For over fourteen years, Dragon Ball Evolution held the title as IMDb’s lowest-rated live-action adaptation of a beloved story, but the infamous 2009 film has finally lost its spot to Disney’s new Snow White movie.
Dragon Ball Evolution Disaster
Dragon Ball Evolution was widely recognized as a classic example of a poorly executed adaptation, securing its place at the bottom with an IMDb rating of 2.5 out of 10. Released in 2009, the movie disappointed fans of Akira Toriyama’s famous manga and anime series, mainly because it significantly changed the original content.
It notably transformed the exciting and well-loved Dragon Ball universe into a generic teen fantasy, misunderstanding the characters and their personalities completely.
One major issue was casting Justin Chatwin as Goku, which received widespread criticism for whitewashing a character traditionally shown with Asian features. The backlash led screenwriter Ben Ramsey to publicly apologize in 2016, admitting he joined the project for money without truly appreciating or respecting the original source.
Despite its poor reviews, with only 14% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, and fan outrage, Dragon Ball Evolution managed to recover its $30 million budget, earning around $57.5 million globally. Still, its reputation as a cautionary tale for Hollywood remained, at least until March 2025.
Why Snow White Live Action Failed?
Now, Disney’s controversial Snow White adaptation has replaced Dragon Ball Evolution as IMDb’s lowest-rated live-action remake, scoring an incredibly low 1.6 out of 10. Unlike Dragon Ball Evolution, Snow White’s problems extend beyond poor filmmaking into debates over politics, and significant changes to iconic characters.
At the center of the controversy is Disney’s decision to cast Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, as Snow White, a character traditionally portrayed as having very pale skin. This choice led to intense discussions about updating classics and accusations of betraying the original fairy tale.
Disney also replaced the seven dwarfs with CGI magical creatures, citing inclusivity, further upsetting fans who loved the original animated movie’s charm.
Zegler’s vocal political opinions on issues like Palestine and former President Donald Trump influenced audience perceptions. Her comments prompted Jonah Platt, son of one of the film’s producers, to publicly accuse her of using the project for personal political reasons.
This intense backlash significantly contributed to the negative audience reactions.
Financially, Snow White was a significant disappointment, earning just $44.3 million domestically and $87.3 million globally, despite a massive production budget estimated between $240 million and $270 million.
Critics had mixed reactions, with Rotten Tomatoes giving the movie a 44% approval and Metacritic giving it a moderate 50, highlighting a major difference between critics and audience opinions.
With these developments, Dragon Ball Evolution might find some relief in handing over its long-held spot to Snow White, now IMDb’s new cautionary example for future adaptations.
Source: IMDb
