10 Reasons Why Snow White is Already HATED
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VOICE OVER: Patrick Mealey
Disney's live-action "Snow White" remake is facing massive backlash before its release. From controversial casting choices to criticism of the original film, this video breaks down the reasons why fans are already skeptical about this reimagining of the classic fairy tale. Our countdown explores issues including Rachel Zegler's casting, Gal Gadot's performance, social media drama, and the problematic approach to the seven dwarfs! What do you think of the upcoming live action Snow White? Share in the comments.
10 Reasons Why Snow White Is Already HATED
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at all the major reasons why the upcoming “Snow White” is being so heavily criticized.
Yet Another Live Action Remake
Even if you’re not following all the drama, chances are you’re discouraged from the film for the sole reason that it’s yet another live action Disney remake. These have been mildly successful at best, and we’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who enjoys one of the remakes over the respective originals. They’ve always been an inferior product, often of much lesser quality and stinking of studio greed. Unfortunately, “Snow White” looks to be no different, and this one has the added baggage of adapting what is arguably the most legendary film in the animated canon. This isn’t “Mulan” (and no disrespect to “Mulan”). This is freaking “Snow White” we’re talking about here.
The Casting of Rachel Zegler
From day one, the casting of Rachel Zegler has been fiercely criticized. Some took the criticism in a racial direction, arguing that Snow White should be a caucasian woman, not a Latina. This was made worse when fans realized that Disney was engaging in color-blind casting, as Zegler’s runner-up Renata Vaca revealed that the casting call was “open to all ethnic groups.” Others just didn’t like the casting in general, arguing that Snow White should be played by a bigger actress and not a relative newcomer. We’ll see how she does, but the behind-the-scenes drama isn’t doing her any favors. More on that in a minute, but first…
The Casting of Gal Gadot
It’s not just Snow White that people have a problem with - it’s the Evil Queen as well. While maybe not as fierce and vocal, the casting of Gal Gadot has also attracted a fair bit of criticism, and also for various reasons. Some simply don’t find her a very good actress, and this belief is reinforced in the trailer thanks to some awkward line readings. It seems like quite a poor performance, even by the cartoonish standards of Disney. Others find Gadot more traditionally attractive than Rachel Zegler, which creates a problem with the whole “fairest of them all” thing. Whichever way you slice it, many think that the casting in this film could have used some work.
The Comments from David Hand
It always helps when a remake gets the seal of approval from someone involved in the original. And it does irreparable damage when it receives criticism. David Hand was not directly involved in making “Snow White,” but his father was. David Hand Sr. was the supervising director of the original film, and his son has been quite vocal about his disdain for the remake. The 91 year old spoke to The Telegraph and didn’t mince his words, finding the remake “a bit insulting.” He also claimed that, “There’s no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did… I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves.” In certain circles, his words only added fuel to the fire.
Open Criticism of the Original
It’s not a good look when people involved in a remake actively criticize the original. And it’s certainly not a good look when they criticize something that is both widely beloved and enormously influential. Rachel Zegler has openly criticized the original “Snow White” in a number of interviews, calling it outdated and sexist. Which, fair enough. It is certainly a little old fashioned. But for many, her comments came across as derogatory. Critics felt that she shouldn’t be publicly bad-mouthing a movie that gave her a job, while others felt that it was offensive to the original film and those who still enjoy it. Some even found her comments, ironically, anti-feminist. Talk about anti-marketing.
Deviations From the Original Story
“Snow White” is a beloved film. It’s one of those movies and stories that people know by heart. So it’s very disheartening to hear that Disney will be changing so much of it. This information once again comes from Zegler, who has alluded to the changes in numerous interviews. The exact details aren’t known, but she has referenced big alterations to both Snow White and The Prince and has hinted at Disney removing their love story. And judging by the trailers, it seems like Snow White will become a very active agent in defeating The Evil Queen. While this reflects a move towards modern sensibilities, it has also upset many who just want a simple love story in the vein of the classic fairy tale.
Social Media Drama
Maybe everyone doesn’t follow it, but for those who do, the social media drama behind this film has also generated some negative publicity. Both Zegler and Gadot have expressed opposing views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so really, there’s no winning here. People have been upset with Gadot for expressing pro-Israel sentiments, and vice versa with Zegler and Palestine. And Zegler came under fire from conservatives and Republicans after calling Donald Trump’s win “a deep sickness in this country” and stating, “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” Many agree with her statements, but many do not, and it’s just one more PR blunder affecting the marketing of her upcoming film.
Poor Production Values
You know, maybe we wouldn’t mind these live action films if some actual effort and thought were put into them. “Snow White” has a mindblowing budget of $270 million, yet it looks like some cheap fantasy movie that Netflix would pump out to fill a quota. Once again, the film has that cheap, digital shine to it, making it look like some straight-to-streaming junk. The green screen work once again looks poor, the costuming is pathetic with Spirit Halloween outfits and Snow White’s Lord Farquaad hair, and the CGI looks abysmal. Seriously, what is with those dwarves and those woodland animals? An astonishing amount of work went into making the 1937 original. It deserves better than this.
Dwarfism Controversy
The situation with the dwarfs has been a mess from the very beginning. Disney announced that they were “taking a different approach” with the seven dwarfs following negative comments from Peter Dinklage. He appeared on Marc Maron’s podcast and called out Disney, criticizing their progressive approach to the movie while retaining the “backward” dwarfs. However, his comments received widespread criticism, as did Disney’s “reimagining” of the characters. According to a leaked set photo, most of the dwarfs were being played by non-dwarf actors of various ethnicities and genders, with both aspects receiving fierce condemnation. People didn’t like the non-dwarf actors, and people didn’t like the overly-PC approach. Basically, Disney was impressing no one, and it was about to get a whole lot worse…
Horrible CGI Dwarfs
So Disney’s response to all this criticism was to retain the dwarfs but change them into wretched CGI creatures. There’s no way around it - these things look absolutely terrible. It’s obvious that Disney was rushed following all the controversy, because these things couldn’t be more out of place. The visual effects are entirely unconvincing, and their faces look like those nightmarish creations from “The Polar Express.” And those faces were widely mocked twenty years ago! In trying to move forward, Disney only slipped backward, and by multiple decades. We don’t know how much screen time these dwarfs get, but our stomachs will certainly be hurting from all the laughing.
Are you looking forward to this movie? Let us know in the comments below!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at all the major reasons why the upcoming “Snow White” is being so heavily criticized.
Yet Another Live Action Remake
Even if you’re not following all the drama, chances are you’re discouraged from the film for the sole reason that it’s yet another live action Disney remake. These have been mildly successful at best, and we’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who enjoys one of the remakes over the respective originals. They’ve always been an inferior product, often of much lesser quality and stinking of studio greed. Unfortunately, “Snow White” looks to be no different, and this one has the added baggage of adapting what is arguably the most legendary film in the animated canon. This isn’t “Mulan” (and no disrespect to “Mulan”). This is freaking “Snow White” we’re talking about here.
The Casting of Rachel Zegler
From day one, the casting of Rachel Zegler has been fiercely criticized. Some took the criticism in a racial direction, arguing that Snow White should be a caucasian woman, not a Latina. This was made worse when fans realized that Disney was engaging in color-blind casting, as Zegler’s runner-up Renata Vaca revealed that the casting call was “open to all ethnic groups.” Others just didn’t like the casting in general, arguing that Snow White should be played by a bigger actress and not a relative newcomer. We’ll see how she does, but the behind-the-scenes drama isn’t doing her any favors. More on that in a minute, but first…
The Casting of Gal Gadot
It’s not just Snow White that people have a problem with - it’s the Evil Queen as well. While maybe not as fierce and vocal, the casting of Gal Gadot has also attracted a fair bit of criticism, and also for various reasons. Some simply don’t find her a very good actress, and this belief is reinforced in the trailer thanks to some awkward line readings. It seems like quite a poor performance, even by the cartoonish standards of Disney. Others find Gadot more traditionally attractive than Rachel Zegler, which creates a problem with the whole “fairest of them all” thing. Whichever way you slice it, many think that the casting in this film could have used some work.
The Comments from David Hand
It always helps when a remake gets the seal of approval from someone involved in the original. And it does irreparable damage when it receives criticism. David Hand was not directly involved in making “Snow White,” but his father was. David Hand Sr. was the supervising director of the original film, and his son has been quite vocal about his disdain for the remake. The 91 year old spoke to The Telegraph and didn’t mince his words, finding the remake “a bit insulting.” He also claimed that, “There’s no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did… I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves.” In certain circles, his words only added fuel to the fire.
Open Criticism of the Original
It’s not a good look when people involved in a remake actively criticize the original. And it’s certainly not a good look when they criticize something that is both widely beloved and enormously influential. Rachel Zegler has openly criticized the original “Snow White” in a number of interviews, calling it outdated and sexist. Which, fair enough. It is certainly a little old fashioned. But for many, her comments came across as derogatory. Critics felt that she shouldn’t be publicly bad-mouthing a movie that gave her a job, while others felt that it was offensive to the original film and those who still enjoy it. Some even found her comments, ironically, anti-feminist. Talk about anti-marketing.
Deviations From the Original Story
“Snow White” is a beloved film. It’s one of those movies and stories that people know by heart. So it’s very disheartening to hear that Disney will be changing so much of it. This information once again comes from Zegler, who has alluded to the changes in numerous interviews. The exact details aren’t known, but she has referenced big alterations to both Snow White and The Prince and has hinted at Disney removing their love story. And judging by the trailers, it seems like Snow White will become a very active agent in defeating The Evil Queen. While this reflects a move towards modern sensibilities, it has also upset many who just want a simple love story in the vein of the classic fairy tale.
Social Media Drama
Maybe everyone doesn’t follow it, but for those who do, the social media drama behind this film has also generated some negative publicity. Both Zegler and Gadot have expressed opposing views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so really, there’s no winning here. People have been upset with Gadot for expressing pro-Israel sentiments, and vice versa with Zegler and Palestine. And Zegler came under fire from conservatives and Republicans after calling Donald Trump’s win “a deep sickness in this country” and stating, “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” Many agree with her statements, but many do not, and it’s just one more PR blunder affecting the marketing of her upcoming film.
Poor Production Values
You know, maybe we wouldn’t mind these live action films if some actual effort and thought were put into them. “Snow White” has a mindblowing budget of $270 million, yet it looks like some cheap fantasy movie that Netflix would pump out to fill a quota. Once again, the film has that cheap, digital shine to it, making it look like some straight-to-streaming junk. The green screen work once again looks poor, the costuming is pathetic with Spirit Halloween outfits and Snow White’s Lord Farquaad hair, and the CGI looks abysmal. Seriously, what is with those dwarves and those woodland animals? An astonishing amount of work went into making the 1937 original. It deserves better than this.
Dwarfism Controversy
The situation with the dwarfs has been a mess from the very beginning. Disney announced that they were “taking a different approach” with the seven dwarfs following negative comments from Peter Dinklage. He appeared on Marc Maron’s podcast and called out Disney, criticizing their progressive approach to the movie while retaining the “backward” dwarfs. However, his comments received widespread criticism, as did Disney’s “reimagining” of the characters. According to a leaked set photo, most of the dwarfs were being played by non-dwarf actors of various ethnicities and genders, with both aspects receiving fierce condemnation. People didn’t like the non-dwarf actors, and people didn’t like the overly-PC approach. Basically, Disney was impressing no one, and it was about to get a whole lot worse…
Horrible CGI Dwarfs
So Disney’s response to all this criticism was to retain the dwarfs but change them into wretched CGI creatures. There’s no way around it - these things look absolutely terrible. It’s obvious that Disney was rushed following all the controversy, because these things couldn’t be more out of place. The visual effects are entirely unconvincing, and their faces look like those nightmarish creations from “The Polar Express.” And those faces were widely mocked twenty years ago! In trying to move forward, Disney only slipped backward, and by multiple decades. We don’t know how much screen time these dwarfs get, but our stomachs will certainly be hurting from all the laughing.
Are you looking forward to this movie? Let us know in the comments below!
