Casting Controversy Over Snow White and the Queen Continues
Growing Concerns Over Diversity Policies
Disney's live-action film "Baekseolgongju" (Snow White) has ultimately canceled its premiere screening scheduled to be held in London, UK, due to ongoing controversies surrounding the movie.
On the 6th (local time), British media outlets such as the Daily Mail reported that Disney canceled the screening out of concern over backlash against the film's excessive adaptation of "Baekseolgongju." However, a strictly controlled "small" press event is still planned to proceed as scheduled.
Controversy surrounding Snow White is still ongoing. First, there was criticism when Latina actress Rachel Zegler was cast as Snow White and the title dropped "Seven Dwarfs." Additionally, activists opposing Israel and supporting Palestine are boycotting due to Gal Gadot being cast as the Queen. Getty Images · Yonhap News Agency
"Baekseolgongju" was planned and produced as part of a project to create live-action versions of Disney's classic animations, including "Dumbo," "The Jungle Book," and "The Little Mermaid." Baekseolgongju is one of Disney's representative "princesses," alongside Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. The original animation, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" from 1937, was adapted from a modern perspective to emphasize Baekseolgongju's agency. The film was originally scheduled to be released last year but was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood writers' strike. It is set to be released on the 19th in South Korea and on the 21st in the UK.
However, controversies surrounding Baekseolgongju continue. First, there was criticism over casting Latin actress Rachel Zegler in the role of Baekseolgongju and the removal of "and the Seven Dwarfs" from the title. Among these, Rachel's past remarks also sparked controversy. In a 2022 interview, Rachel described the original animation as "outdated," pointing out that "the relationship between Snow White and the prince is literally a man harassing her."
Due to backlash against Disney's diversity policy, the first trailer for "Snow White" released last December received over 1 million dislikes. YouTube channel "Walt Disney Studios"
Furthermore, there has been criticism of Disney's aggressive diversity policies. Some argue that it is inappropriate for Rachel, who is of Colombian and Polish descent, to portray Baekseolgongju, a character originally of German origin. Additionally, since Baekseolgongju's name literally means "Snow White," referring to skin as white as snow, critics claim that the excessive adaptation distorts the character. In response, when Disney released the first trailer for "Baekseolgongju" last December, it received over one million dislikes. Meanwhile, activists opposing Israel and supporting Palestine are boycotting the film due to the casting of Gal Gadot as the queen. Gal Gadot has long advocated for Israeli interests.
Moreover, while emphasizing diversity, Disney's decision to render all the main characters of the seven dwarfs in CGI has been criticized as contradictory, as it allegedly deprives actors with dwarfism?who already face limited opportunities in Hollywood?of roles. Meanwhile, unlike in the UK, the US premiere event for "Baekseolgongju" is scheduled to proceed as planned. It is reported that Rachel and other main cast members will all attend this event.
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