“While the queen was sewing and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell upon the snow. And the red looked pretty upon the white snow, and she thought to herself, “Would that I had a child as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as the wood of the window frame.” Soon after that, she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony, and she was therefore called little Snow White.
So begins the legend of Snow White, one of the most iconic fairy tales of all time. This enduring classic was first published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, inspired by hundreds of years of German folklore. In 1937, Disney adapted the story into an animated film, producing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature-length film the studio had ever created. But in 2023, 86 years after that movie’s historic release, Disney may be living in a fairy tale of its own.
After adding “racism” and “cultural insensitivity” warnings to the classic films streaming on Disney+, the company also made several controversial race swaps in casting for the live-action remakes of older films. Most recently, the new Little Mermaid featured African American actress Halle Bailey as the previously white-skinned, red-headed main character. The film received criticism and negative reviews despite its reasonably successful box office performance earlier this year.
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But perhaps the most ridiculous example of this trend came last Friday when leaked set photos revealed that Disney has circled back to address the “problematic” nature of its very first film project.
In early 2022, it was announced that Colombian actress Rachel Zegler had been cast as the new Snow White in an upcoming project directed by Greta Gerwig. The decision to replace the historically white German character—defined by her “snow-white skin”—with a Hispanic actress was controversial by itself, but the criticism was further compounded by the announcement that the film would not feature “Prince Charming” and instead focus on an empowered, leadership-oriented Snow White. Zegler stated: “People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White… yeah, it is—because it needed that. Our version is a refreshing story about a young woman who has a function beyond ‘Someday My Prince Will Come.’” She also tweeted (and then deleted) “Yes I am Snow White; no, I am not bleaching my skin for the role.”
Though the objections quieted down in the following year, the controversy was reignited on Friday, when the Daily Mail published leaked set photos revealing that the seven dwarves had been replaced by seven “magical creatures” of diverse races and genders…all but one played by full-sized people.
The move away from dwarves was not entirely unexpected given statements Disney made last year in response to criticism from former Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, himself a little person. “You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing, man?” he said at the time. Soon after, Disney announced that they would be changing the characters to “magical, forest-dwelling creatures” to avoid harmful stereotypes.
Even so, once everything came together on set and photos of the production began to circulate, the public didn’t seem happy with this new woke take on the beloved classic. When a new wave of criticism broke out on social media, Disney immediately denied that the photos were real and requested that the Daily Mail issue a retraction. However, less than a day later, Disney was forced to walk back that claim, admitting that while the photos were not official, they were real. With the film set to hit theaters in March 2024, it seems Disney will have to prepare for another release bogged down by anti-woke backlash.
So, will the new Snow White be a dream come true for Disney…or will this be the poison apple that finally kills the woke agenda in the House of Mouse?
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