Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White is set to hit theaters on Friday, featuring significant changes from the original animated classic.
Newsweek reached out to a Disney spokesperson via email for comment.
The original 1937 film, based on the famous fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, follows the story of a princess named Snow White, who flees into the forest to escape her evil stepmother and befriends seven dwarf miners: Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful, and Happy. Ultimately, the stepmother is defeated, and Snow White falls in love with a handsome prince.
However, leading up to its 2025 release, the live-action Snow White has sparked debate over the creative liberties taken with the story, with some labeling the changes as “woke.”
Why the new ‘Snow White’ is Being Called ‘Woke’
Rachel Zegler, who stars as Snow White in the film, has a mother of Colombian descent and father of Polish origins. The 23-year-old’s casting drew both praise and criticism, with some conservative figures and social media users questioning the decision to cast a Latina actress in the role, as Snow White is traditionally associated with the phrase “fairest of them all.”
Zegler expressed her excitement about the role, stating, “Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me.”
“You don’t normally see Snow Whites who are of Latin descent, even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries,” she said in a 2022 interview with Variety.
“But you don’t particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that. When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry,” she added.
Her comments, along with criticisms of the original film, contributed to the controversy.
Zegler’s Criticism of the Original Movie
Zegler previously criticized the 1937 animated version, describing it as “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power.”
In a 2022 interview with Extra she remarked: “The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. Weird! So we didn’t do that this time.”
“People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it’s like, yeah, it is – because it needed that,” she added in another interview with Vanity Fair.
Zegler has has also come under fire from conservatives after posting a string of messages attacking Donald Trump on social media in the wake of Trump’s election victory in November. In a series of Instagram posts, Zegler said “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,” and that there is a “deep deep sickness in this country.” She ended her post by saying “f*** Donald Trump.”
She later apologized, writing on Instagram: “”I would like to sincerely apologize for the election post I shared on Instagram last week. I let my emotions get the best of me. Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse.”
Snow White’s Dwarves and Other Controversies
In January 2022, actor Peter Dinklage criticized the remake for what he saw as contradictory messaging. During an appearance on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, the Game of Thrones star, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, said:
“Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White—but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me.”
He continued, “You’re progressive in one way but then you’re still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing, man?
In response, Disney released a statement: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.”
The controversy resurfaced in October 2023 when Disney revealed that the dwarfs would be depicted using CGI rather than live-action actors.
Additionally, the film faced boycott calls over Gal Gadot’s casting as the Evil Queen due to her outspoken support for Israel during the Israel-Gaza war.
Gadot, an Israeli actress, served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for two years. Zegler also added to the controversy with a social media post in August 2024 stating, “And always remember, free Palestine.”
Here are five substantial changes that the new Snow White makes to the original.
1) Snow White is no longer named after her skin color
In the original, Snow White’s name comes from her pale complexion. In the remake, it is attributed to her being born during a blizzard.
2) Snow White is part of a rebellion against the evil queen
In the original, Snow White is in search of a husband. In the remake, she is part of a rebellion against the Evil Queen.
3) Her love interest is not a rich prince
In the original, her love interest is a rich prince, but in Snow White, he is a poor thief.
4) Some songs have been replaced
In the original, Snow White sings “Someday My Prince Will Come.” In the remake, she sings a new song titled “Waiting on a Wish.”
5) The dwarfs are not dwarfs, but dwarfism is represented
In the original, there are seven dwarfs. In the live-action, the dwarfs are magical creatures animated with CGI. Meanwhile, the prince has his own group of seven bandits, in which people with dwarfism are represented.
Despite all this, one controversial aspect of the original has been kept.
The non-consent kiss remains
In the original, Snow White is in a death-like slumber after eating the poisoned apple from the evil Queen. The prince finds her in her comatose state and kissing her, breaking the spell and awakening her.
The moment has been criticized in modern times for portraying an unconscious character receiving a kiss without consent. A 2021 SFGate op-ed reviewing Disneyland’s updated Snow White’s Enchanted Wish ride noted: “Haven’t we already agreed that consent in early Disney movies is a major issue? That teaching kids that kissing, when it hasn’t been established if both parties are willing to engage, is not OK?.” the op-ed wrote.
It seems in this instance the true love’s kiss, a classic trope in fairy tale storytelling, was one element that Disney was happy to keep.
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