With the Box Office success of the live-action remakes of iconic Disney animated films like The Little Mermaid, it was only a matter of time before the first Disney princess, Snow White, was given the live-action treatment. 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a massive moment in cinema history, being the first feature-length animated film. The Snow White remake is set to release on March 25, 2025, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot.

However, Disney’s live-action remake is not the first attempt at a live-action adaptation of the Snow White story. Throughout the last few decades, there have been several live-action interpretations. While some of these films followed the basic aspects of the Disney story, many of them interpreted the story differently, either taking inspiration from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale or adding their own interpretations to fit with the time in which it was made.

7 Grimm’s Snow White Had Deep Lore

The Low Budget Didn’t Serve the Complex Backstory

2012 saw three live-action Snow White films. The least popular and well-known was Grimm’s Snow White, directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and produced by The Asylum. Unlike Snow White and the Huntsmen and Mirror Mirror, Grimm’s Snow White was a straight-to-video production. The film starred Eliza Bennet as Snow White and Jane March as the evil Queen Gwendolyn. As the title suggests, the story was based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, though several changes were made.

The film has a much more complex backstory involving a war between humans and elves, with the elves taking over the role of the dwarfs in this version of the story. Being released at the same time as Snow White and the Huntsmen, Grimm’s Snow White sees Snow in a similarly active role, killing the Queen herself in the final battle. Despite the epic story, the small budget really worked against it, with the CGI being distractingly poor. One interesting aspect of this film, however, is the replacement of the poison apple with a cursed ring.

6 Snow White and the Three Stooges Was a Comedic Take

The Comedy Trio Replaced the Dwarfs

Snow White and the Three Stooges (titled Snow White and the Three Clowns for the UK release) is naturally a more comedic take on the Snow White story. In this version of the tale, Snow White stumbles upon the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and “Curly Joe” DeRita) instead of the seven dwarfs. This film was released during the Stooges’ resurgence, being the second feature film to include this version of the comedy trio.

The film starred Carol Heiss as Snow White, though it is clear that the Stooges were the main draw of the film. Being a comedy, the film doesn’t take the story too seriously, with the Stooges being introduced as house-sitting for the dwarfs. The film had a low audience reception despite its relatively high budget, with many disappointed that the Stooges weren’t given as much screen time and focus as the title would suggest.

5 Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001) Was a Mostly Typical Retelling

The Film Featured Underwhelming Performances

Snow White: The Fairest of Them All was a theatrically released film in Europe, before airing in the US on ABC. The film had a low budget, and unfortunately, it showed. The movie makes several changes to the Snow White story, with Snow White’s father becoming the King after setting free a being known as the Green-Eyed One, who grants wishes. The Queen in this version is the sister of the Green-Eyed One, played perfectly by Miranda Richardson. However, her stellar performance only highlights the poor performances of her cast mates, particularly Kristin Kreuk’s Snow White, who received much criticism for her underwhelming performance.

While the story serves as a generic retelling of Snow White, a lot of changes were made to differentiate the film. The dwarfs in this version are named after the days of the week, with Sunday as the leader. They are able to transform into a rainbow, which is an interesting change, though it ultimately didn’t affect the plot much. The film has also been critiqued for its bad pacing, with the story lacking any drama or action until the climax.

4 Sydney White (2007) Set Snow White in the Modern Day

The Film Set the Story at an American College Campus

With the significant success of A Cinderella Story (2004), which followed the Cinderella tale in a modern setting, Sydney White took the same approach, with a Snow White story set in college. The film starred Amanda Bynes as Sydney, who gets into a feud with the Student Body President, Rachel, who plays the role of the Evil Queen. The film does a good job of modernizing the story, with the dwarfs being replaced by a fraternity house of nerdy outcasts and the poisoned apple being replaced with a computer virus of the same name.

In this version of the story, the Evil Queen’s jealousy of Snow White comes in the form of the school’s “Hot or Not List,” with Rachel at #1, becoming more and more obsessed with destroying Sydney as her popularity threatens her position on the list. When the virus deletes all of Sydney’s plans for the Student Council election, she stays up all night to redo them, which is the reason she falls into a deep sleep. The film is certainly a product of its time, feeling a lot like the many high school/college movies of the early to mid-2000s.

3 Snow White: a Tale of Terror (1997) Was a Dark Take on the Story

The Film Gave Depth to the Evil Queen

Given the dark nature of many Brothers Grimm fairy takes, Snow White: a Tale of Terror does a good job at portraying the darker tone of the Snow White story. The Gothic fantasy film premiered on Showtime, but unlike other made-for-TV Snow White films, it uses its limited budget well. The story provides an interesting dynamic between Snow White and the evil Queen (played by Sigourney Weaver), with the Queen genuinely trying to befriend Snow, who constantly rejects her attempts. When Snow grows up, she is portrayed as selfish and vain, showing up at a ball honoring the Queen’s pregnancy in her deceased mother’s dress, which draws all the guests’ attention onto her.

The stress of the situation causes the Queen to go into early labor, having a stillborn birth. The decision to change the evil Queen’s motivation is refreshing, with her seeking revenge on Snow White out of grief for her lost baby. Other changes include Snow having a romantic dynamic with Will, the leader of the miners, who wakes her from her sleep by shaking the apple piece out of her throat, rather than kissing her.

2 Mirror Mirror (2012) Was a Campy Film

The Film’s Production Design Set It Apart

While Mirror Mirror was a Box Office and critical disappointment, the film has received more love with age. The film follows Emily in Paris star Lily Collins as Snow White, and Julia Roberts as the evil Queen. The film portrayed the dwarfs as bandits, and when Snow joins them, she helps them steal from the rich, which gave her a great character arc, going from a shy princess to a fierce fighter.

What really made Mirror Mirror stand out compared to previous live-action Snow White films was its production design. The film is very campy, with over-the-top theatrical set designs and costuming. The production design took inspiration from various cultures, with the palace towers resembling the Taj Mahal in India, while the costuming takes inspiration from Western European fashion from the 16th to 19th century. While this mixture of inspirations might be jarring at first, they blend together surprisingly well to create a unique fantasy world.

1 Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) Was a Dark, Gritty Remake

The Film Featured a Star-Studded Cast

Snow White and the Huntsman had mixed reviews upon its release. However, given its star-studded cast, production value, and changes to the story, it’s certainly a great, albeit different, take on the Snow White tale. The film starred Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Chris Hemsworth as Eric the Huntsman, and Charlize Theron as the evil Queen Ravenna, whose performance is a highlight of the film. The film is a much darker, gritty take on the story, and while this may seem overdone by today’s standards, the idea of remaking a fairy tale princess story in this direction was an interesting concept in 2012.

In terms of changes, the Queen’s magic mirror tells her that Snow White is destined to destroy her, rather than basing her motivation around jealousy of appearance. When Snow is poisoned, Prince William kisses her, but she does not wake, only waking when the Huntsman kisses her. Of all the live-action Snow White films, this was the only film successful enough to have garnered a sequel, The Huntsman: Winter’s War. The film also received Oscar nominations for its visual effects.