Fans of the Disney classic Snow White have hit back at the ‘woke‘ remake of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves after star Rachel Zegler slammed the original as ‘weird and sexist’, saying there is ‘nothing wrong with dreaming of marriage’.
Mothers were left outraged after learning the iconic ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’ song will not be included in the remake amid a backlash over star Rachel Zegler‘s comments about the tale’s storyline.
Zegler, 23, has caused controversy after hinting in an interview that the live action version of the film, which is set to hit UK cinemas on March 21, will not be the same as the original.
The actress will sing ‘Waiting on a Wish’ in the blockbuster, which is expected to see Snow White take on her own destiny, rather than waiting for the prince to save her with a true love’s kiss.
Disney are reportedly treading carefully with Zegler after she criticised the original 1937 classic for its ‘sexist’ traditional romance plot and ‘dated’ love story.
‘Disney’s lead actress is out of control,’ a source told Page Six. ‘They don’t know what to do.’
Speaking in 2022, Zegler said: ‘There’s 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.
And last summer, she told the annual Disney expo D23 that Snow White is ‘not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.’
Now fans of the classic have slammed the remake for excluding the iconic song, and accused Disney of criticising marriage and true love.
Zegler, 23, has caused controversy after hinting in an interview that the live action version of the film, which is set to hit UK cinemas on March 21, will not be the same as the original
A source told Page Six the company ‘doesn’t know what to do’ with Zegler, 23, because of her repeated insistence on airing her progressive views and distaste for the original movie
Taking to Mumsnet, women hit out at the remake and reiterated there is ‘nothing wrong with a woman dreaming of marriage’.
‘There’s nothing wrong with a female dreaming of marriage,’ Sarah said. ‘I am in my mid 20s and a lot of my friends’ current conversations are guessing when our partners will propose, wedding planning, talking about dating apps etc.
‘But we also talk about jobs, university, aspirations. I just wish this narrative of “we don’t need no man” would stop as if it’s wrong to want marriage.’
Another mother, Maggie, added: ‘It’s obvious when you ream [Mumsnet] every day that a tonne of women rate their success by having a man and babies and a happy home. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.’
A third said: ‘Sneering about marriage also hides it’s true purpose, protecting women when they are financially vulnerable after having children.’
TikTokers were also left divided by Zegler’s comments, with one user writing: ‘The original movie is great. Since when is the prince a stalker?’
Wives echoed their support for the sentiment, with one replying: ‘My husband used to come see me at work and wait for an opportunity to talk to me. Been married 30 years now.’
A second said: ‘Mine was in love with me for two years while I wouldn’t talk to him. He finally came to my country to see me and I fell in love with him’.
Zegler has criticized David Hand’s 1937 original animated film as ‘extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman is fit for in the world’
Disney are reportedly treading carefully with Zegler (pictured with fans) after she made a series of comments panning the original 1937 classic for its ‘sexist’ traditional romance plot
Rachel Zegler jetted off to a remote castle in Segovia, Spain, to perform for around 100 select ‘VIPs’ which included influencers and families, though the event raised eyebrows
The event caused confusion as Zegler was the only star in attendance, with not even Gal Gadot (pictured in New York on March 10) present
Young women were equally outraged, with one commenting: ‘Who tf cares if her story is based on love? Newsflash most women want that! Most women still hope for love and not every woman wants to say f*** it to men.’
Another said: ‘Growing up I loved those movies because I’m such a sucker for true love and love movies! I don’t understand why a man loving a woman is bad at all!’
And a third added: ‘Every woman doesn’t have to be a leader. Some of us are ok with falling in love and being happy.’
Relatives of the original movie’s makers have also been left fuming. David Hale Hand, whose late father, Disney animator David Hand, was the supervising director for Snow White, said he is boycotting the new film.
‘The original was the way it should be. From what I’ve read, [the new film] bears no reflection to the original story,’ he told Page Six.
His wife Sandra Hand also said: ‘They’ve taken it and moved into the politics of what is woke … They’re taking a beautiful and beautifully drawn story and destroying what was Snow White.
‘Why can’t they just leave it alone instead of coming up with a different story — make it a totally different character?’
It comes after Disney held a secretive film premiere for the movie at a castle in Spain this week, without any of the usual red carpet interviews, as the firm seeks to rescue the movie’s prospects.
Speaking in 2022, Zegler said: ‘There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird’
The new film will still feature a love interest, Jonathan (pictured left) but is expected to divert from the traditional storyline
The film is set to appear in UK cinemas from March 21, but many fans are planning to boycott the movie
The scaled-back press tour has not only left fans baffled, as Martin Klebba (pictured in 2018), who voices the dwarf Grumpy, has slammed Disney for its decision to scale back the film’s premiere
TikTokers took to social media to share their horror at the ‘woke’ remake, and to defend true love and marriage
Rather than the usual list of major news outlets flocking to the event, local Spanish influencers and families from the small city of Segovia, which boasts a population of just 51,000, were among the chosen ‘VIPs’ in attendance.
Zegler’s co-star Gadot was also absent, with only director Marc Webb accompanying Zegler to the event.
The scaled-back European event replaced the glitzy London premiere that had been expected for the high-budget release. An LA event is also said to have been scaled back.
Earlier this month, an insider told the Mail: ‘Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled Press events.
‘That is why they have taken the highly unusual step not to host a London premiere for the film and are minimising the amount of Press questions that Rachel Zegler gets.’
Zegler has drawn particular controversy for her outspoken support of Palestinians.
Disney bosses are said to have repeatedly called her and her agents to try to get her to tone down her social media posts on the issue.
Martin Klebba, who voices the dwarf Grumpy, has slammed Disney for its decision to scale back the film’s premiere.
Klebba, 55, expressed his disappointment, with TMZ reporting that the actor is ‘seriously bummed and a bit p**sed’ at the situation as he argued it should have got better red-carpet treatment.
He argued that Zegler and Gadot’s political opinions should not ‘have overshadowed everyone else’s hard work’.
Meanwhile, actor Peter Dinklage, who played Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, questioned the decision to include the dwarf characters at all.
‘They were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but 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,’ Dinklage told podcaster Marc Maron last year.
Zegler was recently forced to apologize after she shared an Instagram post in which she wished that President Trump and his supporters would ‘never know peace’ after he won the election.
As well as contending with Zegler’s views, bosses are having to tread carefully after another of the film’s stars, Israeli actress Gal Gadot, was hit with a petition to bar her from the Oscars over her outspoken support for her homeland amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
And while Disney has been patting itself on the back over its diverse cast, it has also come under criticism for its presentation of the Seven Dwarves.
In trailers it has since emerged that the Seven Dwarfs have been generated using CGI, a decision director Marc Webb insists he made right from the start.
