Snow White fans say Gal Gadot’s version of the Evil Queen won’t be able to live up to the iconic performance of Lana Parilla in the Once Upon A Time TV series.
The D23 event gave fans their first full look at the live-action Snow White movie starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot.
In addition to the somewhat uncanny visual effects of the seven dwarves, people’s biggest complaint centered around Gadot’s performance as the Evil Queen.
According to several fans online, the actress’s version will always be inferior to Parilla’s timeless performance. As one fan wrote on X/Twitter, “She will NEVER be HER!!!!!”
She will NEVER be HER!!!!! https://t.co/0Z9QQvXM8L pic.twitter.com/3anKqiyyey
— Damian (@Damian0Sinclair) August 10, 2024
Lana Parilla played the Evil Queen in ABC’s Once Upon A Time for seven seasons, from October 23, 2011 to May 18, 2018.
The series was an alternate take on the fairytale genre, placing major storybook figures such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White into the real world.
Although the show dipped in quality over its seven-year run, one of the main draws that kept fans tuning in was Parilla. She managed to make viewers empathize with Snow White’s evil stepmother.
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After Disney showed snippets of Gadot’s take on the character, people were not shy about comparing the two and agreed that this new queen would never replace Parilla in their hearts.
“They should’ve just given Lana Parilla the role of the Evil Queen. Then at least she could truly play the evil villain where she doesn’t get redeemed and loses everything,” another viewer commented.
A third fan posted, “All these Snow White adaptations but no one can come near to one and only Regina Mills as the Evil Queen.”
Snow White lovers also praised Charlize Theron’s interpretation of the villain in 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman.
Snow White is set to sing her way into theaters on March 21, 2025. In the meantime, check out our guides to other upcoming Disney releases like Moana 2 and Frozen 3. You can also keep up to date with the D23 schedule to see what else is being announced.