by: Vicki Yamasaki, founder and chair, Corpus Christi for Unity and Peace Contact: CUP@corpuschristiforunityandpeace.org
Disney’s 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a masterpiece of innocence and redemption, subtly echoing Catholic themes of sin, grace, and salvation. In stark contrast, the 2025 live-action remake crashed and burned, a box office disaster that reflects a Disney that has lost its moral compass—when that happens, they find themselves crafting films that please Satan himself, filling young minds with immorality rather than virtue. People cherished the 1937 iconic Snow White because we could morally identify with its purity, yet the latest remake, plagued by controversies—from Rachel Zegler’s extreme feminist backlash to the sidelining of actual dwarfs—deepened the divide from that original sanctity. The Disney remake utterly scraps the Catholic richness of the 1937 classic: the dwarfs’ journey from the seven deadly sins to virtues, Snow White as a Marian figure, Prince Charming as a Christ-like savior, and the kingdom as heaven.
The Original Snow White’s Purity: Transforming the Dwarfs from Sin to Virtue
In the 1937 classic, the seven dwarfs—Grumpy, Sleepy, Dopey, Happy, Sneezy, Bashful, and Doc—embody the seven deadly sins, a Catholic lens on our fallen nature. Snow White, with her mercy and light, sees their hidden goodness, guiding them toward the seven virtues that counter those sins. Consider the remarkable transformations:
- Sleepy (Sloth): His constant drowsiness mirrors sloth, a spiritual laziness that shirks duty and devotion. Snow White’s gentle prodding awakens diligence, seen in his rallied efforts to protect her.
- Grumpy (Wrath): His sharp temper reflects wrath, the sin of destructive anger that sows discord. Snow White’s patience softens him, fostering charity, as he grows to care for her over his bitterness.
- Doc (Pride): His self-assured bossiness reveals pride, an inflated sense of self that obscures God’s primacy. Snow White’s humility draws out generosity, redirecting his leadership for the group’s good.
- Happy (Lust): His boundless cheer hints at lust, a reckless pursuit of pleasure over purity. Snow White’s pure joy nurtures chastity, turning his happiness toward wholesome ends.
- Bashful (Gluttony): His shy excessiveness suggests gluttony, an overindulgence that seeks comfort in the material. Snow White’s poverty of spirit fosters temperance, refining his bashfulness into balance.
- Sneezy (Envy): His disruptive sneezing draws constant attention to him, suggesting a resentful longing for others’ gifts. Snow White’s acceptance cultivates patience, calming his need to compete.
- Dopey (Greed): His playful hoarding hints at greed, a clutching desire for more than needed. Snow White’s trust in providence inspires hope, loosening his grip for a greater good.
What makes the classic so special, so redeeming, is watching these flawed characters redeemed by grace. It mirrors Catholic sanctification. The 2025 remake destroys it. After real dwarfs like Dylan Postl criticized the 1937 portrayals as offensive stereotypes, Disney replaced them with CGI “magical creatures,” stripping away their humanity and moral depth. Disney could not risk a Catholic message, so they had to demolish it, bowing to pressure while snubbing dwarf actors and erasing the sin-to-virtue journey.
The “New” Snow White: From Marian Purity to Predictable Millennial Grit
The original Snow White radiates virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary-like—soft, humble, joyful, pure, and reliant on divine providence. Her prayer before the dwarfs’ cottage and her nurturing care echo Mary’s intercessory grace, transforming those around her. In 2025, Rachel Zegler’s Snow White is a stark reversal: abrasive, self-sufficient, and dismissive of dependence. Zegler’s public rants—calling the original “dated” and its prince a “stalker”—pushed a narrative where Snow White “doesn’t need to be saved” that she is a “leader.” This shift bombed, earning just $87 million globally against a $270 million budget, proving audiences rejected this gritty, non-virtuous rehash of a once-gentle, humble soul.
Prince Charming: Erased Savior
In 1937, Prince Charming’s kiss revives Snow White, a Christological echo of Jesus’ love defeating death. The 2025 version scraps this salvation. Zegler’s Snow White shuns a savior; a new character, Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), is a sidelined footnote to her autonomy. Of course, why would Zegler (or Snow White) need a savior? We should not be surprised that a savior-like figure is erased when Disney makes shows like “Little Demon” and “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” for children, rooted in satanic themes.
The kingdom, once a heavenly vision, fades into a vague backdrop. This erasure guts the Catholic undertone of divine rescue, leaving a hollow shell where redemption was the primary message.
Zegler’s Fallout and the Dwarfism Debate
The remake’s collapse extends beyond the colossal mess of the storyline. Zegler’s outspoken critiques of feminism and toxic masculinity—insisting Snow White be a “leader,” not a damsel—ignited a firestorm of backlash, perhaps signaling that America is waking up to Disney’s woke messaging and sending a strong rebuke. Fans of the original’s virtue-filled tale recoiled, her vision tanked at the box office, and the controversy ultimately sidelined her from TV appearances. The chaos deepened with Disney’s response to dwarfism critiques—swapping human dwarf actors for CGI after Peter Dinklage called the 1937 story “backward”—which backfired spectacularly. Actual dwarfs felt robbed of roles and representation, while the Catholic core of redemption was lost, traded for a sanitized, soulless fix that satisfied no one. America is waking up and sending Disney (and others like them a strong message).
A Box Office Bust and a Lost Message, Completely Lacking Virtue
The 2025 rendition of Snow White dismantled the timeless Catholic innocent pure message of the 1937 classic. Does that upset you? Because it deeply upsets me. This cherished masterpiece was instrumental in shaping the legacy of Walt Disney, resonating culturally and profoundly across generations. To see it so callously and intentionally undermined feels nothing short of malicious.
They traded a Catholic theme of sanctification for a secular message of feminist bravado, turning a tale of grace into an utter worldly flop. Gone is the Snow White who saw good in flawed dwarfs, guiding them to virtue; in her place stands a harsh, self-made woman who needs no God or Prince. The kingdom’s heavenly promise dissolves into her triumph. Critics trashed it, audiences shunned it, and Disney’s $270 million bet crumbled. The 1937 film’s Catholic echoes—sin, virtue, and divine love—lie buried beneath a millennial rewrite that satisfied no one.
Conclusion: Truth Foresaken to Bow To the World
The 1937 Snow White offered a message of redemption: flawed souls redeemed by grace, led by a Marian figure to a Christ-like savior and heavenly home. The 2025 remake shouts a different gospel of “this world”—self-reliance over faith—only to falter. For young people wrestling with faith and culture, this debacle is a lesson: rewriting sacred stories can strip them bare just of perennial Truth much like Satan’s empty promises. Disney’s attempt to appease modernity destroyed what made Snow White timeless, leaving a husk that neither honors its roots nor inspires its future.