Disney is holding a “scaled back” version of a movie premiere for the live-action version of “Snow White,” which is slated for release on March 21.
The movie will still have a red carpet debut and the major stars, including Rachel Zegler (Snow White) and Gal Gadot (Evil Queen), are expected to be there. But instead of having full press on hand to conduct interviews, Disney has opted to have photographers and a house crew only, per a report from Variety
Disney Studios did not release a statement or offer any official updates on the decision. But insiders believe it has something to do with the controversies that have surrounded the film, including both the production itself and some of the controversial statements made by Zegler.
Zegler, a vocal left-wing activist, made headlines in 2023 when she made complaints about the 1937 animated version of the film.
She described the prince as a “stalker” and made it clear the live-action story she was part of would have nothing in common with the “weird” original 1937 love story.
In a later interview with Variety at D23, Zegler said, “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.”
The actress’ criticism wasn’t reserved just for the film she was in. Zegler also came after Trump voters in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election, saying, “may Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” She apologized two days later.
As for the movie, the dwarves reportedly went through multiple iterations, including a cast of real people, before settling on the CGI that they are in the current project.
Actor Peter Dinklage weighed in on the situation, saying on an episode of Marc Maron’s podcast, “Literally no offense to anything, but I was sort of taken aback. 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.”
Disney released a statement after that announcing they were changing track. “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.”
The movie’s official trailer received a massive number of downvotes after it debuted several months ago. There have been a couple instances of Disney promoting “Snow White,” including Gadot and Zegler presenting at the 97th Academy Awards, but it’s been relatively low profile compared to other similar releases from the studio.
