Snow White: The Fairest of Them All
5.7/10 · 5,083 ratings20011h 33mWeirdness 10/10
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The premise
Snow White's mother dies during childbirth, leaving baby Snow and father John for dead on an icy field, who then receives a visit from one of Satan's representatives, granting him three wishes.
How unusual is it?
Very. Magic, royalty, an actual miracle and a historical setting all turn up in one movie — the strangest 1% of everything we've logged.
Who’s in it
Behind the camera
ShowHide
Directed by
Wait, what?
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
- The Queen was originally a hideous creature with multiple eyes
- Gnomes named after days of the week who create weather and rainbows
- A demonic wish-granter trapped in a block of ice
- The Queen eating what she believes is Snow White's heart
- A mirror shard being physically stuck in the King's eye to enchant him
Every trope, all in one place
Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 28 to find more movies that do the same thing.
Setting2
Time & season3
Characters7
Conflict2
Romance4
Tone & quirks1
Why we’d put this one on
A perfect 10 on our weirdness scale, and nothing your brain pictures when it hears the word Hallmark. A grieving father, having lost his wife in childbirth, frees a demonic wish-granter from a block of ice and is handed a kingdom and a beautiful queen in exchange for three wishes. Deals with ice-trapped demons go about how you would expect. Miranda Richardson plays the vain queen, with a very young Vera Farmiga and Kristin Kreuk alongside her, and the seven helpers here are gnomes named after the days of the week who control the weather. It is dark, genuinely strange, and the single best entry point if you want to know how far the catalog can wander. Start here.
How it all plays out
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Full story (spoilers)
The film opens with the birth of Snow White, whose mother dies shortly after delivery. Her father, John, wanders through a desolate, snowy landscape searching for milk to save his daughter. He encounters a creature trapped in ice; upon being freed, the creature reveals himself as a granter of wishes. In exchange for his freedom, he grants John three wishes: milk for the baby, a queen, and a kingdom. The creature transforms his own hideous, multi-eyed sister, Elspeth, into a beautiful woman to serve as John's queen. Sixteen years later, Snow White has grown into a beautiful princess. A visiting prince, Alfred of Ursulia, falls for her, which triggers Queen Elspeth’s intense vanity. When her magic mirror reveals that Snow White is now the fairest in the land, Elspeth descends into a murderous rage. She orders the palace servant Hector to take Snow White into the woods and return with her heart. Hector, unable to commit the act, tells Snow White to run for her life. In the forest, Snow White discovers a cottage inhabited by seven gnomes—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—who possess elemental powers and can create rainbows. Meanwhile, Elspeth uses a shard of a cursed mirror to enchant John, making him blind to her evil. Eventually, Elspeth discovers Snow White is alive and uses a poisoned apple to put her into a death-like sleep. The gnomes mourn her, but the Queen's brother, the original wish-granter, eventually turns on Elspeth. He reveals that her beauty was a borrowed gift and, as her jealousy consumes her, she reverts to her original monstrous form. Snow White is revived, the enchantments are broken, and the princess is reunited with her father and Prince Alfred, while the gnomes return to their magical duties in the forest.
Beat by beat
Opening
John frees a magical being from ice and is granted a kingdom, milk for his baby, and a queen (Elspeth).
Inciting Incident
Sixteen years later, the Magic Mirror informs Queen Elspeth that Snow White has surpassed her in beauty.
Midpoint
Snow White escapes Hector's assassination attempt and finds refuge with seven magical gnomes.
Climax
Elspeth disguises herself and successfully poisons Snow White with a magic apple.
Resolution
The Wish Granter strips Elspeth of her beauty; Snow White awakens and the kingdom is restored.
Did you know?
A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.
It scores a perfect 10 on our weirdness scale — 1 of just 15 movies in the whole catalog to do that.
It's 1 of only 4 Hallmark movies to combine supernatural elements and royalty.
Top 1% weirdest
Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 1%.
The backstory
- Based on Snow White by Brothers Grimm.
- Filmed in Vancouver.
- Music by Michael Convertino.
Snow White: The Fairest of Them All is a 2001 fantasy adventure television film co-written and directed by Caroline Thompson and produced by Hallmark Entertainment. The film was first released theatrically in Europe, and subsequently aired in the United States on ABC as part of their series on The Wonderful World of Disney on March 17, 2002.
How it stacks up
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.
Where this one fits
The corners of the catalog Snow White: The Fairest of Them All belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
- Weirdest Hallmark MoviesScores 10/10 on our weirdness scale — comfortably in the strange end.
- Craziest Hallmark MoviesWild enough in premise to make the all-time list.
- Hallmark Supernatural MoviesHas a supernatural element.
- Hallmark Royal Romance MoviesA crown gets involved.
- Hallmark Dog & Pet MoviesA four-legged matchmaker.
- Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
Lines worth quoting
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
— Queen ElspethThe Queen repeatedly questioning her magic mirror about her beauty. “Jealousy is like glowing coals from hell.”
— The Wish GranterAdmonishing his sister Elspeth for her obsession with Snow White. “We are the days of the week.”
— TuesdayIntroducing the group of gnomes to Snow White.
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Snow White
LeadPrincess
KindBeautifulResilientPrince Alfred
Love interestPrince of Ursulia
Suitor
ChivalrousPersistentQueen Elspeth
AntagonistQueen / Sorceress
Stepmother
VainJealousCruelJohn
SupportingKing
Father
GrievingEasily manipulatedRegretfulSunday
SupportingGnome
Guardian and friend
WiseProtective
Questions people ask about Snow White: The Fairest of Them All
Where can I watch Snow White: The Fairest of Them All?
Snow White: The Fairest of Them All is available via Amazon Video. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.
Is Snow White: The Fairest of Them All based on a book?
Yes. Snow White: The Fairest of Them All is based on Snow White by Brothers Grimm.
How long is Snow White: The Fairest of Them All?
Snow White: The Fairest of Them All runs about 1 hour and 33 minutes, and was released in 2001.
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Data and sources
Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.Last updated .