Disney's live-action film of Snow White was released in cinemas on Friday 21st March, but for a few months prior, it has been receiving nothing but negative media coverage. Lifelong Disney fans have taken to social media to air their complaints regarding this retelling of the beloved 1937 classic fairytale, finding fault in the changed elements of the plot, the CGI seven dwarves, but far above all else, the casting.
Many viewers were never going to look kindly on casting a person of colour in the role of Snow White, however comments went even further by actually making negative and degrading statements regarding Rachel Zegler's appearance, and branding her as “ugly” compared to Gal Gadot, who plays her wicked stepmother.
Perhaps the largest complaint that fans had regarding the casting of these two women in the principal roles was that of their own political agenda. As one Instagram user stated, ”Disney have cast the Israel/Palestine controversy”. Both women have been vocal on social media about their political views in the past – Gadot is Israeli while Zegler is pro-Palestine – and this has led to an uproar where certain sections of viewers have questioned Disney's decision to cast a perceived “woke leftist” as the titular character in their remake.
This led me to asking the question – is Disney actually enhancing its reputation by casting big-name stars in their films, or is it doing more harm than good for their box office bills?
In the last few years Disney has turned its attention to hiring well-known actors and actresses to portray their principal characters in films, with the notable turning point being Emma Watson as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2017). Since then, we've seen an increase in big-name performers getting cast in remakes and adaptations and, while this can certainly aid in the advertising of their films, well-known actors also come with their baggage. With many of these actors having been in the limelight for years, their political views and personal opinions will be widely spoken of among fans – if they've ever made a negative comment about a fellow actor, production company, or group of people in the world, it will be found by an eagle-eyed fanatic. Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot are the perfect examples of the damaging reputation this can incur.
If we look back to 2015 we will see the wonderful live-action remake that Disney produced of Cinderella, starring Lily James – a stellar actress, although relatively unknown at the time compared to current stars. Her breathtaking performance created magical moments for every little girl that has ever dreamed of playing a Disney princess – and what's more, she herself said in an interview that "she was a girl I wanted to be, and felt inspired to play". The simple message of “have courage and be kind” resonated with viewers all across the world, and that's what made it so popular. You can keep a Disney princess true to her original character and plot, while adding your own touch of magic to the new version, and that is what's going to be truly successful.
Think of Auli'i Cravalho who voiced Moana – she was just 15 years old and completely unknown at the time she took on the main role, and she created a masterpiece with it. Moana has a rating of 7.6/10 on IMDb compared to Snow White's 1.6/10 – though the latter has admittedly been subjected to a coordinated campaign of “review bombing”.
It just feels like Disney is trying to sell its films by using big-name actors like Zegler and Gadot who will do their marketing for them, but nobody really wants to see another car crash like Snow White has been. What they are actually doing is taking roles away from girls who have always dreamed of playing one of these icons, and giving the parts to actresses for whom it is often just “another job”. And that's where they lose the magic.
So is Disney making a big mistake in its current age of casting? In my opinion, yes – we don't want to see Rachel Zegler playing Snow White, we want to see Snow White. Just like Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda in Wicked, said: "I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda". And that is where Disney is currently failing.
Yes, a well-known star with millions of social media followers can advertise for you, but if the coverage is all negative, then it's better to have somebody relatively unknown who can act well, and truly wants to be there for the love of the story and character, not the money. It's time to turn things back to the golden age of Disney when the heartwarming tales shared just a simple, inspiring message like “have courage and be kind”, without an A-list star name above the title, and all will be well.
Snow White is in UK cinemas now.
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