It was revealed today that Disney is taking steps to avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animated film in their new Snow White remake and may replace the dwarfs with magical creatures. The original was based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, and was the first full-length animated feature film released by Disney. The latest version, which is slated for release in 2023, is being written by Greta Gerwig, who is known for writing Lady Bird and Little Women. It is also being directed by Marc Webb, who previously directed the Andrew Garfield-starring The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Sony Pictures films.
Disney's currently in-development remake was applauded for recently casting the star of another recent remake, West Side Story's Rachel Zegler, as the new Snow White in the anticipated live-action film. Playing the villainous Evil Queen this time around is Wonder Woman and Red Notice's Gal Gadot. Andrew Burnap has also joined the cast and is speculated to be playing the Prince. However, the most recent news on the upcoming remake has surrounded the comments made by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who described the narrative about dwarfs as being "backwards." Disney has since responded to Dinklage's comments, making it clear that they are aware of the original film's stereotypes, and are "taking a different approach" for how the characters of the dwarfs are represented in the new version of Snow White.
Following Dinklage's criticism and Disney's response, TheWrap now reports that Disney is seeking to replace the dwarfs as seen in previous adaptations, with what is described as "magical creatures," according to casting sheets. No other details are known at this time about the exact nature of the substitution of those characters, or how it may impact the overall plot and their dynamic with the character of Snow White herself. Disney has yet to officially confirm the dwarfs' replacement with the "magical creatures."
It is also suggested that the Snow White production is currently seeking voice actors to provide the "magical creatures" with distinct personalities. This implies that this updated rendition of the seven characters may include substantial CGI to represent them visually on-screen. However, the film isn't expected to be released until 2023, so no major details are expected any time soon.
In the past, Disney has updated their classic films to modern times with other live-action remakes like Aladdin, The Jungle Book, and others. The resulting films and changes have generally been met with varying levels of success. With 2020s Mulan, the character of Mushu was eliminated completely from the live-action version, and Mulan's love interest, Li Shang, was split into two different characters. Meanwhile, in the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast, the updated film was lauded for including an openly gay character with LeFou, played by Josh Gad. Given Disney's history, it seems they are obviously being mindful of how certain groups are represented on-screen, while also making creative decisions that fans can enjoy. And they are likely to continue this approach with their upcoming Snow White remake.
Source: TheWrap