New Snow White star Rachel Zegler reveals her complicated childhood relationship with the original animated film. Though still a new face in Hollywood, Zegler’s career has already reached impressive heights. She got her start through Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, and since then has gone on to be cast in movies such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. She plays the titular princess in Disney’s upcoming live-action Snow White.
Disney recently announced that Snow White will have a 2024 release date. Playing opposite Zegler is Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen and Andrew Burnap as a new character. Snow White is directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man) and is just the latest in an ever-growing line of live-action remakes being made by Disney. The Mouse House is seeking to build upon audiences' love of their animated properties with these new efforts, though in the case of Snow White, it just might repair one viewer's unique relationship with the original.
In a recent interview with EW, Zegler explains how she felt about the original Disney animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs while growing up. While some might expect the new Disney princess to have fond memories of the film, it's actually the complete opposite. Check out the full quote from Zegler below:
I was scared of the original cartoon. I think I watched it once, and then I never picked it up again. I’m being so serious, I watched it once, and then I went on the ride in DisneyWorld, which is called, “Snow White’s Scary Adventures,” doesn’t sound like something a little kid would like, was terrified of it, never revisited Snow White again. So, I watched it for the first time in probably 16, 17 years when I was doing this film.
Rachel Zegler Had A Unique Relationship To Snow White
Considering her princess role now, it is amusing to hear Zegler’s childhood memory of Snow White. Disney's princesses are not necessarily thought to instill fear within kids. Nonetheless, Zegler was frightened not only of the cartoon, but of the entire universe of Snow White, as evidenced by her reaction to the Disney World ride. To be fair, Snow White's Evil Queen can be a rather terrifying figure. Now, years later, it seems like a funny turn of events that Zegler has not just overcome her fear of the animated movie, but will star in the live-action reboot as well.
With the live-action Snow White, Disney has the opportunity to change aspects of the story or the visuals for the film. Perhaps the remake will be less terrifying in live-action form, thus erasing Zegler's fears completely. On the other hand, the live-action Snow White could make the villainous aspects of the fairytale all the more realistic and unsettling. Either way, Snow White has thus far shown promise in the reports from its production. Gadot’s Evil Queen makeup, for one, reportedly took over 4 hours to do, suggesting at a real attention to detail. Special effects of this nature could make Snow White a compelling update to the relatively outdated animated feature.
Source: Entertainment Weekly