Snow White: The trailer for Snow White: Mirror, Mirror of Mine is finally out, sparking heated discussions here at Behind the Screens. I admit: at some point, I got a little discouraged with the film. But after this trailer, I think we have a lot to talk about! Did I scare you? I’m going to analyze everything that happened in the trailer, compare it to the history of classic animation and discuss the new elements they brought to this version.
“This was my father’s kingdom…”
Hi people and Magic Mirrors, all good? I am Augustulyn and welcome to Imagidear! Today I’m not going to react to the trailer because I know you’ve already seen it and were as excited as I was. So let’s go straight to analysis!
The trailer starts with a scene from Snow White in the castle, possibly cleaning. This already refers to the original animation. But then we see something new: ”This was my father’s kingdom, a place of justice.” This sentence makes it clear that the live-action wants to go beyond the history of the princess, exploring her childhood alongside the good, the powerful king. When he died, he left the kingdom in the hands of the tyrant Evil Queen.
One curiosity: although Snow White’s father never appeared in the original animation, it was already mentioned in one of the official Disney books, which tells the story of a princess still a child, living an adventure next to him. Here, it’s clear that the film draws inspiration from other Disney media to enrich the narrative..
I really liked this idea of exploring Snow White’s childhood and giving more depth to the story. However, I have some reservations which I have already mentioned.
“The Queen changed everything…“
In the film, we will have a greater focus on the government of the Evil Queen. While in animation she was just a terrible stepmother, here we will actually see her role as a tyrant queen that governs the kingdom with cruelty. This new approach promises to add more layers for the character, who, despite being a villain, seems to be an imposing political figure.
And speaking of which, we have an interesting scene in the throne room. The design is significantly different from the animation, where the Queen’s throne featured a majestic peacock aesthetic with intricately carved feathers.. In the live-action, the throne It’s simpler, almost minimalist, although it still maintains elements of peacock in the details of lights and without a backrest. Despite these references, I thought the throne lost some of the visual impact of the animated version.
“The Queen changed everything…“
Another significant change is the introduction of Jonathan, the replacement for the prince in the film. He is a common resident of the kingdom and serves as romantic interest of Snow White. Jonathan has a Robin Hood vibe, fighting the Evil Queen’s injustices and aiding the poor villagers.
Replacing the prince with a character like Jonathan makes a lot of sense in the narrative. First, because it adds more fight weight and Snow White for the kingdom; second, because it reinforces the connection of the princess with her people. Furthermore, if she fell in love with a prince, you would probably end up leaving your kingdom to rule alongside him. Here, the story focuses on a Snow White who wants to recover the throne of your good and govern with justice.
It is worth remembering that this approach is not completely new. Other versions of the story, such as Once Upon a Time and Snow White and the Huntsman, also showed the princess fighting to regain your kingdom. However, it is interesting to see Disney following this path live-action, bringing a protagonist active and decisive.
“Come and avenge your father, who was too weak to lift his sword.”
The idea of White of Snow fighting for your kingdom makes sense for the kind heart of the character. Instead of abandoning your people, she chooses to face the Evil Queen and try to change the destiny of the kingdom. This reinforces your essence like a princess who doesn’t shy away from challenges.
For me, this version of Snow White is promising an approach modern and at the same time respectful with the essence of the story. I still have some doubts and fears about how these changes will be executed, but I’m curious to see the end result. And you, what did you think of the trailer?
Let us comment on your opinions, theories and everything else. Let’s continue this conversation!
One thing that Snow White always does is bring up discussions about visuals and characterization. Here, I need to comment: I found interesting the design of Evil Queen, but I feel lack that iconic aesthetic that to Disney created for the character. To me, it seems more like a generic version from other queens more seen in adaptations that are not Disney. An Evil Queen of the original animation is extremely feature, and I missed seeing the film use its own character with all its might. visual strength that she carries.
That said, throughout the film, it seems that the Queen gradually acquired this more classic. No final trailer, we have a scene in which she appears with the famous bluish clothes, black cover and that green jewel eye-catching. Honestly, I thought this joy spoiled the visual a little, removing the iconic impact that the costume should have.
“If you fail, you will die.”
Now let’s go to the classic scene of Mirror, Mirror of Mine. There is a lot to comment here!
First, the mirror boy. Sincerely? It turned out rather“weak”. It looks like they did modelo 3D and forgot to put texture or give more details. He was alone gray, kneaded, nor a magic or as cores what we expect from a magic mirror. I am indignant!
Second, the controversial speech and Queen: “Mirror, Mirror My, who is more beautiful than me?” Many comments on the internet raised the question of how difficult it is to believe that the mirror says that Gal Gadot, with all its beauty, is not the most beautiful. Let’s agree, right? Gal Gadot delivers one presence which is difficult to compete with.
But here comes one very interesting curiosity: this scene was never just about beauty, e not an original phrase in English it is directly about this! Let’s explore.
In the original animation and also in the live-action, the Queen asks: “Who is the fairest of them all?” The word fairest carries much more meaning than just physical beauty. It comes from the term Old English fæger, which was not limited to appearance, but described qualities pleasant in general, how to be fair, honest, kind and virtuoso.
With the evolution of the English language, o fairest ended up being associated with the most fair. So, the closest translation would be something like: “Mirror, Mirror My, who is the fairest of all?”. However, this translation also does not capture the entire depth of the term, which encompasses a “combo” of pleasant qualities and not just justice or beauty.
This means that the Evil Queen was never asking just who was more beautiful. She wants to know who is the most complete, with the largest number of positive qualities. She doesn’t accept being less than perfect in every way.
And that’s where it comes in Snow White. While the Evil Queen is famous for its physical beauty, she knows this is not enough. THE Snow White, with its kindness, generosity and justice, has a “combo” of qualities that the Queen can never achieve.
“Your beauty is unparalleled, Your Majesty…”
Inclusive, Magic Mirror makes it clear: the Queen She is, yes, the most physically beautiful. However, when he describes Snow White, uses words like lovely (adorable, charming, kind), which carry meaning far beyond appearance. And the kind heart of Snow White which makes her the fairest – a more complete, the best person.
In short, the Queen doesn’t just want to be the most beautiful; she wants to be the best, and that is the real dispute. However, in terms of kindness, justice and love, she will never be able to overcome Snow White.
This additional layer of meaning transforms the conflict into something much more deep than a simple rivalry based on appearance. And that, in itself, brings a wealth for the story worth highlighting.
One important thing about Evil Queen is that, when questioning her position as the most beautiful, she uses the word “fairest” again, and not the most beautiful or pretty, which are more accurate in describing physical beauty. She really wants to be the greatest person, which has the most admirable qualities, and is not limited to just beauty. This concept is much more deep, covering virtues such as kindness, justice and generosity. This is essential for understanding the character, and it is interesting to see the film addressing this complexity.
Now, opening a quick parenthesis, I need to comment on a scene that became a meme: Snow White offering stale, almost moldy bread to her love interest. Guys, the girl is a princess and arrives to crush common musty bread, lame, almost lifeless. I know she feeds the animals in the forest better than that, but, right? This scene was hilarious, but at the same time, you could see that Snow White was more “down to earth” and realistic.
Returning to the trailer, we have the classic scene from Snow White’s Heart Chest, and I found the object a little “weak”. The version of chest in live-action doesn’t have the same vibration of animation, with the very vibrant red box. Here, the box is without life, nor a happiness that the animation object conveyed. That bothers me a little, but it doesn’t compromise the narrative.
The forest sequence, though brief, is both scarier and more beautiful, just like in the animation.
In the forest, we have a phrase from Snow White: “My parents always said this forest was a magical place.” I’ve talked about this before, but I’m still not a big fan of the costume for the live-action. The dress of Snow White, with the manga long and bouffant, didn’t win me over. However, when researching, I saw that this type of dress was more historically accurate for the time of the film.
I believe they could have made better choices to represent her clothes, like this art made by the artist Margo Denise, which would be incredible. Look what it would be like faithful to history and yet with the face of Snow White.
Her costume reminds me more of a party costume. For me, it would be much more interesting if they followed the line of live-actions anteriores, adapting the dress more historically and naturally, as they did with Cinderella, which, despite being different from the animation, was sensational. A Snow White here seems to me cosplay, which doesn’t do justice to the actress’s potential.
Not so much, Rachel Zegler, like Snow White, delivers everything the character needs: wonderful vocals and a lot of talent. I just didn’t like these choices so much. costume.
About cute little animals of the forest, people… there’s not much to say, except that it makes you want to do something kind to them. The scene of Snow White arriving at the cabin for the first time and linda! A scenography is impeccable, especially the owl carvings in the cabin, which are identical to animation. THE ladder, with owls along it, it’s also super fell to the version we know.
The dinner scene, with them resting in beds, is also the same as in the animation, which is a great homage to the classic.
When it comes to the dwarves, I thought they looked much better than in the first images we saw. But still, something in the expressions or in the texture of theirs seems a little strange, which gives me a feeling of strangeness. Even so, I understand that the visual effects They’re not 100% finished yet, so maybe they’ll get better.
In some takes, they look much better, like in this image with the Angry, the Teacher and the Dunga. The other three dwarves seemed somewhat underdeveloped. I can’t even identify who is the Nap or the Happy, for example, then I was left with a feeling of “more or less” in relation to their characterization.
Another big difference in this live-action is that, unlike animation, where Snow White cleans the house alone with the help of animals, here she will count on the help from the dwarves. This change adds a new dynamic to the story, and it’s cool to see Snow White asking for help: “The queen stole everything from all of us, I’m going to need help!” This further shows this side of Snow White, who wants to save his kingdom, a more active and heroic character which puts her in a position of leadership.
I am fine curious to see how these new elements will be integrated into the story, and I’m already excited for the film’s full release.
The story now has a greater focus on helping Snow White get her kingdom back, which we don’t see in the animation. This is new and interesting! From the scene shown, it seems that the film will explore more of the kingdom and the people who inhabit it, something that was absent in the classic 1937. This approach brings a layer of complexity for the narrative, which promises to be very immersive.
Another new feature is the Evil Queen, which puts the kingdom guards to hunt for Snow White. In animation, when the Queen discovers that the princess is alive, she resolves the situation herself. But here, the Queen seems to want to delegate this responsibility to your guards, which will probably fail, giving her another opportunity to try to manipulate things to your advantage.
An unreleased music that appears in the trailer also caught my attention. It’s very Beautiful, and the costume of the Snow White In this scene, it looks like it will be a song from the beginning of the film, representing the principles and the ideals which the character will fight for. It even seems that, in this version, the Snow White or lead a revolution in the kingdom, with many residents supporting your cause. She says: “It’s our kingdom, and now we want it back.” That moment was powerful and it made me think about how Snow White will be an active leader, something we also don’t see much in animation. I thought the scene was very iconic.
And, of course, we can’t forget the Evil Queen’s transformation. Drinking the potion at dinner and being surrounded by magic is one of the most visceral and faithful moments to the animation. She turns into a witch, and other skull apples, all wrinkled, is a detail that was really Well done. I admit that apart from litter, although realistic, didn’t completely convince me. In animation, the apple forming the skull it’s much more iconic. Here, the litter seems more… withers, let’s say. This “week”, as we would say, but, in the end, it serves to show her transformation in a way interesting.
Snow White Conclusion
Now, with all this, I am even more curious to see the direction this live-action will follow. Each new trailer reveals more details, making me even more excited to see what’s next. When the film is released, I will tell you everything!
And speaking of villains, everyone already knows the Evil Queen as a great villain, but did you know that Disney has secret villains? Those characters that everyone thinks are good, but in reality… are the real villains? A good example is Anna and Elsa’s parents, from Frozen. If you want to know more about these secret villains, just Click below to find out!
Click here and check it out! 🌪✨
