With live-action 'Snow White,' Disney finds itself again in culture war crosshairs
Disney's live-action 'Snow White' has faced a difficult road to its opening next week, with external controversies dogging it at every step.
Almost from the beginning, Walt Disney Co.âs âSnow Whiteâ live-action remake became a political lightning rod.
First, it was the racist backlash to the casting of actor Rachel Zegler, who is of Colombian descent on her motherâs side, as the titular character who canonically had âskin as white as snow.â
Then, die-hard fans got up in arms about Zeglerâs comments that the story would be updated for modern times, putting less emphasis on Snow Whiteâs dreams of Prince Charming. The royal love interest âliterally stalksâ the princess in the original 1937 animated film, she said.
Along the way, the film has also battled questions about its depiction of little people and its leading actorsâ viewpoints on the Israel-Hamas war. Zegler has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinians, while Gal Gadot, who plays the evil queen, has voiced support for Israel, where she was born and served the mandatory two years in the Israeli army.
All of these issues are colliding ahead of the filmâs theatrical opening next week, a high-stakes debut for Burbank-based Disney. The movie, which reportedly cost $250 million to make before marketing expenses, is the latest in the companyâs mostly successful strategy of rebooting animated classics.
In the Disney vault, âSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,â Walt Disneyâs first full-length animated feature film, is considered among the fairest of them all.
But now it becomes the latest Disney redo to go through the culture war buzzsaw. Previously, actor Halle Bailey, who is Black and starred in the 2023 âLittle Mermaidâ remake, faced racist backlash after being cast as Ariel, who was white in the 1989 animated film.
The company has frequently been a flashpoint: for diverse casting in its âStar Warsâ franchise and for its opposition to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Florida, which led to a prolonged battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis. Disney has also been on the receiving end of intense conservative criticism over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
âDisney is now the most storied brand in America; if you are that, you have a target on your forehead,â said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman Universityâs Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. âThis is not the little animation outfit Walt Disney created. When youâre a mega-corporation ... every single issue you deal with is part of a globally interlinked, horribly complex map that you canât avoid.â
Disney will host a Hollywood premiere this weekend for the film at its El Capitan Theatre, though there will be no press line to interview actors along the red carpet. (Journalists will, however, be in attendance at the premiere.)
Disney did not make executives available to comment.
How this myriad of issues will influence the box office performance of âSnow Whiteâ is an open question, analysts and industry experts said. If the movie is good enough, it could cut through the cultural noise. Criticsâ reviews have not been published yet.
âDo they actually have a terrific movie?â Galloway said. âIf they do, it will obliterate all the other concerns. If they donât, itâll feed the narrative.â
Live-action remakes of Disneyâs animated films have become a cornerstone of the studioâs film strategy.
âSnow Whiteâ is currently tracking for a $50-million opening weekend at the box office in the U.S. and Canada, according to people who have reviewed pre-release audience surveys.
That figure is below average compared to Disneyâs past live-action remakes, according to analysts. But that may be due to the older nature of the filmâs intellectual property, rather than the current controversies, said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at movie ticket seller Fandango and founder of tracking site Box Office Theory.
Many previous live-action remakes, such as 2019âs âLion Kingâ (which had a $191.8-million domestic opening), 2017âs âBeauty and the Beastâ ($174.8 million), 2023âs âThe Little Mermaidâ ($95.6 million) and 2019âs âAladdinâ ($91.5 million) were based on animated films released in the late 1980s and early â90s â part of the so-called Disney Renaissance period. Those efforts appealed to the nostalgia of millennials and Gen X moviegoers, many of whom now have children of their own, Robbins said.
Another success â 2010âs âAlice in Wonderland,â which brought in $116 million in its opening weekend â had the benefit of being one of Disneyâs early live-action remakes.
Despite Snow Whiteâs presence at Disney theme parks, the character and her story may be less recognizable to a younger audience, Robbins said.
âThatâs probably going to play into the generational appeal that is usually a factor for other remakes on the Disney side,â he said. Though, âthereâs no question that some of the other narratives that have developed around âSnow Whiteâ over the last year or so arenât helping matters.â
But even a poorer performance from âSnow Whiteâ wonât halt Disneyâs live-action plans. The company is preparing to release a live-action version of âLilo and Stitchâ in May, and has also announced a remake of the 2016 animated film âMoana.â
âSnow Whiteâ has little competition right now in the family film market: Warner Bros. Pictures will release âMinecraft,â based on the gaming franchise, in April. Other options for children earlier this year included Universal Picturesâ âDog Manâ and StudioCanalâs âPaddington in Peru,â which was distributed by Sony.
âThere is something to be said that family movies have been holding up the box office recently in the last few months,â Robbins said.