Disney's live-action Snow White remake has recently found itself embroiled in controversy. From the decision to scrap the Seven Dwarfs to resurfaced comments from lead star Rachel Zegler which saw her describe Prince Florian as a "stalker," there's not a lot of goodwill for the movie right now.
While there are those who are hating on Snow White very much for the sake of it (and because Zegler is Latina), it's also easy enough to understand why some fans of the 1937 animated classic aren't looking forward to the reboot.
The Telegraph recently spoke with David Hand, whose father, also called David Hand, was one of the original Snow White's directors. He oversaw the production, while Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson, and Ben Sharpsteen helmed the movie's sequences.
Hand believes a lot of younger viewers "have never seen the original" and "don't know what they're talking about." He adds, "I mean, it’s a whole different concept, and I just totally disagree with it, and I know my dad and Walt would also very much disagree with it."
Hand says it's a "disgrace" that Disney is "trying to do something new with something that was such a great success earlier. I'm afraid of what they’re going to do with the early films...their thoughts are just so radical now."
"They change the stories, they change the thought processes of the characters, they just aren’t the original stories anymore. They’re making up new woke things and I’m just not into any of that. I find it quite frankly, a bit insulting that they may have done with some of these classic films."
"There’s no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did," Hand concludes. "I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves."
Echoing the thoughts of many fans, Hand doesn't agree with Disney putting such a radically different spin on the story and laughed off the belief that the original Snow White wasn't a feminist. No matter which side you fall on in this debate, it's beginning to feel like the movie should just be dumped on Disney+.
That would be a shame for everyone involved but it's hard to imagine this backlash going away anytime soon and that could doom its box office prospects.
Joining Zelger in Snow White is Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, while Marc Webb is directing the movie from a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Snow White is set to be released in theaters on March 22, 2024.