Honestly, if you missed the weird, neon-colored fever dream that was the snow white movie with julia roberts, you missed a specific moment in 2012 where Hollywood decided we needed two different versions of the same fairy tale in the same year. Remember that? We had the gritty, mud-caked Snow White and the Huntsman on one side, and then we had Mirror Mirror.
Mirror Mirror is the one people usually mean when they search for the "Julia Roberts version." It’s bright. It’s loud. It features a giant orange dress that looks like it’s eating Julia alive.
Why Mirror Mirror Still Divides Fans Today
Most people go into this movie expecting a standard Disney-style retelling, and they get hit with something much weirder. The snow white movie with julia roberts wasn't trying to be Shrek, but it wasn't quite The Princess Bride either. It sits in this awkward, fascinating middle ground.
Julia Roberts plays Queen Clementianna. She isn’t just "evil" in the traditional sense; she’s basically a broke aristocrat with a massive ego and a serious tax problem. She’s funny. She’s sarcastic. She literally has a scene where she gets a facial made of bird droppings because the kingdom is bankrupt and she needs to look good for a rich prince.
The Visual Genius of Tarsem Singh
You can’t talk about this movie without talking about the director, Tarsem Singh. The man is a visual maximalist. If a scene could have ten colors, he gives it fifty. He brought on the legendary Eiko Ishioka for the costumes—her final work before she passed away.
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That’s why the movie looks the way it does.
- The Swan Dress: Snow White (Lily Collins) wears a literal swan on her head at a ball.
- The Prince's Bunny Ears: Armie Hammer spends a chunk of the movie looking like a giant rabbit.
- The Queen’s Peacock Gown: It’s massive, heavy, and completely ridiculous.
It’s haute couture meets a Saturday morning cartoon. Some critics hated it, calling it "style over substance." Others, like Ronald P. Salfen, found the farcical whimsy refreshing. It’s a polarizing film, mostly because it refuses to be serious for even a second.
The Cast: More Than Just "America's Sweetheart"
Julia Roberts was 44 when this came out. She was leaning into the "aging actress" trope in a way that felt almost meta. She’s narrating the opening, telling the audience, "This is my story, not hers." It’s a bold move.
Then you have Lily Collins. Before she was Emily in Paris, she was this wide-eyed Snow White with eyebrows that became a talking point of their own. She actually auditioned for the other 2012 Snow White movie first—the Kristen Stewart one—and lost. Fate is weird like that.
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And we have to talk about the Prince. Armie Hammer plays Prince Alcott as a "hapless" hero. He gets "puppy love" potion spilled on him and literally acts like a golden retriever. It’s embarrassing and hilarious. Nathan Lane is also there, doing Nathan Lane things as the Queen’s lackey, Brighton, who eventually gets turned into a cockroach.
What Actually Happens with the Dwarfs?
In this version, the dwarfs aren't miners. They’re bandits. They use giant accordion-like stilts to rob people in the woods. It’s a clever spin. They don't have the Disney names (Grumpy, Dopey, etc.). Instead, we get:
- Half-Pint: The romantic lead of the group.
- Butcher: Exactly what it sounds like.
- Grimm: The serious one.
- Wolf: The wild one.
The movie spends a lot of time on their training montage with Snow White. She teaches them how to be heroes; they teach her how to fight. It’s a "girl power" arc that felt very 2012.
The Ending Nobody Expected
If you haven't seen the snow white movie with julia roberts in a while, you probably forgot the ending. It doesn't end with a quiet wedding. It ends with a full-blown Bollywood song and dance number called "I Believe in Love."
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Why? Because Tarsem Singh is Indian and wanted to pay homage to his roots. Lily Collins actually sings it. It’s jarring if you’re expecting a Grimm brothers' ending, but it’s the most memorable part of the film for a lot of people.
The Queen’s fate is also different. She doesn't fall off a cliff. She ages rapidly after her magic fails and encounters Snow White one last time. Snow offers her a piece of the poisoned apple, saying, "Sometimes you must admit you've been defeated." It’s a cold, calculated move from a character who started the movie as a pushover.
Is It Worth a Rewatch?
Look, Mirror Mirror isn't a masterpiece. The script is kinda clunky. The jokes about "focus groups" and "tax dollars" feel a bit dated now. But as a visual artifact? It’s stunning.
If you want to revisit the snow white movie with julia roberts, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch for the Costumes: Ignore the plot for a second and just look at the fabrics. Eiko Ishioka won a posthumous Oscar nomination for this, and she deserved it.
- Check the Tone: Don't expect a serious fantasy. Treat it like a stage play or a pantomime.
- Compare the 2012 "Snow White Wars": Watch this back-to-back with Snow White and the Huntsman. It’s a wild lesson in how two directors can look at the same source material and see two completely different worlds.
Ultimately, Mirror Mirror is a movie about vanity, bankrupt kingdoms, and a girl who decides she doesn't need a prince to save her—even if she ends up marrying him anyway. It’s a weird piece of pop culture history that’s worth a look if only to see Julia Roberts having the time of her life being absolutely terrible to everyone around her.
Next Steps for Your Movie Night:
To dive deeper into this specific era of fantasy, you should look up the production design of Tarsem Singh's other film, The Fall (2006). It uses many of the same visual motifs but with a much darker, more mature story. You can also check out the "Fairy Tales" exhibition archives from the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) to see high-res photos of the original costumes worn by Roberts and Collins.