Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
Disney is set to release the live-action remake of Snow White in the UK next week. This is the studio’s last-ditch effort to revive the old classic, however, the film and its stars have faced several issues throughout its production. The movie’s release is still going ahead amid an intense debate about how the seven dwarfs are being portrayed in the film. The film stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot and Zegler has made headlines recently for her critical comments about the original film that was released in 1937. The European premiere was held on Wednesday in a castle in Northern Spain instead of a traditional high-profile location like London’s Leicester Square.
The major controversy surrounding the film was around Dwarfism. The debate surrounding the topic began in January of 2022 when Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, an actor with Dwarfism, called the decision to retell the story of “seven dwarfs living in a cave” “backward.” Disney used computer-generated dwarfs in the remake claiming that it would, “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film.” However this week other actors with Dwarfism said that they would have liked the opportunity to play the roles and be featured in the film.
Another controversy surrounding the film was about the casting of Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, in a role that was deemed to have skin “as white as snow.” This was said to be part of efforts by Disney to cast a more diverse range of actors and updated versions of some classic characters.
