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Disney has reportedly scrapped plans for a UK premiere of its upcoming Snow White remake. According to various reports in the press this is due to fears of an “anti-woke” backlash. This, of course, is related to the various publicity mistakes Disney has made throughout the development of this film.
First up was denying seven short people actors lucrative roles, choosing instead to create them as “magical creatures” and remove all reference to “dwarves” from the film.
Then, lead actress Rachel Zegler made comments in various interviews that seem doomed to follow her throughout her career.
In a 2022 interview, she described the original Snow White story as “dated,” calling Prince Charming “a guy who literally stalks [Snow White]” and deeming the tale “weird.”
In an interview with Variety she said her Snow White would be “not going to be dreaming about true love” but rather “about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true.”
Her casting also drew some criticism, with Zegler being of Colombian and Polish descent, while the character is German. This led to more questioning of Disney’s commitment to cultural accuracy after the related Little Mermaid controversy.
Typically, London premieres are the European premiere or, frequently, the global premiere. The lavish red carpet events hosted in front of crowds in London’s West End are seen as key to promoting the big movies outside of the USA.
The film will instead have a “handful” of tightly controlled press events, with the usual “source” telling outlets:
“Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled press events. That is why they have taken the highly unusual step not to host a London premiere for the film and are minimising the amount of press questions that Rachel Zegler gets.”
Zegler, who rose to fame in 2021’s West Side Story remake, has been at the center of much of the controversy.
There have been other issues, too. Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, is a vocal advocate for Israel’s right to defend itself following October 7th. This has led to pro-Palestinian activists calling for a boycott of the film, while her co-star Zegler posted on social media supporting a free Palestine.
It seems that the marketing around this movie simply has the reverse Midas touch, and they just need the whole thing to be over so they can move on.
Snow White is now set to premiere on March 21.
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