Disney’s Snow White Release Date Announced – What Does It Mean?

Disney has selected March 22, 2024 as their release date for their live-action SNOW WHITE adaptation starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. I’m a big Snow White fan and wrote a massive blog a few months ago about the aesthetics of the animated Disney version of the story and their importance in creating an original and completely unique vision of the classic fairy tale: https://noscoopsclub.com/2022/03/31/snow-white-aesthetics/

So yeah I’m excited. Let the countdown begin. But why March 22?

Disney Has A Tradition of Releasing Traditional Live-Action Princess Films In March

Disney Studios has released many of their classic/traditional Live-Action Princess adaptations in the month of March. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017), CINDERELLA (2015), and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010) were all released in March. So SNOW WHITE falls perfectly into that window. I think that Disney has had great success with these princess stories playing well in the spring when they can really stay in theaters all the way to late May/early June and also cement themselves in the zeitgeist as the big “blockbuster must see” of the season. With kids still in school and spring break rolling through this month (Easter is March 31st, just 9 days after the release of the film), the word of mouth volume only tends to increase for a film about such a classic IP.

Why Not Summer?

THE LITTLE MERMAID, also a Disney princess, has been dated for Memorial Day 2023. Call me crazy but I feel like Disney dates their 90’s live-action remakes in the summer (ALADDIN hit Memorial Day 2019 and THE LION KING on July 4th 2019). And Disney considers THE LITTLE MERMAID as more of a product of the 90s Disney Renaissance than the Princess library of films. Moreover, even though THE LITTLE MERMAID is a princess film, it is more importantly a 90s film, more closely associated with Disney’s 90’s renaissance and films like ALADDIN and THE LION KING than fellow classic princesses like Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle. In fact, MUFASA: THE LION KING aka the live-action sequel to 2019’s live action THE LION KING will be released on July 4th weekend of 2024.

What About The Live-Action Beauty And The Beast?

What is also a bit eyebrow raising is that, using release dates, Belle is almost more closely aligned with traditional princesses library than being a 90s revival film. It’s almost like the animated BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was so good it transcended that 90s period and became an instant classic on the level of CINDERELLA and SNOW WHITE in the public consciousness. This is no disrespect to the animated versions of THE LITTLE MERMAID or even ALADDIN and THE LION KING. I actually prefer MERMAID, personally, to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – but I get it, BATB is the best reviewed and Academy nominated (for Best Picture no less) film.

And the decision paid off for Disney as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST went on to gross 1.27 billion and $504 million alone in the US.

Either way, I’m very excited to see Ariel next May. And if you haven’t already seen it, here is the trailer:

THE LITTLE MERMAID TRAILER

Are you looking forward to seeing either DISNEY’S SNOW WHITE or DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID or even DISNEY’S MUFASA: THE LION KING? I’ll be there opening night but am counting the days for all three.

In fact, only 554 days till we get to see Rachel Zegler as SNOW WHITE. Seems like that’s along time but just whistle while you work and the time will fly by.