zegler made comments dismissing the original as "weird" and criticizing its love story, calling the prince "a guy who literally stalks her." This set the tone for a production that seemed determined to distance itself from rather than honor its source material. The film underwent multiple delays and changes, particularly around the portrayal of the Seven Dwarves, suggesting a production lacking clear creative vision.
The audience response has been historically brutal, with the film currently holding a 1.6/10 rating on IMDB from over 350,000 reviewers – one of the lowest scores for any major studio release. Reviews consistently mention "lifeless" scripts, "artificial" dialogue, "uninspired" performances, and visual effects that fail to create the magic expected from Disney.
This cautionary tale offers a powerful lesson for studios: when reimagining beloved classics that have maintained cultural relevance for generations, respect for the source material isn't optional – it's essential. As we've seen with successful adaptations like Sonic the Hedgehog, listening to audience feedback and honoring what made the original special creates a path to both artistic and commercial success.
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Get away from her. You bitch, and you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee In breach. Get the cat, get rid of the sound. The sound hit me. You're listening to DMI.
Speaker 2:You'll be throwing one of these in with every purchase of 500 million or more. It's a piece. Welcome back to dm. I think we're tuning back in, as always, much uh blad. So I'd been waiting a number of weeks until I was going to do a podcast episode on this. Now, this is not a review of a movie. This is a basically review of what has taken place and the controversy surrounding the latest installment or live action version of Snow White with Rachel Zegler as the main character.
Speaker 2:So this film had a lot going on with it. A lot going on with it was delayed many, many times. It was due to come out, I think maybe 2023, 2024, I think was and it came out in March and I've got to tell you, I have never, ever seen the backlash, rejection and just overall disgust from an audience about a movie ever. I don't think it's wild. I haven't seen the film. I've seen bits and pieces of the film, and this episode is going to be focused around what not to do when leading up to remaking a film that's almost 100 years old. Just incredible scenes that have happened and we're going to go through it. It's just nuts. So here we go. I'm going to kick off with a bit of a sound audio bite from zegla herself and we'll take it from there and then we'll do a deep dive into what made the original film a success versus how everything played out for the 2025 edition. I know that you've told me before that your version of Snow White is different and it's more of a 2022 version of Snow.
Speaker 1:White, what did you mean by that? I mean, you know the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. Um, there's a big focus on her love story, um, with a guy who literally stalks her weird, weird. So we didn't do that this time all right.
Speaker 2:So, as you heard there, ziggler very, very cocky. She's not a fan of the original at all and she's basically calling it weird, weird, weird, whatever, calling the prince a stalker and just really crapping on the original which basically made Disney a huge success from Walt Disney himself back in the day. So yeah, if you're going to be basically portraying in a live action version of such a beloved film, I don't care who you are, I don't care what race you are. You've got to have respect for that original film because generations have grown up with that particular film. And if you're going to be smart about the whole thing, regardless of your political stance on certain topics or your certain viewpoint on certain characters on a time way back when, when things were different, things aren't going to roll out very well for you. I don't think. So let's go over the original film. This is off chat GPT about the success of the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which came out in 1937. So let's have a video of it.
Speaker 2:The original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937, was a groundbreaking success for several reasons. One first full-length animated feature. Walt Disney took a massive risk by creating the first full-length animated feature film. At the time, many in the industry referred to it as Disney's folly, believing audiences wouldn't sit through a 90-minute cartoon Fair call, fair call. However, the film's stunning animation, compelling story and emotional depth proved critics wrong. Two technological innovation. Just before we go any further, apparently, walt mortgaged his house, his family home, to make this movie come out as well. So when you put your balls to the wall and back yourself that hard, you got to have a bit of respect for that, I don't care who you are. That's pretty ballsy, especially for back then, and that would have been post the Depression as well. So yeah, hat off to him. Number two technological innovation Disney used new animation techniques, such as multi-plane camera, which added depth and realism to scenes. The film also featured rich hand painted backgrounds and fluid character animation that were far ahead of their time.
Speaker 2:Three emotional storytelling snow white combined humor, romance, suspense and tragedy in a way that animated films hadn't before. The characters, especially the dwarves, were distinct and lovable, and the evil queen was memorably terrifying. Four the memorable music. The film's songs, included Hi Ho and Someday my Prince Will Come, became instant classics. The soundtrack was one of the first commercially successful movie soundtracks, helping to reinforce the emotional connection audiences felt. Five Cultural Phenomenon when it premiered in December 1937, it was an immediate box office hit, earning over $8 million during the Great Depression and over 150 million dollars today, adjusted for inflation. Okay, so back it up, it would have been worth. It would come out today 150 million, if that makes sense. It set a new standard for animated storytelling and demonstrated animation potential as a serious art form. Six legacy and influence snow white's success enabled walt disney studios to finance future films like pinocchio, fantasia and bambi. It laid the foundations for disney's rise as a global entertainment empire and has remained a cultural touchstone for nearly a century.
Speaker 2:So there you go. That is a bit of a snippet about the first snow white movie, right? So when you've got something of that substance that has been around for almost a hundred years, you have got to wrap that thing in cotton and protect it with all that you can and have a lot of respect for what you're about to put back up on the screen in a live version. Right again, I'm not too focused on who plays what in these films, these live action films white, black, hispanic, chinese, caucasian, whatever. If you've got merit and you've earned the part and you can do it. Okay, all good. Go for god. I'm not going to sit back and say no because of whatever racial viewpoints some other people have. It's not my kind of cup of tea. Whatever you to do, just go ahead and do what you need to do. This isn't because of somebody's racial background where the problem lies. It's what has happened for the lead up to this 2025 film and what they did with the particular storyline. Again, I haven't seen this movie. I'm not going to see this movie.
Speaker 2:These live action replays or reboots or whatever you want to call them, I feel they are very much just cash grabs for this generation, whether it's Disney, whatever Mainly Disney but it's just a big cash grab to get people back into the cinemas. So, as you heard, with that sound clip before, the main character, which is rachel zegler, has basically smashed this particular storyline across the head, calling the prince a stalker, calling it weird, weird, weird, like it's a love story. You heard the snippet that I said before about why it was so successful in 1937 or whatever it was Because during that time it was a Great Depression. Things were very, very bad around the world financially. Then World War II broke out and it changed the course of cinematic history forever. So, as I said, when you've got that, you've got to wrap it in cotton wool, you've got to treat it with respect.
Speaker 2:And unfortunately this film when it was being produced or whatever went through many different changes. It went through many different delays and was supposed to come out in a time when, let's say, for instance I'm not going to go into too many details here about trying to offend people, but when Joe Biden was in power versus now when Trump is in power, especially in America, you know what I'm talking about, with how things over there are a lot different now compared to when Joe Biden was in this film because it was delayed, I feel has come out at the wrong time, when it was due for a certain type of audience a couple of years ago. That clip that I played at the start of the show a bit earlier was a couple of years before this came out. So you've got Rachel Zegler, who has said some political things out there online. You've also got Gal Gadot, who's playing the evil queen. She has her own background as well in her own stance on political views.
Speaker 2:So when you've got the two main characters that are online saying crap about whatever they feel is right, and then people react to that, and then they're supposed to basically have people lining up to pay the ticket stub to go and see this film. It's all just a perfect storm if that makes sense. A perfect storm if that makes sense. So let's go over another clip of Rachel, and this is very cringeworthy, right? It's very, very cringeworthy. Have a listen.
Speaker 1:Everyone who hates when I win the winged victory came to the Louvre in pieces and people still line up to see her. And I can only hope that, despite my flaws and despite my cracks and my breaks and there are many of them that at every premiere and everything I do, people will wait in line to see.
Speaker 2:And nobody did. Nobody lined up to see her. The arrogance, the ego Ooh, that is spicy, very, very spicy. So, as you can hear, when you're younger look, when you're younger and you're in your early 20s you say some cringy stuff, you can say some egotistical stuff. I did right, I did with my career, and some silly things were done. Anyway, you'd say some silly things, but this is hectic, very, very hectic. I'm not being sexist, I'm not having a go at women in general. Okay, so I'm a dad, I've got a beautiful wife. Today is mother's day. I fully respect women. Right, it's got nothing to do with that. This is extremely arrogant for someone to come out and say, yep, you're gonna be lining up and I had to. I don't know my european sculpture art that well, so I had to look up what the winged victory is. It's a statue of a winged angel, whatever, in the louvre, and that's what she's referring to. When it came to the louvre in pieces, the victory people still lined up to see her. And what the hell are you doing, comparing yourself to a very famous piece of artwork in a live action remake of Snow White? Just very, very arrogant.
Speaker 2:So let's go on to the reviews. I'm going to have a look at the reviews on imbd and this is where things absolutely melted down. Melted down, it's got like 1.6 score out of 10 on imbd man man absolutely brutal, 1.6, that's got. It's one of the lowest rated movies on there. So let's go back and have a quick look before we read any of them. So this movie goes for one hour and 50 minutes 1.6 out of 10, and 351,000 people have reviewed this film. I'm looking at a photo of Rachel Zegler I didn't make this up, but some people with the bob haircut that she has saying that she looks like Lord Farquaad from Shrek, which is quite amusing.
Speaker 2:That's pretty funny. That's pretty funny. Again, not being sexist, it's just a funny amusing. That's pretty funny. That's pretty funny. Again, not playing sexist, it's just a funny comment. It's pretty accurate. But yeah, 1.6 out of 10. That is absolutely. Oh man, balls to the wall really. So let's have a look at some of the comments around this. All right, poison apples all around this. Whenever there's a negative hype around a movie, my mindset is always prove them wrong, give it a chance.
Speaker 2:It's diabolical. Honestly, I can't understand how so much money and so much time has gone into this. The final result is cringeworthy. It's an absolute shocker. I am stumped to find any positives. Wow, it's an absolute shocker. I am stumped to find any positives. Wow, it looks and feels so artificial the sets, the animals, the dwarves themselves. I've no words to express my feelings here.
Speaker 2:The biggest catastrophe, not what I was expecting. If I'm honest, the worst offender is gaga dot. She simply looks sensational, but her performance she's going to scoop some unwanted awards, is fair to say. What I wasn't expecting was just how poor the costumes would look on screen. Snow White just doesn't translate very well the hairstyle what are they thinking? Disney? What on earth have you done? Wow. Next one let's have a quick look. Jesus, this one's in-depth. Maybe that one's a bit too long. Let's have a look here. They're all pretty long. One out of ten garbage.
Speaker 2:Snow white remake. Set out to modernize the classic fairy tale, but it ultimately leaves audiences disappointed. The film fails to stay true to the original story, whilst also struggling to establish its own identity. First and foremost, the lifeless script is a major issue. The character's lack of depth, the die dialogues feel artificial and there's no emotional connection with the audience. Key elements of the fairy tale have been altered, but rather than making the story more engaging, these changes strip it of its essence. The performances aren't particularly impressive either. Rachel Zegler's portrayal of Snow White lacks charisma and inspiration, making the character feel ordinary and, at times, unlikable. Additionally, the characters replacing the Seven Dwarves are weakly designed and serve no meaningful purpose in the story.
Speaker 2:When it comes to visuals and production quality, the film is shockingly mediocre For Disney's production. The CGI looks cheap, backgrounds feel artificial and, instead of creating a magical atmosphere, the movie ends up looking dull and uninspired. Ultimately, this film feels like disney is turning its back on its own legacy. Holy crap, wow, wow, wow, wow. It doesn't come across as a loving modernized of a beloved classic, but rather a project driven by political correctness with little artistic vision. The result question mark a failed adaptation that never satisfies old fans nor captivates new audiences. Another remake where dizzy continues to kill the magic of its classic animations boom. So right there. That is just insane, insane. Just those two reviews alone is very, very heavy stuff. What's interesting is that, over on rotten tomatoes, the scores for the critics are somewhat better, but still a splat at 40 and the audience score is at 72, so there's a huge divide there from those two parties. But just getting back to those reviews, it sounds like absolute crap. Disney have really got to stop doing these adaptations.
Speaker 2:I don't really believe them, as I said before, I just think they're cash grabs. But obviously something's not working there. Something is really, really wrong. For instance, I was a fan of the Disney channel but I have unsubscribed to it as of late I just wasn't watching it. And, for instance, I'm a big fan of Star Wars. Some of the Star Wars series are bang on, other ones are not. Like the acolyte, that was one of the ones that was on recently. Six episodes, I think, it was, maybe, off the top of my head, six or eight, I can't remember dull, extremely dull stuff in terms of just the characters that were in it and just the storyline. Very, very weak, very, very weak. It was set like a hundred years ago, before revenge of the sith, where the jedi were well in power and there was sith fighting around. It was just they made the jedi's very, very weak and it was just wasn't good. So something really needs to change at disney if these guys are going to be producing good stuff Like you.
Speaker 2:Have a look at some of the movies that came out, like, for instance, toy Story, leo and Stitch, stuff like that. You know what I mean. That's good content. Kids like watching that stuff. Lion King there's heaps of good Disney animations that are out there and it's kept political views out of it. It's kept it out of it and that's why they've done very well. There is one live action that's coming up Leo and Stitch. My son who's four, axel. We've started to go to the movies so I have seen some live action stuff and, for instance, the stuff that works for I think it was.
Speaker 2:What was it? Sonic 3? I think it was. That was his first movie. A la sonic played it in the 90s on sega big fan event. Hadn't watched the first two, didn't need to. With the third one jim carrey, awesome Dr Robotnik, unbelievable, very, very good screen adaptation or live action version of a beloved character. And using that as an example, when they first had the image of what Sonic would look like, the internet went into meltdown saying this is crap, we do not want this. And guess what? The directors, producers, whatever, listened to that, fixed it up and it's been an absolutely knockout of a sensational movie because they listened to what the audience was, which is, stay true to the original content. All right, so, to wrap it up, I'm going to go over a quick synopsis of what happened with this movie and how it failed. All right, so here we go on chat gpt.
Speaker 2:So disney's live action remake of snow white 2025 has become one of the studio's most expensive films to date. The production alone is reported to be between $240 to $269 million. That's eye-watering, goddammit. When factoring in marketing and distributing costs, the total expenditure is estimated to be around $350 million, and I've heard that usually with a film, it's double for what the actual budget is. So let's work on the laram 240 million. You're going to be looking at 500 million in total, right?
Speaker 2:Despite the substantial investment, the film's box office performance has been underwhelming. As late as march 2025, snow white had grossed approximately 143 million worldwide, falling short of its break-even point. The industry analysts suggest the film will need to earn 500 million globally to be considered profitable. Several factors may have contributed to the film's disappointing performance, including controversy surrounding lead actress Rachel Zegler and marketing campaign that has perceived as less aggressive compared to Disney's remakes. Disney's live-action Snow White has been one of the studio's most significant financial disappointments. Despite an estimated production and marketing budget of $410 million Okay, that's getting closer the film's global box office earnings have been underwhelming. As late as april 2025, the film had grossed approximately 194.7 million worldwide, falling short of the break-even point. Analysts project a final global box office between 225 million to 310 million, indicating a potential loss of 100 million to 145 million. The underperformance has been attributed to various factors, including controversy surrounding okay, we've already read that stuff. In summary, snow white remake is expected to result a financial loss of at least 100 million. Yeah, yeah, okay, cool. So that's basically it in a nutshell.
Speaker 2:But leading up to this, we saw some images of the dwarves, or little people. It started with a bunch of mismatched people. Some were little people I'm not going to call them dwarves little people some were little people playing the seven dwarves in the film and they were tall, medium, normal size, some little people. And then they scrapped. That went with cgi versions of it, and then I've seen a snapshot of the film towards the end and there is an actual, real live little person in the film. In the film. That's not one of the dwarves in the film, it's just nuts. It's just crazy. And our end result has come to basically snapshots of empty cinemas all around the world.
Speaker 2:So again, this must be a huge learning curve for Disney that this stuff ain't working. If it's not broken, Don't fix it. They've absolutely crapped on an original Version that was beloved by very Many generations around the world and it's all gone. Pear shaped Minecraft came out out, went, took my boy to that another live action version of a game. It's absolutely killing it. And it put the nail in the coffin for snow white, which came out a couple of weeks later and an amazing film had a great time with that. But this is a huge learning curve. So thank you for tuning in to dmar. This was a bit of a special episode because again, it's not a movie review, it's a review of the shocking reaction to what people thought of this particular film. Basically boycotted it. It's nuts. So, as always, ladies on the men jay, you just experienced the lr, the red carpet treatment, look.
Speaker 1:But don't touch touch, but don't touch Touch but don't taste.
Speaker 2:Taste, Don't swallow. And this is how I met Tyler Durden. Did you know? If you mixed equal parts of gasoline and frozen orange juice concentrate, you can make napalm. Uh.
Speaker 1:Cora. Before you go, will you tell Miss Lowe goodbye. Do what now? I said tell Miss Lowe goodbye, Bye, Miss Lowe.