As the very first Disney Princess, Snow White holds a significant place in cultural history, pioneering the now-iconic franchise. She established a template for future Disney heroines giving actresses their big starts, laying the groundwork for their character development and narrative arcs. Snow White is still seen by many as the best Disney princess movie because, in general, it revolutionized animation for generations to come.
Since the original 1937 movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, several actors have taken the mantle of acting or voice acting the iconic princess. While Adriana Caselotti’s performance is inimitable, there have been some impressive takes on the character that range from homage to pastiche, coming in both animation adaptations and live-action versions.
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Adriana Caselotti
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Adriana Caselotti is the definitive Snow White. Disney personally hired her for the 1937 production when she was 18 years old. They were looking for a voice that sounded “ageless, friendly, natural and innocent” (per NYT), and Caselotti fit the bill. Adriana Caselotti landed the role of Snow White after a Disney casting scout, searching for a voice enchanting enough for the part, consulted her father, a Los Angeles voice coach. He recommended his daughter, and she won the role over more than 150 other hopefuls, including actress Deanna Durbin.
According to The Disney Classics, Caselotti thought she was taking part in a short film and did not realize until the premiere of Snow White that it was a full-length feature. Additionally, at the time, Walt Disney did not credit her as the voice actor in the movie. This was part of his approach to preserving the fantasy of Disney. Although this put her career at a disadvantage, the star still recalled her time working with Disney very fondly throughout her whole life despite the stupid company rule, saying she still remembered most of her lines.
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Ginnifer Goodwin
Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)
Ginnifer Goodwin starred in ABC’s fantasy drama Once Upon a Time from 2011 to 2017, portraying both Snow White and her modern-day counterpart, Mary Margaret Blanchard. She and her husband, Josh Dallas, also a cast member, left the show after season 6 to relocate to Los Angeles with their family but returned for the series finale in season seven.
Speaking on the possibility of a Once Upon a Time reboot, Goodwin said the following:
“I live around the corner from the creator, so I’m sure I’ll hear things. I’d love to go back. My whole life is kind of built around it.”
One of Ginnifer Goodwin’s most iconic scenes in Once Upon a Time was when she saved Charming from the trolls. This scene highlights Snow White’s bravery, resourcefulness, and selflessness. Despite having a chance to escape with the ring and save herself, she risked everything to return for Prince Charming. The quick-thinking and proactive Snow White Goodwin portrays is an asset to the series. The Shakespearean-trained actress’ performance in Once Upon a Time was highly praised, opening doors to other exciting projects, such as her highest-rated role in Zootopia (per Rotten Tomatoes).
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Katie Von Till
Sofia The First (2012-2018)
Katie Von Till plays Snow White in an episode of Sofia the First, “The Enchanted Feast.” Snow White was the fifth Disney princess to feature in the animated series. This season 2 episode saw Von Till reprising her role as Snow – she had previously played the iconic character in a video game, Kinect Disneyland Adventures. The TV show was on Disney Kids.
As a cameo in the episode, Snow White visits Sofia, offering magical guidance and a cautionary warning: appearances can be deceiving. When Sofia decides to heed her advice, she finds Snow has already vanished, leaving a cloud of glitter behind. According to KGET, Von Till aimed to “voice match” to Adriana Caselotti, who originated the role. Her performance as Snow is inspired by the classic role because she considers Caselotti “forever” Snow White.
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Stephanie Bennett
Descendants (2015)
In the 2015 Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants, Snow White was portrayed by Stephanie Bennett. In Descendants, Snow White is a celebrated hero in Auradon. She reigns as Queen of Charmington, works as a news reporter, and owns Snow White’s Snack Shack. She is the stepdaughter of the Evil Queen, stepsister to Evie, and married to Prince Florian.
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When Bennett’s Snow White is giving a news broadcast, the Evil Queen mocks her, saying she’s “definitely had work done”, and the villains throw popcorn at the TV. The movie is a modern take on the timeless Disney characters. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Descendants is Stephanie Bennett’s highest-rated film.
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Pamela Ribon
Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018)
In Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2, Vanellope von Schweetz and Ralph explore the internet’s vast landscape. A new trailer showcases a scene where Vanellope encounters the Disney princesses and discovers surprising similarities. Notably, many of the original voice actresses reprise their roles for this scene – except for Snow White. She is played by Pamela Ribon, who is also the co-writer of the movie.
According to A Worthy Read, “In the initial stages of making this scene, she voiced each character as they put it together. It was later decided to have her continue to do the voice of Snow White”. In the Princess scene, the creators poke light fun at Disney and the princesses, with their bizarre and sometimes dark backgrounds from the fairytales. Snow White plays into this comedy, having been poisoned.
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Rachel Zegler
Snow White (2025)
Most recently, Rachel Zegler played Snow White in a live-action remake aimed to modernize the classic tale. This is part of what made the reimagining the subject of controversy regarding the original Disney animation. Disney aimed to make the remake diverse and inclusive and address contemporary changes in values since the original – however, the actress’ forthright approach to commenting on the beloved original caused a backlash, which even resulted in Snow White fans showing up to Zegler’s apartment.
Despite all the controversy surrounding Rachel Zegler in the role, she remained committed to it and early reactions to Snow White indicate that it was the right move to have her play the titular character. While the overall consensus seems to be that the film is pretty great, Rachel Zegler has gotten a lot of praise directed towards her performance specifically, which could hopefully mitigate a lot of the unwarranted backlash she has received.
Snow White Actresses Outside Of Disney Films
Disney is not the only studio to produce Snow White films, as there have been several others over the years, most notably Snow White and the Huntsmen and Mirror Mirror. In terms of actresses who have played Snow White outside of Disney, Kristen Stewart plays the character in Snow White and the Huntsmen, while Lily Collins takes up the role in Mirror Mirror.
Of course, those aren’t the only films to feature Snow White. Snow White: The Fairest of Them All was a TV film released in 2001, featuring Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) in the role. There have also been low-budget horror films like Snow White: A Deadly Summer and Snow White: A Tale of Terror (featuring Sigourney Weaver) also made. Still, the most popular adaptations remain the Disney ones, as Snow White has been an iconic staple of the studio for nearly nine decades.
Source: The Disney Classics, Rotten Tomatoes, Disney Kids, KGET, A Worthy Read
Snow White
5/10
- Release Date
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March 21, 2025
- Runtime
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109 Minutes
- Director
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Marc Webb
- Writers
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Erin Cressida Wilson, Wilhelm Grimm
- Producers
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Callum McDougall, Marc Platt
