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The film Snow White recently premiered at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
Film premieres, especially of movies produced by the storied Walt Disney Studios, are often sensational affairs. This one was not.
The event was closed to media. There were no typical red-carpet interviews. The only people conducting interviews with the cast were Disney employees.
Actress Rachel Zegler portrays Snow White in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s “Snow White.”
Snow White is the opposite of “highly anticipated.”
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There have been years of coverage for this movie but most of it has been negative for the film and unpleasant for Disney.
Controversy has swirled for so long around the film, particularly around the toxic actress playing Snow White, Rachel Zegler.
Recently, stories have circulated about the rift between Zegler and her co-star Gal Gadot, but the reports seem intended to drum up drama so people will actually see the movie. It seems like a Hail Mary at the end of a football match being lost by double digits. It might add numbers to the scoreboard, but it won’t win the game.
A screencap of the dwarfs in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Snow White.” (Disney YouTube channel)
It hasn’t helped that Zegler has spent years talking down the film.
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She told Variety in 2022 that the original version of Snow White had “a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. So we didn’t do that this time. I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again.”
She was scared of Snow White, the story of the character she’s playing? That should have been a sign to Disney that she would be an ongoing problem.
The original film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” was released in 1937 and was Disney’s first full-length feature film and one of the first animated feature films. Disney once inspired true devotion from their fans and Snow White continues to loom large in the imaginations of Disney fans. It tells the classic story of jealousy and love. One of the most popular rides at Disney World is dedicated to the story. Zegler’s attack on the beloved tale were disrespectful and arrogant.
President Donald Trump and “Snow White” star Rachel Zegler
Following the election in November, Zegler took to her Instagram account to say, “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,” before adding “F—Donald Trump.”
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Having a controversial actress who offends half the country might not be a big deal if she were a substantial talent or someone who is a great caretaker of the Disney brand. Zegler isn’t either of these things.
The movie might not be the dud that people are largely expecting. It’s a dead time for movies, the film “Novocaine” only managed an $8.5 million opening this past weekend at the top of the pack, so it’s possible Snow White will look more successful in comparison and that the controversies actually provide a bump.
The original movie, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” was released in 1937 and was Disney’s first full-length feature film. (LMPC via Getty Images)
The forecast right now is that Snow White will have a $50 million opening weekend. But Snow White is a beloved classic and Disney’s previous live action remakes did far better. In 2019, Disney released new versions of “Lion King” and “Aladdin,” which opened at $191.8 million and $91.5 million, respectively. In 2023 the live action remake of “The Little Mermaid” cleared $95.6 million at opening weekend.
Disney might see the $50 million number as a win but the road there has been long and difficult and Disney needs to decide whether it wants to continue on this path to doom.
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It hasn’t helped that Disney, the company, has had so many missteps in the last few years. From adding content warnings to old films to getting rid of terms like “ladies and gentlemen” at their parks, Disney was swallowed whole by the leftist “woke” moment.
With Donald Trump’s election, the country is in a new phase, moving away from the “woke” years of the Joe Biden administration and toward a more patriotic, optimistic future. Disney was once exactly this type of company that would be soaring at a time like this. It can be that company again.
Disney has to leave behind the fear that wokeness has caused for their business. No longer should they accept their leading actresses talking down their brand nor making vicious political comments while promoting their movie. Disney can return to a culture of creating family content, without subliminal woke messaging, and start to rebuild the trust they’ve lost with Americans.
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We want to love Disney again. We want to watch the movies and visit the parks. We want to feel safe that if our child is watching a film there won’t be indoctrination woven through it. We just want to be entertained, something Disney once did very well but has forgotten.
Disney needs to show families that they’ve learned from their mistakes. Their bottom line is evidence of those errors. If they correct them, they can flourish again. If they don’t, Snow White won’t be the last movie for which they’ll need to make excuses on opening weekend.