Mirror, mirror on the wall, what is becoming of Disney’s Snow White?
Disney announced on Friday that it is delaying the release of its live-action Snow White movie starring Rachel Zegler. The movie is delayed to 21 March 2025, one year after its initial 22 March 2024 date.
The delay comes as the actors’ strike continues to stretch past 100 days. The studio is also shifting Elio to 13 June 2025 as a result. Fans can likely expect more delays from Disney and other major studios if the strike continues for much longer.
To soften the blow from the delay, Disney has released a first-look image from the movie. The first look revealed Zegler in costume as the beloved princess and the seven dwarfs she keeps as her companions.
The reimagined seven dwarfs are particularly interesting, to say the least. When the studio announced that a Snow White live-action remake was in the works, Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage called it “f***ing backwards”.
“Literally no offence to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. But you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me.” said Dinklage back in January 2022.
“You’re progressive in one way but then you’re still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox?”
Disney responded to Dinklage’s criticism with a statement that said, “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.” (via EW).
There were rumours that Disney would have non-dwarf actors playing the dwarfs, although it now appears to be false as the dwarfs appear to be GI-ed. They also look more cartoonish and magical creature-like than human, and appear to be physically diverse.
Disney’s live-action Snow White has been marred with controversy. Conservative fans took issue with the casting of Latina actress Rachel Zegler, claiming that the 22-year-old actress didn’t fit the description of a princess who has “skin as white as snow.” They also criticised Disney for reimagining the tale for this new iteration. Instead of a romantic subplot, Disney’s Snow White will show Snow White becoming the leader her father encouraged her to be.
These controversies even led to the creation of a rival adaptation by Conservative media company The Daily Wire. Their version, titled Snow White and the Evil Queen, will reportedly be a story about “a princess and a prince”. Their version is still expected to air on 22 March 2024.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.
Natalie
Kevin Low
