The upcoming live-action remake of Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” has been met with backlash from some conservatives after the actress cast as Snow White, Rachel Zegler, made comments about the film being “woke.”
Zegler said she “hated” the classic love story and thought it was “weird,” plus labeled the prince as a “stalker.”
Zegler, who is of Colombian and Polish descent, said in an interview that she was excited to play a “Latina princess” in the film. She also said that the film would be “reimagining” the original story to be more “inclusive.”
The new “Snow White” star alluded to some major updates in the upcoming remake:
“She’s not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” the actress promised.
These comments have sparked outrage among some conservatives, who argue that Disney is trying to “rewrite history” and “cancel” the original story of Snow White. They say that the film will be “woke” and “political” and that it will not be a faithful adaptation of the original story.
Carla Speight, a branding expert, predicted Zegler’s highly publicized comments could hurt ticket sales. She told the Daily Mail that even though old Disney movies “hold old values,” taking revisions “to the opposite extreme” in an effort “to inflict strong and loaded messaging on the viewers” is a mistake.
Speight said, “Disney will need to be careful with how they have portrayed Snow White and what they do and don’t allow their actors to say about it going forwards. They simply cannot repeat the same mistakes and allow their actors to be so vocal in their own personal opinions during promotions.”
“It can have a huge impact on ticket sales, especially with the amount of negative backlash so early in the promo trail,” she continued. “They need to get the key messaging and strong selling point into a brief for the cast of the film and ensure they stick to it. If they don’t, it’s a disaster waiting to happen and the backlash will keep growing.”
'If Disney aren't careful, their woke fairy tale could end up turning into a commercial nightmare.'
GB News' @BenLeo444 joins @DanWootton to discuss Disney's upcoming "woke-washing" remake of Snow White. pic.twitter.com/howChaPbzX
— GB News (@GBNEWS) August 16, 2023
