The live adaptation of “Snow White” is set to premiere in theatres on March 21. The film has gained traction since its original announcement, for all the wrong reasons. From the start, “Snow White” has been wrapped in controversy.
When it was originally announced that Rachel Zegler would be playing the iconic protagonist, Snow White, it sent fans into outrage because of the actress’s skin color. Zegler is Latina, which resulted in many Disney fans commenting on how an actress should play the princess with a fair complexion.
Later Peter Dinklage, an actor with dwarfism, made comments on the “WTF With Mike Maron” podcast about the portrayal of the seven dwarves as computer-generated, rather than using actors who are actual little people.
“They were very proud to cast a Latino 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,” he said on the podcast in January 2022.
Disney has since released a statement claiming to take a “different approach” with how it portrays the dwarves in the film. According to the company, this involves portraying the dwarves in a better light than the original film, such as avoiding stereotypes like having the dwarves live in a cave.
Along with changes for the dwarves, Disney is also changing things up with its portrayal of women and relationships. Both Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, and Zegler have made comments about the alterations being made to the film being empowering to women, where Snow White will not spend the film waiting for her prince. This is important to keep in mind for audiences if they plan on walking into the movie theater expecting an exact reimagining of their childhood favorite.
Perhaps most important to the movie’s controversy is its actors’ political takes. Zegler is known for being politically outspoken, discussing how she hopes Donald Trump and his supporters “never know peace” on Instagram. Zegler is also openly in support of a free Palestine. In contrast, Gadot is an Israeli who spent two years in mandatory service for Israel’s military regime, the IDF. She has also been outspoken in her support of Israel, causing conflict on both sides of the political debate.
“Snow White,” the next film in a series of Disney live-actions, is more scaled-back than its predecessors. If wondering why, look no further than its history of conflicts as it wrestles with old traditions and new feelings. Love it or hate it, there’s no doubt the press “Snow White” is continuing to interest and motivate audiences around the world to see the film.
