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A live-action remake of the 1937 classic has been hampered with controversy from the start. But why is a story about a princess, seven dwarfs, and an apple causing so much drama?
For better or worse, Disney has been churning out live-action remakes of its classic tales for the past few years – an effort to modernise now rather outdated, but still beloved stories for a new generation.
Some have been more warmly welcomed than others, but when Snow White – one of the earliest Disney animated movies ever made – was first pitched for an upgrade five years ago it would’ve seemed like a no-brainer.
The story is still as well-loved as it was almost 100 years ago, and a fantastical plot provides plenty of creative playing field. But just days out from the release, and the film is foregoing a traditional Leicester Square red carpet, ticket sale projections look poor, and it hasn’t been shown to reviewers.
So why is the new Snow White causing such a stir? Well, we had better start with the dwarfs. Despite a fresh new cast, the 2025 re-make doesn’t feature a single dwarf in its line-up, because this time around all seven of Snow White’s friends have been created with CGI.
The dwarfs have also been removed from the original title, a move that irked Martin Klebba, the voice of Grumpy and the only person with dwarfism to work on the film. ‘I wish they would’ve kept it,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter. ‘I wouldn’t have gone away from that. But the marketing people know what they’re doing.’
The Seven Dwarfs in the live-action ‘SNOW WHITE’ remake. pic.twitter.com/Cvkvs5JaP6
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Actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, is amongst those who’ve criticised Disney’s decision to exclude real actors for the seven major roles. ‘It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that fucking backward story about seven dwarves living in a cave together?’ he told WTF with Marc Maron in 2022.
The ‘progressive’ stance Dinklage refers to is the decision to cast Rachel Zeigler – who is Latina – in the titular role, and Gal Gadot – an Israeli actor – as the wicked queen. Both women have been vocal about efforts to overhaul the original movie with a more inclusive lens, fleshing out ‘controversial’ themes for a modern audience.
But just as this emphasis on the remake’s ostensibly ‘diverse’ transformation has highlighted Disney’s failure to apply the same ethos to the dwarfs, it’s also invited swathes of criticism in its own right.
