Rachel Zegler’s casting as Snow White has faced controversy due to her race, similar to the backlash against Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in The Little Mermaid remake.

The decision to cast actors without dwarfism for the roles of the “Seven Dwarfs” in the live-action remake has sparked a debate in Hollywood and criticism from the dwarfism community.
Snow White requires more modernization than other live-action remakes due to its outdated ideals, and the filmmakers have taken creative liberty to update the film, causing controversy among fans of the original. Rachel Zegler’s past criticisms of the animated film have also ignited backlash.

The next live-action remake from the Walt Disney Company is Snow White, but the upcoming movie has been somewhat tainted by a few controversies surrounding the production. Snow White, based on the 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, stars Rachel Zegler as the titular character and is a reimagining of the very first Walt Disney animated feature film. Other notable cast members include Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, Ansu Kabia as the Huntsman, Martin Klebba as Grumpy, and Andrew Burnap as Jonathan (a new character who replaces the Prince character from the animated movie).

Not much is known about how the producers revamped the original film’s story to give it a more modern spin, but what has been made public about the movie has not been welcomed with open arms. From Zegler’s casting to debate over the depiction of the “Seven Dwarfs” in the upcoming live-action remake, Snow White has been shrouded by controversy, even though Disney has yet to release a trailer for the movie, which is set to be released on March 22, 2024. No matter what the production company does to respond, Snow White will remain Disney’s most contentious live-action remake (so far).

5Rachel Zegler’s Casting As Snow White Proved Controversial

Similar to Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in The Little Mermaid live-action remake, some were unhappy with the news that Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress of Colombian descent, would be playing Snow White, who is depicted as white in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The character’s name originates from the comment that she has “skin as white as snow,” so some felt that the actress playing the princess in the 2024 version of the film should be white. As a result, there was an uproar online related to Zegler getting cast as the titular character in Snow White.

The controversy surrounding Zegler’s casting is undoubtedly racially motivated, but it is nothing new, unfortunately. As mentioned before, some were upset when Halle Bailey, a Black actress, was picked to play Ariel, a white character in the 1989 Disney animated feature film, in the 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid. Time and time again, there has been backlash whenever a person of color is hired to play a significant role in a high-profile film, and Rachel Zegler in Snow White is no exception.

4Snow White’s “Seven Dwarfs” Have Triggered A Hollywood Debate

 

Disney dropped the “Seven Dwarfs” from the title for the 2024 live-action remake, but Snow White will still feature reimagined versions of the seven characters, which has prompted a back-and-forth argument in Hollywood. Since little is known about the upcoming movie, only one actor is confirmed to play one of the seven people that Snow White lives with — Martin Klebba as Grumpy. According to Disney, Klebba, who has a form of dwarfism called acromicric dysplasia, is the only actor with dwarfism among the cast. So, the other six characters (Doc, Sleepy, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey) will be played by actors without some form of dwarfism.

Before the news about the reconceived characters leaked, Peter Dinklage slammed Snow White, which sparked a heated debate. He criticized Disney for even putting a live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs into production because of its outdated concept. But when Disney announced that a majority of the “Seven Dwarfs” were going to be played by actors without a form of dwarfism, some were upset and claimed the studio was taking opportunities away from the dwarfism community. Plus, some people took to social media to criticize Disney for being “woke” with the company’s decision to reimagine the “Seven Dwarfs” in Snow White​​​​.

3Disney’s Snow White Requires More Modernization Than Other Live-Action Remakes

Since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in the 1930s, the Disney classic has to be updated way more than other live-action remakes. The Little Mermaid and Aladdin are more modern. Although those movies undoubtedly contain outdated ideals, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a lot older and further separated from what is accepted and what isn’t in today’s world. As a result, the filmmakers had to take creative liberty to modernize the remake to a whole other level than previous Disney films, which is bound to cause controversy from those who loved the original animated movie. Rachel Zegler even confirmed that Snow White differs significantly from the 1937 film.

2Rachel Zegler Has Criticized Disney’s Animated Snow White Movie

Rachel Zegler was the source of more controversy pertaining to Snow White when videos of her criticizing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs resurfaced. According to Cosmopolitan, the actress stated in an interview that the 1937 animated feature film is “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman is fit for in the world.” As a result, Zegler faced some backlash for her comments.

Some people jumped on social media to express their disappointment in Zegler getting cast as Snow White in the 2024 live-action remake. They believed her criticisms of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs meant she should not have gotten the part. However, after the controversy, Zegler used her own social media to state her gratitude for being involved in Snow White​​​​​​ and those who came to her defense online. The movie is still months from being released (and Disney has not shared any images or videos from the live-action remake), but there is enough controversy surrounding it to last a lifetime.

1Disney’s Snow White Backlash Is Premature (& Part Of Something Bigger)

Although Snow White has experienced its fair share of backlash, all the controversy is based on surface-level details about the upcoming live-action remake. As mentioned, Disney has not released any footage or plot details about the movie despite its premiere date in March 2024. All that is truly known about Snow White is that Rachel Zegler is its star and that it will update the original story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs so that it makes sense in the 2020s.

The fact of the matter is that the response to the live-action remake of the 1937 animated feature film is based only on comments and concepts. Although some controversies (like the “Seven Dwarfs” aspect of the movie) have brought up real concerns, much of the backlash is premature. Unfortunately, Snow White has just become something that people can complain about, and most concrete criticisms can’t arise until the film premieres.