Disney's 'Snow White' dwarfs hint at trouble with Rachel Zegler movie (2024)

Disney's live-action Snow White reboot on October 27 became the latest project to be delayed due to the Hollywood strikes, with the release date postponed from March 2024 to March 2025.

Starring Westside Story's Rachel Zegler, the remake of the classic 1937 animation has been beset by issues since its announcement, with the studio's casting decisions causing controversy. Disney's decision to use CGI to recreate the seven dwarfs has now sparked further backlash.

In a first-look photo of Snow White, Zegler, 22, is sitting in a chair surrounded by the seven dwarfs. Instead of hiring individual actors with dwarfism for the roles, Disney cast Martin Klebba to play all seven parts, using CGI for scenes with the dwarfs together.

The decision led to uproar online, with social media users suggesting the film should be "canceled."

"Look a mess," wrote X user fazpo.

"Cancel it, seriously," said Gigi.

"This is one of the classics they should've left alone," agreed jonny.

"It's a no from me," said JR, while Kevin Banana commented: "This looks so creepy I'm sorry."

However, some users are excited about the film's release, with Mehwish writing: "This is looking so nice and nostalgic."

"I'm eager to learn more about Rachel Zegler's take on Snow White and the new elements she'll bring to the character," agreed Asad ali.

'I Felt Shame and Embarrassment'

The backlash is just the latest in a series of Snow White-related casting controversies.

In July, behind-the-scenes photos of Snow White showed a diverse selection of stand-ins playing her companions. As stand-ins often physically resemble the actors hired to play the role for lighting and aesthetic reasons, fans wondered if the images signaled a more inclusive cast for the remake.

The images also sparked rumors that Disney planned to remove the dwarfs altogether and replace with them with a collection of "magical creatures."

At the time, Disney released a statement that said: "We are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community."

In a Newsweek exclusive, WWE star Dylan Postl blasted the behind-the-scenes photos, saying that Disney's "progressive" casting choices are ruining his career.

"I felt so let down. I went through so many emotions; I felt shame and embarrassment, and then anger," he told Newsweek.

"It just blew me away. How could they think that casting was a good idea? In my eyes, these are seven main roles that could have gone to people with dwarfism."

'What the F*** Are You Doing, Man?'

Postl isn't the only star with dwarfism to criticize Disney over Snow White. In January 2022, actor Peter Dinklage slammed Disney, calling the Snow White remake "F****** Backwards."

The Game of Thrones star was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and he has previously spoken out on issues affecting actors with the condition.

"Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when 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," he said on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast.

"You're progressive in one way, but then you're still making that f****** backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box?"

Dinklage's comments divided listeners. While dwarfism charities praised the Golden Globe winner for calling out Disney, other public figures with dwarfism—including Postl and body builder Choon Tan—labeled him "selfish."

"It is hypocritical. I think it's really selfish of him, because he's made it now and [he's] taking the opportunity away from other people that have dwarfism," Tan, 28, said during an appearance on British TV show This Morning.

Postl agreed, telling the audience: "He's taking dream roles away that were set in stone for seven dwarf actors—actors that dream of being in a Disney film. Because as we know, Disney they don't do things on a small scale, especially with re-adaptation like this. This is going to be a huge, huge film."

'Creepy'

The issues surrounding the seven dwarfs aren't the only Snow White casting decision to split views online. When Zegler was announced as the star in 2021, some Disney fans were unhappy with the studio's decision to cast a Latina actress in the role of Snow White.

Zegler—who has Colombian and Polish heritage—divided opinions further after calling the original Snow White "outdated."

"We absolutely wrote a Snow White that she's not going to be saved by the prince, and she's not going to be dreaming about true love," Zegler said during an appearance at Disney expo D23 in 2022.

"She's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true."

After admitting she had only seen the original movie once as a child - and hadn't been a fan - Zegler called out the animation's love story, dubbing it "creepy" and the prince "stalkerish." Her choice of words led to further fallout, with Zegler releasing a tearful video addressing the trolling she'd received online as a result.

"That's what i signed up for, isn't it?" she said in the footage. "But I never wanted to come off as me, being ungrateful for the opportunity.

"People think I'm doing poorly and other people think I'm doing it gracefully, and I don't think I'm doing well at all."

Newsweek has reached out to Disney for comment via email.