As America rolls into the weekend, a strange new addition to the Disney catalog has hit theaters, and it appears to be about as popular as a root canal on a Friday night. Disney’s latest endeavor, a reimagined version of the beloved 1937 classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, has arrived three years after filming wrapped and a whopping five years later than initially planned. However, the excitement surrounding its release seems about as inflated as a beach ball at a birthday party—anyone could snag tickets for the premiere without a hitch.
Disney has been on a financially rocky path lately, losing over a billion dollars on their previous four films. What’s the company’s big plan to change the tide? Well, apparently, it revolves around strapping on their proverbial woke boots and marching forth with a story that now has all the charm of a soggy sandwich. In an ambitious twist, Disney has removed the “dwarfs” from the title altogether. Yes, that means we now have “Snow White” minus the dwarfs, forcing fans to scratch their heads, wondering if they’d go back to the drawing board on classics like The Lion King without the lions or The Little Mermaid without, well, any mermaids!
In place of the beloved dwarfs, audiences can anticipate a cast of “magical creatures,” a euphemism that leaves just about everybody from traditionalists to modern moviegoers scratching their heads in confusion. To make matters even messier, Disney opted against casting actors with dwarfism for these roles, deciding instead to rely on CGI to create their magical tapestry. This decision has sparked discontent among some members of the dwarfism community who argued for the importance of representation on screen. Outside the movie’s somewhat muted premiere, protests broke out, aimed squarely at Disney’s increasingly puzzling choices.
Meanwhile, the lead actress playing Snow White, Rachel Ziegler, may not fully appreciate the cultural significance of the original film. It has come to light that her social media comments have raised eyebrows, particularly one tweet suggesting support for the Free Palestine movement. This stance has reportedly strained her relationship with co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen and has faced backlash for her pro-Israel views. In Hollywood, seemingly a land where diverging opinions run rampant, this chaotic dynamic has led to significant public division, with neither side wholly satisfied with the film’s direction.
It’s a conundrum! Conservatives are unwilling to support the film because they see it as emblematic of today’s overreaching political correctness, while some more liberal viewers are equally disenchanted with the casting choices and off-screen disagreements. In short, it looks like Disney has managed to create a rift so wide that even famous fairytale bridges wouldn’t be able to span it.
With a price tag of about $200 million, you’d think that families across America would be chomping at the bit to line up for tickets to this latest cinematic adventure. But instead, Disney finds itself staring down a near-empty box office and confused moviegoers. Maybe folks just want to enjoy a good story about a princess, a poisoned apple, and some charming little dwarfs without having to navigate the treacherous waters of modern-day politics. If this chaotic release is any indication, Disney might want to consider sticking to what once made them great: storytelling that warms the heart and doesn’t require an instruction manual.
