Disney Issues a Statement in Response to Controversy Over Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Remake

Disney has achieved great box office success with many of the live-action remakes based on classic animated films, including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Mulan. With such a massive appeal, Disney seems to be on track to recreate many more classics into live action versions in the coming years.

Most recently, it was announced that a live-action remake of The Aristocats was officially in the works. But it’s the live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that has caught everyone’s attention this week.

The film has been in pre-production for several months now, with actors Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap starring in the film. Greta Gerwig is writing the script, and songwriting team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will pen new songs for the film.

Recently, concerns about the film were raised by actor Peter Dinklage, star of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones and 2021 film Cyrano. According to The Wrap, the actor appeared on a podcast this week where he commented that despite the fact that Disney had cast a Latina actress in the role of Snow White, “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. It makes no sense to me.”

Disney released a statement the following day in response to Dinklage’s remarks: “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. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”

In what ways might Disney approach these seven characters differently? According to The Wrap, “Disney will fill the void with a group of what they describe as ‘magical creatures'” instead of dwarfs, and that Disney is seeking voice actors to cast in those roles.

Filming should begin in March of this year, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more updates from the film as it heads into production. Follow along for more of the latest film and television news from Disney.

Click here to read more about Disney’s latest live-action remake announcements.

Which Disney live-action remake has been your favorite so far? Let us know in the comments!

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