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Credit: Disney (left) @rachelzegler via Instagram (right) It looks like Rachel Zegler is fed up with the harassment she has been receiving after speaking out on the new live-action Snow White, in regards to all the changes that Disney is making straying the storyline of the film heavily from what we saw in the animated version. Really, this may feel like an all-new story, not a remake.
As of late, we have seen Disney begin to increase their diversity in films, which has certainly caused some backlash.
After Disney began to push their Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, where they promised to increase diversity in their films, we saw Disney begin to change their casting, placing different ethnicities into characters that were previously created as Caucasian. The first casting choice to make headlines was when Disney announced they had finally found who would play the iconic mermaid, Ariel, for the upcoming live-action remake The Little Mermaid. The Disney Princess and mermaid, Ariel, will be played by actress Halle Bailey, known for her work in ABC’s Grown-ish and as one half of the famous R&B singing duo Chloe and Halle.
But it wasn’t long before the Internet spoke about the decision on Bailey’s casting. While many fans were highly supportive, others immediately took to Twitter and other social media platforms to express their frustrations about the casting of the Disney Princess character. The hashtag #NotMyAriel immediately began to trend.
The Walt Disney Company, Jodi Benson (the original voice for Ariel in the 1989 animated classic), Lin-Manuel Miranda, one of the producers and composers for the upcoming live-action remake, and others spoke out defending Disney’s decision and Bailey’s casting of the character.
The negative press that Disney received did not stop the company from continuing to push different ethnicities into classic Caucasian characters.
Yara Shahidi, currently known for her role on ABC’s Black-ish, is looking forward to playing the iconic sidekick, Tinker Bell, in the upcoming live-action film, Peter Pan and Wendy.
Most recently, the upcoming Snow White live-action film starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot has hit some heat. There are two main instances that caused fans to outrage with the upcoming film. Firstly, there will be no dwarfs in the film, but seven magical creatures, which deviate from the iconic story that Walt Disney himself created on screen. The second comes from an interview where Zegler and Gadot say that Snow White will not have a prince charming, and there is no one that needs to save her.
This is where the most recent drama begins.
Firstly, some found issues with Zegler playing Snow White, a character who is meant to look incredibly pale, being played by a Latina woman. That was nowhere near the amount of hatred the film got after Zegler revealed that the film would be entirely different from the animated film. In the video, Zegler explains that the new Snow White would show a more independent Disney Princess. She quipped, “It’s not 1937 anymore,” and suggested that the Prince shouldn’t kiss Snow White in her sleep because it isn’t consensual.
At this point, fans accused Disney of creating a totally different film, and creating a pseudo-feminist film that makes Snow White’s ideals and behavior be seen as wrong, creating a corrupt narrative for females who may dream of finding their “prince charming”, or behaving as more of a softer character, than someone who is constantly trying to be the leader, as Zegler said Snow White will now be. With this, fans have been outraged at Disney pushing their “woke” agenda.
The interview became popular on all social media accounts, where other creators would stitch Zegler saying the changes that would be made, and then would discuss how they disagree with her thinking the original animated Snow White was not a strong female, just because she enjoyed the fairy tale.
Following the extreme backlash, Zegler took to Twitter to try and have Disney fans be more kind towards her. She wrote, “i love you very much. forever and ever. remember to be kind. treat each other with patience and empathy. remember that you are loved unconditionally, no matter your mistakes, no matter your misunderstandings. you deserve it. you deserve love. you deserve to live without fear. x” as well as “i hope the world becomes kinder” on August 11, 2023.
Some of the comments on the Tweets pushed again that Snow White’s narrative should not be changed, “If you really “love” us so much, then listen. There are legitimate concerns brought forward by others. Why aren’t you fighting for a true adaptation of Snow White? It’s okay for girls to want true love.”, while others were much more hateful, calling Zegler “brownish mud”.
Considering that filming has already wrapped for Snow White, it seems that all of these complaints will have to sit on deaf ears.
What is Disney Casting Next?
Most recently, there have been rumors that Disney’s top choice for Rapunzel in a Tangled live-action film is Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Black Widow, Oppenheimer, Don’t Worry Darling, Little Women) and will begin once the SAG-AFTRA strike wraps up. When fans of the film heard of the potential casting choice, many seemed shocked and delighted to see Disney casting a character in a live-action film that looks like the cartoon, as we have seen with Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
At the moment, this casting choice is in no way official, but it seems that the majority of Disney fans are in favor of this casting choice.
Disney’s animated movie doesn’t so much have Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) rescued from said tower by a prince. Instead, Rapunzel recruits the thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) to take her to see the “floating lights” that appear on her birthday each year – which, unbeknownst to her, are actually released by her real parents in hopes of finding their lost princess.
Florence Pugh isn’t a newcomer to the Walt Disney Company. The British actress currently portrays Yelena Belova, the adopted sister of Black Widow, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She made her MCU debut in Black Widow and was a recurring character in the Disney+ series Hawkeye. Her next appearance is set to come in Thunderbolts, which is set to premiere in December 2024 (but will likely be pushed back due to the strikes) — in conclusion, Pugh is already taking the Marvel world by storm.
What do you think about Disney changing Snow White?