‘Snow White’ Remake Misses the Moral Message of the 1937 Classic, Greg Laurie Says

Disney's live-action remake of Snow White lacks the moral clarity of the classic 1937 film, says author and pastor Greg Laurie, who calls himself a lifelong fan of the company. The PG-rated movie, now in theaters, stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot and -- like the 1937 film -- is based on the fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers. That earlier film, officially titled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was Hollywood's first feature-length animated movie. 

The original story is a "moral fable" that has biblical parallels, Laurie said in a social media video. 

"It's a story about good versus evil written by the Grimm Brothers, a tale about a vain queen so obsessed with their own beauty and status she's willing to murder an innocent girl just to remain the fairest in the land," Laurie said. "Sound familiar? That's basically the story that we read about in the Bible, about Lucifer, a once high-ranking, powerful angel who wanted to take the place of God with himself. The problem with Lucifer is he was in love with his own image. He wanted to be in the place of God." 

The original story of Snow White, Laurie explained, ended with evil being defeated, the queen meeting her ruin and Snow White herself being "resurrected from her death-like sleep, saved by the prince." The classic movie included a legendary song, Some Day My Prince Will Come, which, "if we're being honest, is not all that different from a Christian worldview," Laurie said. 

"The original Snow White carried the message that one day the prince would come, the true prince, the one who raises the dead and defeats evil once and for all," he said.

Disney chose not to include Some Day My Prince Will Come in the 2025 version of the film.

Zegler and the film's producers "declared that Snow White wouldn't be waiting for true love," Laurie said. In interviews, Zegler labeled the song "extremely dated." 

"Instead, she's got a new song, Waiting on a Wish -- a song about, you guessed it, female empowerment and self-sufficiency, because, heaven forbid, we acknowledge the timeless human desire for love, redemption and rescue," Laurie said.  

Disney has "lost the point" of Snow White, Laurie said.

"Disney has sunk $270 million into this movie, hoping audiences will embrace this new vision of Snow White," he said. "Time will tell how that turns out."

Walt Disney was a creative genius. And, as they say, it all started with a mouse — Mickey Mouse, to be exact. (Fun fact: Did you know his original name was Mortimer? Thankfully, Walt’s wife talked him out of that one!)

Disney had a vision: to entertain families with stories that… pic.twitter.com/hhkO58bdwO

— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) March 21, 2025

Photo Credit: ©Right Image: Getty Images/Phillip Faraone/Stringer Left Image: X/Greg Laurie 

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Originally published March 21, 2025.