What Could Have Been: Disney Cancels Live-Action 'Snow White' Release

This year will have remarkably less Snow White thanks to The Walt Disney Company canceling the release of their live-action adaptation.

Over the last decade, Disney has released many live-action remakes of their classic animated stories. While some have been loved, such as Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), and The Lion King (2019), others, like Pinocchio (2022), Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), and The Little Mermaid (2023), have received mixed to poor reviews.

While Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in Rob Marshall’s The Little Mermaid drew criticism and spawned discourse about race, it would be Marc Webb’s remake of Disney’s first-ever feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) that would ignite a firestorm of backlash.

In June 2021, it was revealed that Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) would be starring as Disney’s first princess. Since her casting, Zegler and Disney have received major backlash regarding the so-called “woke” nature of the upcoming remake.

In early 2022, Disney revealed that they would be replacing the dwarf characters with magical creatures. The change came after actor Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) spoke out on the “backward story,” with Disney not wanting to reinforce outdated stereotypes in its live-action remake. That said, the dwarfs, created with CGI, were seen in Disney’s first official image shared last year.

Related: Disney Buries Live-Action ‘Snow White’ With New Princess

Along with that image came the announcement that The Walt Disney Company would be canceling Snow White‘s March 2024 release and instead pushing the movie to March 2025. March 22, 2024, was Disney’s Snow White‘s official release date, meaning that if things hadn’t changed, fans would encounter Zegler’s divisive princess in just a couple of weeks.

The SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023 are the reason why Snow White was delayed, as no member was able to promote or discuss their movie during the strike action. However, it does also seem that Disney wanted to put some distance between the controversies surrounding the film and its release.

Throughout 2023, Zegler came under fire for her resurfaced comments on the original Disney film, saying that her version of Snow White would be stronger and more of a leader. She also claimed that the Prince character in the 1937 classic “stalked” Snow White; the Prince character for the live-action remake, has been replaced by a character called Jonathan, played by Andrew Burnap.

In retaliation to Disney’s so-called “woke” remake, conservative news outlet The Daily Wire announced its own take on the Snow White story, with Snow White and the Evil Queen (2024). Starring YouTube commentator and The Daily Wire alum Brett Cooper, Snow White and the Evil Queen is set to debut on the fledgling Bentkey streaming service sometime this year. Around the time of its announcement, The Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boering–who is directing the film–said that Disney “pushes all the worst excesses of the woke left” (via Axios).

If Disney’s Snow White had been released this month as originally planned, it would likely have seen new additions to the Disney Parks brand. During the release of The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey’s version of Ariel appeared in various Disney theme parks across the world like Walt Disney World Resort at the Walt Disney Presents attraction in Hollywood Studios. Not only Disney parks, but new merchandise would also be available to support the movie’s release.

The cancellation of Snow White‘s 2024 release came just a few months before the head of Disney’s live-action machine, Sean Bailey, exited the company after 15 years. The President of Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios left the House of Mouse effective immediately, with David Greenbaum of 20th Century Studios stepping into a newly created role of President, Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios.

Related: Government Gets Involved in Controversial Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Remake

Disney’s Snow White will now be released on March 21, 2025, and stars Rachel Zegler as Disney princess Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. It is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson.

Are you disappointed that Disney’s Snow White won’t be released this year? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!