Nearly a century after the Snow White тιтle launched Disney into becoming the film industry тιтan it is today, the company is finally delivering its first live-action adaptation of the тιтle. The 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film is one of the greatest Disney movies of all time, as it still holds up today as an animated classic. That’s made it all the more noteworthy that the 2025 remake, directed by Marc Webb, has been a source of consistent controversy.
With the 2025 movie on its way, fans might consider that there was already a blockbuster live-action Snow White movie just over a decade ago: Snow White and the Huntsman, which starred Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth in the тιтular roles. However, Disney didn’t develop this тιтle. The Snow White fairy tale was first published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, and though Disney owns the copyright to their 1937 film, the fairy tale itself is in the public domain. Because of that, 23 films have beaten 2025’s Snow White to the live-action punch.
2025’s Snow White Is Far From Hollywood’s First Live-Action Snow White Movie
There Have Been Numerous Snow White Movies Dating Back To 1902
Technically, Snow White was one of the first films ever made, with a 1902 silent film version that’s sadly been lost to time. Beyond that, there have been plenty of other studios around the world to develop their own version of the тιтle. Universal had the most recent blockbuster versions, with Snow White and the Huntsman and The Huntsman: Winter’s War. There have been modernized versions of the tale, like 2012’s Mirror Mirror and the 2007 rom-com Sydney White.
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1. |
Snow White (1902) |
7. |
Snow White and the Seven Fellows (1955) |
13. |
Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge (1992) |
19. |
Blancanieves (2012) |
|
2. |
Snow White (1916) |
8. |
Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961) |
14. |
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) |
20. |
Mirror Mirror (2012) |
|
3. |
Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge (1939) |
9. |
Snow White (1961) |
15. |
7 Dwarves – Men Alone in the Wood (2004) |
21. |
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) |
|
4. |
The Seven Dwarfs to the Rescue (1951) |
10. |
The New Adventures of Snow White (1969) |
16. |
The Brothers Grimm (2005) |
22. |
The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016) |
|
5. |
The Snow White and the 7 Dudes (1953) |
11. |
Pamuk Prenses ve 7 Cüceler (1970) |
17. |
7 Dwarves: The Forest Is Not Enough (2006) |
23. |
White as Snow (2019) |
|
6. |
Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge (1955) |
12. |
Snow White (1987) |
18. |
Sydney White (2007) |
24. |
Snow White (2025) |
The Three Stooges took the place of the Seven Dwarfs in 1961’s Snow White and the Three Stooges, and Matt Damon and Heath Ledger played the Brothers Grimm themselves in a 2005 fantasy movie. The point is, 2025’s Snow White film is the most direct remake of the 1937 film, but it’s far from the first movie to bring the classic fairy tale to life. View the graph above to see the complete list of Snow White adaptations developed around the world.
Why It Took Disney So Long To Make A Live-Action Snow White Movie
Disney Has Only Recently Begun Working On Their Live-Action Remakes
Image via Disney
Given that the 1937 movie was the one that led to so much of Disney’s success, it’s surprising that they waited so long to remake the тιтle in live-action. Disney has been producing live-action remakes of their most popular тιтles for about a decade now, including The Lion King, Mulan, and more, making it shocking that they’ve tabled their prized gem for so long. Snow White was first announced by The Hollywood Reporter back in 2016, around when they began these productions, but behind-the-scenes issues caused numerous delays. They may also have wanted distance from the Kristen Stewart version.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
