Upon watching the latestSnow Whiteteaser trailer that was released last week, one might find themselves a bit perplexed. The live-action adaptation of the 1937 Disney classic still heavily relies on animation to bring its characters to life. The reasoning behind this choice can also be quite confusing.
In the trailer, we witness Snow White, portrayed by Rachel Zegler, dancing and frolicking with her seven iconic companions, all of whom are created using CGI. This decision shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who have been following the production process closely: Disney announced earlier this year that they would be taking a “different approach” to the septet of characters in order to avoid perpetuating stereotypes about dwarfs.
“This makes no sense to me,” stated actor Peter Dinklage, who is a dwarf himself, on Marc Maron’s podcast before Disney’s announcement. “You’re progressive in one aspect”—casting a Latina as Snow White, he remarked—”but then you’re still perpetuating that outdated story about seven dwarfs living together in a cave. What are you thinking, man?”
His concerns quickly prompted a response from Disney. The solution they came up with was to replace the characters with computer-generated versions and refrain from casting dwarf actors, who already have limited opportunities in the industry. This approach doesn’t seem very progressive to me.
Not everyone was pleased with this decision. “It’s astonishing to me that instead of listening to an entire community, a network is listening to just one individual,” commented Terra Jolé, a reality TV personality with dwarfism, whose family members had auditioned for the movie. “This shows how much influence one person can have in society due to their level of popularity.”
Dinklage has achieved a level of success that is rare for someone with dwarfism, gaining widespread acclaim for his role in Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, there are very few acting opportunities for individuals with this condition. Snow White could have been a great platform to shine a spotlight on a group that is often overlooked in casting. The irony lies in the fact that these aspirations were quashed by someone within their own community.
Do Dinklage’s—and by extension Disney’s—objections to using dwarfs hold merit? It’s a question worth considering. Dinklage’s assertion that Snow White’s companions live “in a cave” is inaccurate; they actually reside in a charming cottage reminiscent of a Bavarian village. Even if we were to accept Dinklage’s portrayal, Snow White is a fairy tale. It is fictional. It is not real. This fact is evident from the presence of other fantastical elements in the story, such as Snow White’s animal friends in the forest. After viewing the film, I highly doubt that I would believe I could wander into the woods and befriend a deer, just as I wouldn’t assume that everything depicted about dwarfs reflects reality.
The dwarfs have reportedly been transformed into “magical creatures” by Disney. Perhaps this is why the title of this version has been shortened; Snow White and the Seven Magical Creatures doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Whether the narrative will suffer as a result remains to be seen, but one thing is evident: In an attempt to showcase virtue, Disney unintentionally harmed the very individuals they were aiming to protect.
