Photo courtesy of Variety.
In October 2016, Disney confirmed plans for a remake of Snow White. It was originally going to be released in March 2024. Still, it was not released until a full year later due to the strike of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Before the release of the movie, critics and fans of the original Snow White generated controversy surrounding the film. Many fans struggled with Disney’s casting choice of Rachel Zegler, a notable actress most known for playing Maria in the remake of West Side Story. Zegler also received threats because she has shown support for Palestine. In Zegler’s most recent Instagram post about Snow White, users say Zegler is delusional for thinking Snow White is “number 1 in the world.” Some comments even compare Rachel to Lord Farquaad from Shrek. Actress Halle Bailey, who starred in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, received similar backlash regarding how she looks.
SAU Freshman Ava Melvin says, “I strongly dislike it. I don’t like the casting, and Gal Gadot [the evil queen] is a zionist. Rachel Zegler is a person of color, which is awesome in itself, but for Snow White? Definitely not. Part of the plot is that she is “white as snow”. It is literally in the name. I didn’t have any issues with Ariel being Black because it isn’t a key part of the plot, so it didn’t matter, and I encourage it. To hire her was a mistake. Add to that, Rachel seemed not to care for the project. She would make frequent comments about how it’s just not your “typical Snow White” and whatever. If it’s not the OG story of Snow White, then it’s a different story.”
Acting across from Zegler is Gal Gadot, an actress who is most famously known for Wonder Woman and Ralph Breaks the Internet. While the backlash is not as bad as Zegler’s, Gadot is receiving hate for her lack of emotion in acting and for supporting Israel as well.
SAU freshman Ava Melvin says, “I understand she’s Israeli and part of their military as well, but come on. She can’t really act. Well, she can, but not really. There are certain roles or parts she can’t act in. I’m sure she’s nice, but she doesn’t have a peaceful stage under her.”
Despite the criticism against Rachel Zegler, some SAU students praise her. St. Ambrose junior and music major Catie Johnson says, “I love Rachel Zegler. From what I’ve heard, she has done a good job. I don’t know if they put her in it because they wanted to diversify the film, which is valid. I think that having someone unknown would have been more beneficial, especially since she is going to the West End to play in Evita.”
Similarly, St. Ambrose junior and Marketing and Public Relations major Ryan Russo says, “I think it [the hate] is really unnecessary. I think that the movie should be judged on how good it is and not on the actors’ situations. I get that people want to boycott because their business does not align with [Rachel’s] values, but attacking Rachel is not nice. I am against bullying people online, especially people who don’t deserve it.”
Snow White is not doing well at the box office. On IMDb, Snow White is currently rated a 1.6 out of 10, which currently surpasses Dragon Ball Evolution as the lowest-rated movie. Domestically, the movie only earned $78,779.279 despite having a $240 million budget. While many people blamed Zegler, many fans criticized the other problems with the movie.
Melvin continues, “The movie looks very low budget. They hired dwarfs, but they got upset; then they hired ‘regular’ people, and then they got upset again. There’s no pleasing people, I understand. But, to a live action means to ‘make it live’. The prince has a punchable face, I don’t like him. Snow White’s hair is ugly, and I don’t like the dress. Given their budget, it’s odd how one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world can barely form a proper movie. The hair was disappointing, the dress was cheap, and the movie just looked bad. There’s no need to change the plot for today’s standards (for lack of better words). I don’t know. It’s just very bad and looks like it was made with the idea of bringing in money, which it didn’t do.” With viewers and nonviewers criticizing Zegler, others criticizing Gadot, and still more criticizing Disney, it is clear that Snow White is a divisive film among SAU students.
Brynn Christian is a staff writer for The Buzz.
