63Disney has announced a replacement for its controversial Snow White this spring but hasn’t given much information.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) stands as a timeless masterpiece in the realm of animated cinema, marking Disney’s inaugural venture into feature-length animation. Adapted from the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the film holds a special place in cinematic history as the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs not only introduced audiences to the enchanting world of Disney princesses but also set the standard for animated storytelling.
Released during the Golden Age of Animation, the film follows the classic tale of Snow White, a kind and gentle princess with unparalleled beauty. Her wicked stepmother, the Queen, consumed by jealousy, orders Snow White’s demise. However, the charming protagonist finds refuge with seven lovable dwarfs in a quaint cottage deep within the woods. The film unfolds with a perfect blend of humor, heart, and musical brilliance, featuring iconic songs like “Some Day My Prince Will Come” that continue to resonate with audiences of all ages.
As the first-ever animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs laid the foundation for Disney’s subsequent successes. Its innovative animation techniques, captivating characters, and enchanting narrative paved the way for a new era in filmmaking. The success of Snow White established Disney as a powerhouse in the animation industry, setting the stage for the creation of numerous beloved classics that followed.
In recent years, Disney has embraced the trend of reimagining its animated classics in live-action form. One such endeavor is the upcoming live-action adaptation of Snow White, featuring Rachel Zegler in the titular role. Known for her breakout performance in West Side Story (2021), Zegler is poised to bring a fresh perspective to the iconic character. However, that hasn’t stopped controversy from surrounding the film in a big way.
On the early promotional trail several months ago with Gal Gadot, Zegler made comments about how she wasn’t a fan of the original version and that she was glad to see the live-action version making many changes, including axing the “love story” narrative. Andrew Burnap, who plays the role of Jonathan since there is no prince, could see his scenes cut altogether if the producers chose to do so, Zegler joked.
“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937,” Zegler said. “We absolutely wrote a ‘Snow White’ that … she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love; she’s going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true.”
As these comments and other reports made their way around the internet, backlash grew in a major way. The film, which already had to make more than $340 million at the box office to break even, was facing an uphill battle. Disney, which had seen its fair share of box office flops in recent months, ultimately elected to delay the movie.
While there has been no confirmation on why the film was delayed by a full year to 2025, the overarching belief is that it was done strategically to allow the backlash to die down before its release and to allow Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap to all get back on the promotional trail.
Now, Disney has released its 2024 release schedule and we see that the company is planning to move a film into the spot that was once expected to be held by Disney’s Snow White. With the Rachel Zegler-led film being moved out of its spring 2024 spot, Disney was set not to have a single film released during the spring of next year. That, now, will no longer be the case.
“Here’s a look at the updated 2024 release schedule for Disney,” reporter Scott Gustin shared.
Here's a look at the updated 2024 release schedule for Disney: pic.twitter.com/aEj9hpADvh
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 10, 2023
As you can see in the release schedule, Disney now has an “untitled film” set to be released on April 5, 2024. It’s unclear if this was originally the plan or not, and there is no confirmation on what film this might be, but this will still serve as the replacement for what the company had originally planned to have Snow White carry the spring.
In addition, we can see that 20th Century Studios will release Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes on May 24, 2024. Disney Pixar’s Inside Out 2 will release on June 14, 2024, and Deadpool 3 will now release on July 26, 2024. Another note on the release schedule is that Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) has now been moved back to December 20, 2024, likely due to Deadpool‘s release being pushed back to July when it was originally set for May.
What do you think of these updates from Disney? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!