Next Thursday, March 20th, a new live-action Snow White movie will be released. The classic movie came out 88 years ago, in 1937, and I guess Disney thought it was time for a refreshed version of the story—changing more than just the medium.
The film will star Rachel Zegler as Snow White, who some may know as Maria from West Side Story or Lucy Gray from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The Evil Queen will be played by Gal Gadot, which will certainly be interesting. One character, however, will not be reprised. In this modern Snow White, there will be no Prince Charming. The character has instead been replaced by Jonathan. I have yet to find out who he is, but I am very interested in his role in the story. If you couldn’t tell, the new movie focuses on female independence rather than true love, attempting to build a new narrative where Snow White saves herself without help from anyone else. Zegler has confirmed that Snow White will not be saved and will not be fantasizing about true love. This has caused quite the controversy. People are mad that one of the most essential parts of the story of Snow White is being completely removed and changed. Many people also believe that the film’s attempt to promote independence puts down some girl’s dreams, and I have to say I agree with this. By taking a classic story centered around love and removing that aspect, the filmmakers promote the idea that simply wanting to love someone makes a woman an anti-feminist. Both pursuits are perfectly reasonable, so there was really no need for the switch-up in the original story. It would have been entirely possible to create a new story with a powerful female lead instead of making a mess of the plot. This is one of the biggest criticisms of the movie, but it is not singular.
There are many who are also upset about the use of CGI in the film. The seven dwarfs are all CGI, which I have to say was not a wise choice. They look really creepy and strange, and it would have been smarter to just hire real people. In an attempt to be progressive, Disney actually angered more people. Peter Dinklage, a well-known actor and little person, spoke out about the remake as a whole, calling it “backward.” Little Women: LA actress Ali Chapman also spoke against Disney’s use of CGI, saying the roles could have gone to actual little people. To say the least, people are not happy.
There are also other minor complaints, which I hold no value in. Some people say Zegler is not fit for the role of Snow White as a Latina woman, which I think is too stupid a claim to even be dignified. There are also others who don’t like her as an actress and don’t like her personality. I also think those claims have no validity, though I admit I am partial. She hasn’t said anything crazy, and people tend to overlook the good she does for the minor complaints she makes.
Overall, I have to say I’m excited to see the new Snow White. It does seem like I’m dragging the movie in this article, but nothing is final until I actually see it. The main criticism is Disney’s attempt at making the film too progressive, causing problems when there were none. To be fair, I do love Rachel Zegler, which is where most of my excitement comes from, but I can also recognize why some people are angry. I can’t say anything too firm until I watch the movie, which will hopefully happen next weekend. Stay tuned for the update and for my review!
