The surge of Snow White-related TV shows and movies made me wonder, what is the obsession with Snow White? I never cared for the original Disney animated version. The poor girl was kind of dumb and seriously gullible and I don’t remember the prince being much better. So I decided to investigate.
Mirror, Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Once Upon a Time each take their own spin on the fairytale. And here is why I may actually dig the new Snow White.
1. She’s smart. Yay for intelligent female characters! Especially in Snow White and the Huntsman, I think we’re in for a woman who’s no longer duped by an old hag holding an apple in the middle of a hurricane. (Now let’s hope Kristen Stewart can do something other than look depressed.)
2. She’s tough. These are not so much the days of the damsel in distress as the days of the damsel kicking butt. Instead of just letting a hateful queen rob her of life and waiting for the prince to show up and make it all better, Snow White is getting a grip and defending herself.
3. She’s cool. I’m not sure you could call most fairytale characters ‘cool,’ but Snow White is getting there. The movies may elevate Snow from fairytale princess to superhero.
Even though I’m getting bored with Once Upon a Time, both new Snow White movies are on my must-see list. So we’ll see if my opinion of Snow White improves after a lifetime of dismissing this fairytale favorite.