After months of speculation, Disney has finally released the first trailer for the live-action remake of Snow White. The trailer was released on Friday at fan-favorite event D23 in Anaheim, California. While the film became the subject of controversy when it was first announced in 2016, the teaser has only added fuel to the fire, with fans attacking Rachel Zegler and Peter Dinklage online.
Netizens criticize Disney for casting Rachel Zegler as Snow White
The 23-year-old actress has been under fire even before Disney released a trailer for its Snow White remake. Last year, Ziegler faced major backlash for her controversial comments about the upcoming film, which is set to hit theaters in 2025. According to Variety, she said at the time, “I mean, it’s not 1937 anymore. We’ve definitely written a ‘Snow White’ … She won’t be saved by a prince, and she won’t dream about true love.”
Ziegler said, “She will be dreaming of becoming the leader she knows she can become and that her late father told her she can be if she is fearless, fair, brave and true.” However, after the release of the teaser trailer, which gave the first look of Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, things took a different turn. Netizens are now comparing Ziegler’s looks to the Wonder Woman star.
Ardent Disney fans have criticised the show’s makers on social media, with one saying, “This looks like crap.” “Are you really expecting us to believe that Snow White is more beautiful than the villain?” wrote another user on X, which used to be Twitter. The clip, which was intended to provide viewers with a “magical” experience, has sparked a debate over “woke” casting, with another user saying, “Woke flop. Let’s add this to the list.”
Another user said, “The trailer looks fine, but unfortunately Rachel Ziegler has done irreparable damage to this film by maligning the original. If the classic plot elements that she said were removed from the film are in fact not there, then this is going to be a dumpster fire.”
Peter Dinklage criticized for CGI dwarves
Ziegler is not the only actor to face criticism for the Snow White remake. Dinklage, famous for Game of Thrones, has been facing criticism for his previous comments about the seven dwarfs. “I was a little shocked [the fact] “They were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White,” Dinklage told podcaster Marc Maron, adding, “But you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
“You’re kind of progressive, but you’re still making up that cheesy story about the seven dwarves living in a cave. What are you doing, man? Didn’t I do anything to push this issue from my soapbox? I guess I’m not that loud,” the 55-year-old actor continued. “She was very proud of it, and all the love and respect for the actress and the people who thought they were doing the right thing, but I just kept thinking, ‘What are you doing?'” he added.
Dinklage’s scathing criticism of the film prompted the show’s producers to remove the seven dwarfs completely and use CGI instead. This change was not liked by fans, as the film is a live-action remake. “This movie could have started many careers for up-and-coming dwarf actors. But no, Peter Dinklage just had to ruin it for his community. If he wasn’t typecast no one would know who Peter is. Also Snow White is not Latino. Please boycott this horrible movie,” said one angry user.
