Disney Delays Live-Action Snow White, Has It Been Canceled?
When Walt Disney Pictures announced in 2016 that they were developing a live-action remake of their first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, fans were thrilled, especially given the studio’s prior success with live-action remakes such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Cruella. However, the upcoming Snow White remake has been mired in controversy, leading to a significant backlash and calls from some quarters for the movie to be scrapped entirely.
These concerns have only deepened with the news, as reported by Variety, that the film’s release date has been pushed back from March 22, 2024, to March 21, 2025, leading some to fear that Disney may have given in to the critics and canceled the project altogether.
Disney has pushed the live-action Snow White remake starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot to March 2025.
Fortunately, there are no signs that Disney plans to cancel the live-action remake of Snow White. The one-year postponement of the film’s release is due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which has impacted many studios, including Disney, necessitating changes to the release dates of several upcoming movies. However, it’s worth noting that Snow White is still mired in many controversies, and the resulting backlash shows no signs of dying down any time soon.
One of the major points of contention surrounding Snow White is the decision to cast Rachel Zegler, known for her roles in West Side Story and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, as the titular character. In the original 1937 animated film, Snow White is famously described as having “skin as white as snow.” This has led some fans and critics, who note Zegler’s Colombian and Polish heritage, to argue that she doesn’t fit the character’s traditional appearance.
Another controversy surrounding the live-action remake of Snow White arose from comments made by actress Rachel Zegler. She faced backlash from fans after she made playful remarks in interviews that seemed to mock the original animated film, and she was accused of disliking Snow White for portraying the character as weak and in need of a prince to save her.
One of the major points of contention surrounding Snow White is the decision to cast Rachel Zegler, known for her roles in West Side Story and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, as the titular character.
Furthermore, fans have taken issue with what they perceive as Disney‘s superficial approach to feminism, arguing that the portrayal of every female character as a strong leader can be reductive and does not reflect the diverse aspirations and strengths of women.
Lastly, a significant point of contention regarding the live-action remake of Snow White is the casting choices for the seven characters traditionally known as the dwarfs.
Despite the ongoing controversies and backlash, Disney remains committed to bringing Snow White to the big screen, albeit a year later than initially planned.
The remake has cast only one actor with dwarfism, with the other six roles going to non-dwarf actors. This decision has ignited a firestorm of backlash online, with many expressing their anger and frustration, even though the upcoming movie is simply titled Snow White, not Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Despite the ongoing controversies and backlash, Disney remains committed to bringing Snow White to the big screen, albeit a year later than initially planned. While the studio is taking a different approach to the portrayal of the seven dwarfs compared to the original animated feature, the core story seems to remain intact.
In this classic tale, a princess is exiled to the forest by her evil stepmother, only to find refuge with seven miners who welcome her into their home.
