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Credit: DisneyFew Disney releases have been as divisive as Snow White, with both of the film’s stars, Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, embroiled in controversy. Zegler is now being thrown under the bus and being used as a scapegoat for the film’s critical and commercial issues by some, though others would argue this is not fair to the talented up-and-coming actress.
Many have actually praised Zegler as being the best part of Disney’s newly updated Snow White, so where exactly is all of this controversy coming from?
Disney’s Live-Action Snow White
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The Walt Disney Company’s focus has certainly shifted over the last decade when it comes to creating, designing, producing, and releasing movies. While originality still exists in spades at Disney, with recent releases like Turning Red and Encanto blowing off the lid of streaming, the company has certainly found comfort in making live-action retellings of its classic animated films.
While Disney has a long list of live-action remakes of its classic films, the release of the live-action Cinderella in 2015 really marked a major shift for the company, with Disney now looking for practically any and every story it can transform and bring into the “real world.”
Some projects have translated to live-action better than others, with Disney’s Lion King remake dominating the global box office and becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Other releases, like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, all did considerably well, too, though none have managed to capture audiences’ attention quite like The Lion King.
Disney will release multiple live-action projects in 2025, including the highly anticipated Lilo & Stitch remake. However, Disney’s controversial Snow White remake has already hit theaters and is set to become one of the company’s most divisive releases of all time.
This controversy mostly originates from the stars of the film itself, with death threats reportedly being hurled at least one-half of Disney’s shiny new Show White iteration.
Snow White: Death Threats and Social Media Scandals
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A new story from Variety revealed how both Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, the leads of Disney’s Snow White remake, are enduring their own types of backlash. Gadot has allegedly faced death threats over her supportive stance for Israel amid the ongoing struggle against Palestine. Gadot was a member of the Israel Defense Forces when younger and has been vocally supportive of her home country.
On the flip side, Rachel Zegler has been staunchly in support of Palestine, both in-person and on social media. Zegler is very politically outspoken herself, and in one post last year, criticized President Donald Trump, wishing that his supporters would “never know peace.” Zegler has since apologized for the post.
Last year, Zegler shared a post on X thanking fans for bringing the initial Snow White teaser trailer to over 120 million views. Zegler also used this post to show support for Palestine, adding, “and always remember, free Palestine” to the end.
This additional remark sparked concern among Disney, prompting Snow White producer Marc Platt to fly all the way to New York to speak directly with Zegler. The actress stood her ground, and the post remained, showing that Zegler, at the very least, means what she says and has the integrity to stand by her words.
The stark difference between the two leads could not be more apparent, with tension reportedly heightened amid the press cycle for Snow White.
Disney reportedly had to pay for extra security to accommodate Gadot.
“She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone,” says one insider, inferring Zegler was partially to blame for the threats made against Gadot and the backlash against Snow White.
While most of the controversy involved the film’s stars, Disney’s new Snow White has not proven to be all that impressive of a product, at least for fans, opening with a worrying $87 million worldwide. For comparison, Warner Bros.’ critically panned Joker: Folie à Deux released last October to the tune of about $114 million on a significantly smaller budget.
Snow White also released negative reviews online, debuting with a “rotten” rating on popular review-aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s unclear what exactly is in the cards for Snow White, but this live-action iteration has certainly proven to be one of Disney’s most controversial, divisive, and downright ugly releases when factoring in online discussion and reactions.
The film itself seems to feature the hallmarks of a decent and inspiring Disney film, albeit with somewhat distressing CGI dwarfs and a few new original songs that pale in comparison to the original animated classic.
However, Disney is likely in no position to worry about the future of live-action remakes, with Lilo & Stitch expected to blow the top off the summer box office.
Have you seen Disney’s new Snow White? What did you think about the movie?