Disney is delaying the release of the live-action Snow White movie by a year following backlash over the company’s decision to ax the Seven Dwarfs and the lead actress’ controversial take on the source material.
The Walt Disney company announced the postponement on Friday. The company cited the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike as the main reason behind the decision.
However, based on a new publicity photo from the film, it’s possible that House of Mouse could use the time to rework some of the less well-received aspects of the updated classic.
Over the summer, the film received negative attention after it was announced that the Seven Dwarfs – iconic roles in the original film – would be replaced by seven “magical (non-dwarf) creatures” in an effort to keep the stories aligned. with the 21st century commitment to political correctness.
In the new publicity shot, Snow White, played by Rachel Zegler, sits surrounded by seven CGI dwarfs, who appear to resemble the original characters much more closely than the “magical creatures” depicted this summer.
In a new publicity photo, Disney revealed live-action Snow White sitting among CGI dwarfs, who the company originally said would not be featured in the updated telling of the fairy tale.
Last summer, the seven ‘magical creatures’ were depicted, which would be the more politically correct replacement for the dwarves
It’s unclear what exactly Disney plans to do with the “magical creatures” and original dwarves. Opting for CGI dwarfs would ensure that no actor who is an actual little person would get the chance to step into any of the roles.
In addition to the dwarf controversy, several months ago a handful of clips began circulating in which Zegler talked about the film in a way that audiences detested.
Interviews revealed that Zegler made derogatory statements about the original Snow White film and chastised the main character for her outdated values.
Not only did the 22-year-old admit that she “hated” the original 1937 film, she also described the film’s Prince as a “stalker” and called the storyline “weird.”
“I just mean it’s not 1937 anymore. She will not be saved by the prince and she will not dream about true love,” Zegler told Variety a year ago.
“She dreams of becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader her late father told her she could be if she were fearless, honest, courageous and faithful.”
Zegler, known for her breakout role in West Side Story, said again at the Disney D23 Expo in California in September 2022:
“The original cartoon came out in 1937, and that was clearly the case. A lot of attention is paid to her love story with a man who literally stalks her. Foreign! Foreign! So we didn’t do that this time.
“We take a different approach to what many people will undoubtedly assume is a love story just because we cast a man in the film,” Rachel continued, referring to Andrew Burnap.
“All of Andrew’s scenes could be deleted, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!’ she joked, before admitting in a separate interview that she was “terrified” when she went on the beloved Snow White ride at Disney World.
Disney previously said it was taking a “different approach” with the characters originally called the “Seven Dwarfs” in the remake of the classic film Snow White, in an effort to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes.”
Rachel Zegler, 22, is best known for her breakout role in West Side Story. Her later feature film has now been postponed until 2025
Of the 1937 film, she said, “I was afraid of the original version. I think I saw him once and never picked him up again. I’m so serious.’
“I watched it once, and then I went to Disney World, which was called Snow White’s Scary Adventures. ‘Doesn’t sound like something a little kid would like. I was terrified of it and never visited Snow White again,” she added in an interview alongside Gal Gadot, who plays the wicked witch in the updated version.
In a subsequent interview with Late Night host Jimmy Fallon, Zegler claimed that she regularly found herself waiting in line for the Disney attraction she supposedly despises.
A fairly popular video criticizing Zegler was from TikTok user @cosywithangie, who said that the young actress’ criticism of the original version of Snow White was in fact not a good example of advocating feminism.
‘Criticizing Disney princesses is not feminist. Not every woman is a leader, not every woman wants to be a leader, not every woman wants or craves power, and that’s okay,” Angie said.
‘It is not anti-feminist to want to fall in love, to want to get married, to want to stay at home, to want to be a housewife. None of these things make you less valuable as a person or as a woman.”
‘Some women want a marriage or family and not a job. Some women want BOTH. They all need to be heard, seen and appreciated,” she captioned her video, which has been viewed more than 10 million times.
Other TikTok users began questioning Zegler’s involvement in a story she seemed to hate.
TikTok user @nuttybutter96 shared clips from one of the interviews and wondered why Zegler was “so smug,” writing under her post, “If you hate the original so much why would you want to make the remake.” Make sure it makes sense…’
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a condescending, smug Disney princess in my life,” she wrote about the interview.
It’s unclear if the newly created “magical creatures” will be cut from the film entirely
Zegler was roundly criticized for her vague feminist views and overly negative opinions of the original Snow White film
In yet another high-profile interview about the film, Zegler defended the film’s newly forced progressive bent: ‘People make these jokes about us being PC Snow White… yes, it is – because it needed to be.
“Our version is a refreshing story about a young woman who has a function that goes beyond Someday My Prince Will Come.”
The Colombian-American actress faced some criticism after being cast as Snow White, who was always said to have “skin as white as snow.”
In a now-deleted tweet, she wrote: “Yes, I am Snow White; No, I didn’t bleach my skin for the role.’
Disney’s 1937 version of the film follows Snow White as she befriends the seven dwarfs while hiding from her evil stepmother, who later poisons her with an apple before Prince Charming wakes her from her sleep with a kiss. The plot is loosely based on the 1812 fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm.
When it came out, it became a huge hit for Disney, earning hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. It was also the first full-length traditional animated film and Disney’s first animated film.