A former longtime Disney imagineer has blasted Disney’s secret Snow White trailer, which the company put out alongside Universal’s Wicked and not online.
Retired imagineer Jim Shull, who gave thirty-three years to the Walt Disney company, has called the trailer “unwatchable” on X before comparing it to another forgettable live action Disney film.
The trailer for Snow White is unwatchable. Pinocchio was directly released to Disney+ and that film starred Tom Hanks. #SnowWhite pic.twitter.com/bXO12wurr4
— Jim Shull (@JimShull) November 22, 2024
“The trailer for Snow White is unwatchable,” Shull said on his official X account today. “Pinnochio was directly released to Disney+ and that film starred Tom Hanks.”
The implication here is that Disney shouldn’t be releasing the Rachel Zegler-led film in theaters. Tom Hanks is a proven movie star with a total box office gross of $9 billion over a long and legendary career. Rachel Zegler has never starred in a hit film, with even The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes holding the distinction of lowest grossing Hunger Games movie ever.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
Disney dropped the new trailer for Snow White like a thief in the night, placing it in front of Universal’s surefire smash hit Wicked without adding it to online platforms like YouTube.
🚨 DISNEY’S SNOW WHITE FULL TRAILER 🚨 🍎
played in my amc theater in front of wicked pic.twitter.com/M2A0nNKZI7— ab 𖦹 ☼ ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ (@positionserapov) November 22, 2024
This is a move that doesn’t make financial sense for Disney. The only reason to launch a trailer for a big budget film exclusively in theaters is to attach it to another movie you own that needs a box office bump. But this trailer debuted in front of the biggest film of the year for Disney’s biggest competitor.
Many believe that Disney attempted to hide the trailer given the antics of Rachel Zegler online over the last two weeks. The 23-year-old actress embroiled herself in major controversy when, after the US presidential election, she appeared to wish harm on incoming president Donald Trump and the 75 million Americans who voted for him.
“I shouldn’t be this shocked,” she said on Instagram. “But I am. I am heartbroken for my friends who awoke fear this morning. And I am here with you. To cry, to yell, to hug. To wax poetic on how the left continues to fail us in forging a new path forward. This loss should not have been. And it certainly should not have been by so many votes. I echo Ethel Cain’s statement more than anything. May Trump supporters and Trump himself never know peace.” 
A screenshot of Rachel Zegler’s Incendiary tweets about Donald Trump and his supporters – Photo Credit Steph Anie, @MyNerdyHome Via X
Zegler apologized a few days later, though certain inconsistencies have left many wondering if the controversial actress actually composed the apology herself.
“Hi, everyone,” she said on her official Instagram account. “I would like to sincerely apologize for the election post I shared on my Instagram last week. I let my emotions get the best of me. Hatred and Anger have caused us to move further away from peace and understanding, and I’m sorry I contributed to the negative discourse.”
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
She then attempted to end her apology with an inspirational message for the future.
“This week has been emotional for so many of us,” she said. “But I firmly believe that everyone has the right to their opinion, even when it differs from my own. I am committed to contributing positive toward a better tomorrow.”
A screenshot from the trailer for Disney’s Snow White showing the stunning like to dislike ratio – YouTube, Disney
The previous Snow White trailer currently sits at a stunning like to dislike ratio. As of today, the video has 96 thousand likes to 1.3 million dislikes.
The new trailer also appears to be Snow White in name only, drawing criticism from many for sweeping story changes that seem to indicate Snow White launches some kind of armed rebellion against the queen. Also of note is the CGI on the seven dwarves, which many online are mocking for its early 2000s-like quality.
Do you agree with former imagineer Jim Shull? Should Snow White release in theaters? Is Disney trying to hide this Snow White trailer for fear of a Zegler-induced backlash? Sound off and let us know your thoughts!
