Why Is Disney Scaling Back the SNOW WHITE Premiere Red Carpet?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Disney is severely limiting press and PR events for their upcoming SNOW WHITE remake as controversy continues to follow the movie.
According to Variety, instead of a traditional premiere, SNOW WHITE will have a pre-party and screening at the El Capitan Theatre, with Rachel Zegler (Snow White) and Gal Gadot (the evil Queen) expected to attend. Additionally, most media outlets will not be invited to the premiere; instead, photographers and a house crew will take care of PR.
It’s unsurprising Disney is trying to minimize the roll-out of their live-action SNOW WHITE. The movie has been mired in controversy since it was first announced that it was being developed.
The announcement that WEST SIDE STORY star Zegler would play the titular character led to outcry from some that a Latina actress was cast as the fairy tale character. Things got worse when Zegler made some comments about the remake at D23, telling a reporter that the original movie was “dated.”
“She’s not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be,” she continued, leading to another round of bad press from fans of the original movie.
Zegler wasn’t the only one stirring the pot. Actor Peter Dinklage blasted the movie in January 2024 while on comedian Marc Maron’s podcast, pointing out the stereotypes about people with dwarfism the movie was reinforcing.
“Literally no offense to anything, but I was sort of taken aback,” Dinklage explained. “They were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there.”
Additionally, some have hypothesized that Zegler and Gadot might not want to do press together, as both are on opposite sides of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The pair presented an award at this year’s Oscars ceremony, but don’t have plans to do any more press appearances together.
In an interview with Vogue Mexico, Zegler put a positive spin on all the controversies, saying, “I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion. What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about. We’re not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us and all we can do is our best.”
Related: Gal Gadot to Portray Evil Queen in Disney’s Live-Action SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES
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