Every Change from the Original Story

Snow White has finally arrived in theaters. A remake of Walt Disney’s 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the film sees star Rachel Zegler step into the title role as Disney’s first princess alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. More than any other Disney remake, this film has come under fire from a series of racist comments regarding the casting of Zegler as Snow White, spiraling out into stories about how the actresses disrespected or hated the original film.

Yet the finished product is here, and the reaction is mixed but not the total disaster that some online wanted the movie to be. MovieWeb’s Julian Roman rated Snow White 4 out of 5 and called it “a Stunning Fairy Tale Adaptation.” While Snow White does adhere closely to some story beats from the original animated film, unlike recent remakes like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, which almost copy the original beat for beat, Snow White has more in common with Cinderella or The Jungle Book in that it looks to use the original movie as a foundation but also add new depth. This is undoubtedly apparent in the ending, with the film adding a climax not present in the original film. Here is Snow White‘s ending explained, and how it makes the movie better.

The Original ‘Snow White’ Ending

In the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the film concludes with the iconic “true loves kiss,” where the Prince wakes Snow White from her slumber following the curse put on her by the Evil Queen after she tricked the princess into taking a bite of a poison apple. By this point in the original, the Evil Queen has been killed as she fell to her death off a cliff after being chased by the dwarfs. Once Snow White wakes up, she and the prince go off to live happily ever after.

While Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a classic, and its place in cinema history cannot be denied, it is hard to argue that the movie’s climax is anti-climatic and certainly would feel disappointing in a live-action remake. The obvious issue is that Snow White is a passive character in her story. The Evil Queen is a foe to her, but the dwarfs and an accident take her out. Meanwhile, the film ends with someone saving her. Pointing out that the film was a product of its time got Rachel Zegler into hot water, but if one is attempting to remake Snow White, then the ending is certainly one that could be improved upon.

After all, why remake a film if you aren’t going to try to add or improve upon what came before? If you wanted the same film, why not just watch the original animated film?

The New Ending

Snow White still features the moment where The Evil Queen in her hag form tricks Snow White into taking a bite of the poison apple and putting her into a sleep trance. However, this is now the film’s twist in act two to raise the film’s stakes. Instead of a Prince, Snow White’s new love interest is a freedom fighter named Jonathan, who escapes the Queen’s castle to find Snow White in her coma-like state, being watched over by the dwarfs. He still awakens her with true love’s kiss. Now, though, the kiss is used as the transition point into act three and the film’s climax, as Snow White decides to return to her kingdom and retake her father’s land from the Evil Queen.

Throughout the film, Snow White and the freedom fighters have been waiting for the King to return to defeat the Evil Queen. But just before Snow White fell victim to the poison apple’s curse, the Evil Queen revealed that Snow White’s father had been dead for years. Now awakened, Snow White has a newfound sense of purpose. Nobody is coming to save them, and they need to take action. Specifically her.

“Hi-Ho” and “Whistle While You Work” are incorporated into the film, but the song “Someday My Prince Will Come” is absent from the remake. This is not only because Snow White’s new love interest isn’t a prince, but also because the film’s climax refutes that idea. Snow White doesn’t need a prince, her father, or a man to save her, she is the rightful ruler of this kingdom (if one subscribes to the divine right of kings, which Disney notably spent their previous film, Mufasa: The Lion King, refuting).

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Snow White returns to her kingdom and confronts the forces of the Evil Queen outside the palace gates with the citizens of her kingdom watching. The Queen tries to play off the people’s fear that they need a ruler as powerful as her to keep them safe, saying Snow White is weak. When the Queen orders her guards to kill Snow White, the princess does not fight back. Instead, she appeals to their better nature, showing that not only does she know their names, but also remembers their lives before the Queen. She reminds them of the good they used to be, hoping they will see how the Queen has manipulated them.

The Queen’s men lay down their weapons and renounce the Evil Queen, as Snow White’s kindness and good-natured spirit won them over. The Queen, in anger, runs back into the castle, and the Magic Mirror tells her that she will never be as kind as Snow White. The Queen, in anger, smashes the magic mirror but, in doing so, seems to unleash a dark magic that pulls her into the mirror’s dark dimension. With the Queen vanquished, Snow White again takes control of her kingdom. Peace is returned to the land, and everyone celebrates with the Seven Dwarfs in attendance for a party in the streets.

Why the Ending Is an Improvement

The decision to add this new climax to Snow White is part of a clear decision to make Snow White a more active part of her own story. Now, often when movies want to give a female character a greater sense of agency, that often means making them a warrior, a contrast to the idea of them being a damsel in distress. Instead of taking the frequently overdone route of “strong female character = badass fighter” that other Snow White adaptations like Snow White and the Hunstman or even Disney’s own Once Upon a Time did, this remake opts for a different type of strength, one that actually pays more respect to the original Snow White than some of the films early detractors might want to give it credit for.

If the Magic Mirror’s saying that Snow White is “the fairest of them all” within the context of both the 1937 and now 2025 film, that fairness equals kindness. The Snow White in the remake is certainly more confident than her animated counterpart, but she is always good-hearted. She is kind, sweet, and loving. Instead of lashing out at the other dwarfs for being mean to Dopey, she goes to lift his spirits and, in doing so, helps the other dwarfs be nicer to one another. Throughout the film, Snow White inspires others to be better than they give themselves credit for. The Huntsman, Jonathan, and the Queen’s guards are changed not by force but by Snow White being herself.

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The film then makes the wise decision that the Queen should not be killed by Snow White but by her own hand. While the exact circumstances of how exactly the Queen dies are unclear, as it was never established prior that destroying the Magic Mirror would impact her, it works on a thematic level. The Queen not only dies due to her selfish ambitions but also, after spending much of the movie comparing Snow White to a delicate, weak flower and herself to a strong diamond, the Queen’s power and herself break like a mirror.

Snow White‘s ending builds upon the 1937 film. It succeeds because it understands Snow White as a character and incorporates the themes audiences associate with her into a climax that prioritizes kindness over hate and emotional catharsis over action spectacle. Snow White gets a happily ever after, but one she makes happen. It makes this one of Disney’s strongest live-action remakes.

Snow White is now playing in theaters.