Loathed even before its release, the latest live-action version of an animated classic embodies many of the cynical moves of the remake racket.

The CGI dwarfs are "benign enough": their renditions of "Heigh-Ho" and "Whistle While You Work" are a "highlight" of an otherwise unmemorable score, said Deborah Ross in The Spectator. As for Snow White's skin not being as white as snow... who cares? This is a fairy story, not a history book. But where are the jokes? Where is the personality?

Screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson had an unenviable task ahead of her when she signed on to adapt 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs into a live-action re-imaging that'd appeal to contemporary audiences.