From Fairytale to Firestorm: Disney's Snow White Under Scrutiny

This weekend, a once blockbuster movie will finally hit movie theaters. And that's too bad because the reviews are pretty good. One online reviewer wrote of the film. Quote. It is not only one of their best live action remakes in years, but it's also a film that recaptures the magic of the 1937 movie. Rachel Zegler is Snow White and she delivers such a magical performance, end quote. But Rachel Zegler is one of the many reasons why this film hit the skids well before its release.

I just mean that it's no longer 1937 and we absolutely wrote a Snow White that is not going to be saved for the prince. And she's not going to be dreaming about true love. She's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.

Welcome to the PR Breakdown. I'm your host, Molly McPherson. Today's episode topic comes to you on the recommendation of one of my listeners. Thank you, Artie. Whether you are driving your car or listening to this podcast on YouTube at work, let's dive headfirst into the whirlwind of controversy surrounding this movie. Touches on everything that's on our minds these days. Political commentary, the whole wokeness debate. What it should be focusing on only is who is the fairest of them all. Let's jump right in to the hit list. Let's start with the casting. Disney's decision to cast Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, as Snow White raised immediate eyebrows. Traditionally, as you all know, Snow White is described as having skin as white as snow. Fun fact. I played Snow White in my seventh grade vaudeville show. Was I good in the role? Well, I fit the suit. Kind of like that Brady Bunch moment when Greg was chosen to be Johnny Bravo and he thought it was because he was Johnny Bravo. But it turned out he just fit the suit. I was a 13 year old, I believe, with dark hair, pasty Irish white skin with freckles. And I could sing. The only hiccup I couldn't white hit the high notes of Someday My Prince Will Come. That's the song that they chose. I had to sit on a rock dressed in my costume, look out in the audience, see my boyfriend who I was dating at the time. Mortifying, just tragic. Also watching my mother wince, I kid you not, wincing if you remember the 1937 cartoon and the part of Snow White, the song Someday My Prince Will Come, it starts at the highest octave imaginable. No, no, no, it starts My prince. Well, it is so high. Even at 13. Oh, it was just a nightmare. You can imagine poor Molly Just sitting on that rock, mortified of the drama. But back to the other Snow White, the film and the actress cast in the film who is a fabulous singer. The reviews on her are absolutely tremendous. But for some conservatives, the Snow White role was meant to go to a white actress. Very similar backlash that echoed the uproar over the casting of Ariel the Little Mermaid. That actress Halle Bailey was black and she had legs. The conservatives had problems with her in the role. It's not just the casting that's a problem. Zegler decided to make it clear on many red carpets that her version of Snow White is so much more than the romance.

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. And so it's just a really incredible story for I think young people everywhere to see themselves in.

That did not resonate well with a lot of people on social media. Critics argued that she was undermining the classic fairy tale, which sometimes. Right, like a fairy tale is a fairy tale. I found this take on TikTok well, wasn't that difficult. It has over 9 million views, but this take explains it well.

Criticizing Disney princesses is not feminist. Not every woman is a leader. Not every woman wants to be a leader. Not every woman wants or craves power. And that's okay. It is not anti feminist to want to fall in love, to want to get married, to want to stay at home, to be stopped, to want to be a homemaker. None of these things make you less valuable as a person or a woman.

I like that take, honestly. Now, next up, the depiction of the seven dwarves. Even before the final CGI decision of making all the dwarves cgi, there were leaked photos of a group of diverse actors. Well, a Group 7 who were set to portray the dwarves. And these photos were from 2022. Now, we don't know who those actors are, so they likely signed an ironclad non disclosure. They cannot say who they were, but in the photos it included individuals of varying races, sizes and genders playing the seven dwarfs. But these actors were replaced by now these CGI characters following all the criticism and the backlash about representation. Actor Peter Dinklage, everyone loves him from Game of Thrones. He did not hold back on this issue.

They were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White. Yeah, but you're still telling the story of Snow White.

Still Snow White. Yeah.

Seven Dwarves. Take a step back and look at what you're doing there.

Disney's response was a little muted. The studio reimagined the Dwarves as magical creatures while retaining some original names like Doc and Grumpy. But the decision did spark mixed reactions. Many actors and advocates expressed disappointment, feeling that the CGI erased opportunities for authentic representation. Like Dinklage said, other people, like the actor who played Grumpy, defended the move, appreciating the chance to contribute as a voice actor. But the controversy is a reminder that even well intentioned progressive changes need to be backed by genuine inclusive engagement. Stakeholder engagement isn't just for show. When it comes to roles that matter, like those for little people, genuine inclusive dialogue is essential. The Little People of America the LPA provide guidelines for inclusive language and representation. Just in case you were wondering, the recommended descriptors for these actors would have been short stature, little person, or someone with dwarfism. Those terms are considered respectful and accurate when referring to individuals with dwarfism. And remember, context does matter. No matter what which type of inclusive language you are referring to, that needs to be relevant. They should ask how they should be referred to because you want to highlight their individuality and accomplishments. That's what's encouraged over focusing solely on physical characteristics, race, gender or their ability. That's a really important takeaway. This applies to everyone when you're referring to any type of inclusivity. When possible, ask individuals how they prefer to be described. Some people may prefer person first language, like person with dwarfism. Others might use identity first language like dwarf person, non binary or male or female or homosexual, gay, whatever it is. Ask the next issue. The the wokeness and accusations and political tensions beyond casting and representation. The film has also been slammed as quote too woke. Critics claim that Disney is twisting traditional elements. So we know what type of critics are saying this altering both the character of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to cater to modern sensibilities. I would add probably conservatives, but maybe true hardcore Disney adults likely wanted it to be as close to Snow White as possible. All of these Disney productions might ultimately end up in Disney World, Disneyland, in their parks. How many of you when going to Snow White? Particularly if you're parents and you're bringing kids. My kids went to Disney for years, the first time bringing our daughter Rory when she was 2 years old. And then my mother said yes the Cringer back when I was in seventh grade. Why would you bring a two year old to Disney, which Nate Bargozzi the comedian has in one of his bits? The first time I heard it I said yes Nate Bargozzi. I got the same amount of Grief. But how many of you went to Fantasyland first and stopped at Snow White first hand raised? I would be one of them. In addition to that, there was a lot of political tension. Gal Gadot, who plays the evil Quinn, and she's quite, quite good in this, in the clips that I saw, she has been very outspoken in her pro Israel stance, while Rachel Zegler, Snow White, has expressed pro Palestinian sentiments. That's a difficult one to predict. Filming set to take place in 2020. Fast forward to 2021. Gal Gadot described the situation as a, quote, vicious cycle and express heartbreak over violence and, and stating that, quote, israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation. Our neighbors deserve the same. End quote. She was discussing peace and coexistence, particularly due to her mandatory military service in the Israeli Defense Forces. So clearly, as a Hollywood actress, it's not surprising that she would come out in strong defense of Israel. But Rachel Zegler, on the other hand, has been outspoken in her support for Palestine, and she used her platform to advocate for Palestinian rights and humanitarian concerns. In August of 2024, she tweeted, quote, and always remember free Palestine. And that was following the release of a Snow White trailer, which no surprise, sparked significant online debate. She also was a criticism of violence Against Children in October 2024. So this is at the height of the conflict. She stated, quote, I can't watch children die, end quote. She was referencing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. I stated earlier that there wasn't any way that Disney could have predicted what was going to happen in the fall of 2024 with the conflict. But you're casting two actresses on two different sides, okay? But they both have been vocal about each side. They knew this was going to be a problem even without the conflicts of 2024. So the mix of casting and political commentary only served to deepen the controversy. And it turned this simple remake into a cultural battleground at a time when there were no easy answers for both sides. There were no easy answers for people who just saw it as a massive humanitarian conflict. Disney absolutely should have seen that coming. This resulted in reduced marketing of the premiere. Amid all the controversy, Disney pulled a classic PR move. I mean, what do you think they did when this started to blow up? They scaled back the premiere on March 15. The Ides of March, the day of backstabbing. The debut was stripped of the red carpet rollout. They did have press, but press access was tightly controlled. Actors were on tightly controlled talking points. They only talked about what it was like making the movie, why it was so Magical. All the wonderful things about the movie. They were clearly instructed not to discuss the controversy. I mean, after all, Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, has largely avoided directly addressing the controversies surrounding this live action remake. During a November 2024 earnings call, he didn't even mention Snow White while promoting the 2025 film slate for Disney. And that was a notable omission. In other words, people picked it up. It was a high budget film. It was a film that people were excited to see. But this suggested a very deliberate effort to distance Disney from the ongoing controversy surrounding the project. Take a listen to the key message.

The Disney company can have a positive impact on the world, whether it's fostering acceptance and understanding of people of all different types. But generally speaking, we need to be an entertainment first company.

Entertainment first, Bob Iger, you're saying? Entertainment only. Despite the flood of negative publicity, the early reviews have praised the film Disney scales back, which means it scales back from a lot of the social media rebuke. But it leaves a bunch of positive reviews because the movie, despite the controversy, is well received. It begs the question, can critical acclaim and a well made movie outweigh a mountain of controversy? What can we learn from all this? What's the crisis communication lesson? I thought about it and here's my answer. First, proactive engagement on sensitive representation issues. Critical. You have to know this going in no matter what it is. If you are filming, producing a movie, if you are rolling out a campaign, if you are hiring a spokesperson, if your CEO has a particular take a value, a stance, you have to prepare for it. If your CEO is going to take a more controversial stance or a more liberal stance on something, you as a communicator, you have to prepare for that. And how you prepare for that is you let leadership know we're going to get blowback for this. We need to be prepared. What are we going to say about it? And then maybe, just maybe, your CEO might think differently about what they're saying or the choices that they're making. Disney's casting choices and communication strategies needed to speak clearly to all audiences from the start. And that is a good takeaway when you are rolling out any campaign and when you're rolling out any initiative and there are numerous stakeholders, you have to speak clearly to all of the stakeholders, all of them, because stakeholder engagement isn't just for show when it comes to stakeholders that matter. And third, managing public statements is key. The polarizing political views of key figures. In this case for Disney, the actors only added fuel to the fire. They absolutely should have seen that coming. My goodness, that one was an easy one. They could have supported their stances. They could have asked them to tone it down. Whatever it was, they all should have been on the same page. And lastly, while scaling back marketing may control the narrative short term, it can still signal deeper issues that need addressing with transparency. Always remember transparency. It's a controversy killer. In the end, Disney's Snow White remake is anything but a fairy tale. It's a real world case study on the challenges of honoring tradition while embracing modernity as well as navigating the the minefield doesn't work. I was thinking of the seven dwarves in the mine, but that doesn't work. It's not a minefield. I could say the mines of today's cultural and political debates. No, that doesn't work either. I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think is more important? Staying true to the original or reinventing the story for today's audience? There's more than just one Snow White out there. Let me know what you think. You can reply to my social media posts or my PR breakdown take on Substack. You can find me there. PRbreakdown.media. that's the website. Or you can find me Molly McPherson on substack. Until next time. Someday my prince will maybe not come ever. Maybe they will come. Or maybe we don't want them to come. Or maybe if they come, we sit down and, I don't know, have apple pie. It's time for me to go. All right, everybody. All right, everybody I know. Here's to everyone someday finding their love. Right. Bye for now. When this started to blow up, they scaled back. So the premiere on March 15, the Ides of March, the day of backstabbing. You might want to check out your history all about that one. But the debut was stripped of the red carpet rollout. They did have press, but press access was tightly controlled. Actors were on tightly controlled talking points. They only talked about what it was like making the movie, why it was so magical, all the wonderful things about the movie. They were clearly instructed not to discuss the controversy. I mean, after all, Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, has largely avoided directly addressing the controversies surrounding this live action remake. During a November 2024 earnings call, he didn't even mention Snow White while promoting the 2025 film slate for Disney. And that was a notable omission. In other words, people picked it up. I mean, it was a high budget film. It was a film that people were excited to see. But this suggested a very Deliberate effort to distance Disney from the ongoing controversy surrounding the project. Very different from Bob Iger jumping into the controversy with the writers strike. Bob Iger, sitting in Idaho at the billionaire summer camp, dug right in and blamed the writers. And boy, did he pay for that. So maybe that could be a reason why he's stepping back. Take a listen. What do you take a listen to? The key message. Despite the flood of negative publicity, the early reviews have praised the film. It makes it interesting. Disney scales back from a lot of the social media rebuke, but it leaves a bunch of positive reviews because the movie is well received. So it begs the question, can critical acclaim and a well made movie outweigh a mountain of controversy? So what can we learn from all this? What's the crisis communication lesson? I thought about it and here's my answer. First, proactive engagement on sensitive representation issues. Critical. You have to know this going in no matter what it is. If you are filming, producing a movie, if you are rolling out a campaign, if you are hiring a spokesperson, if your CEO has a particular take a value, a stance, you have to prepare for it. If your CEO is going to take a more controversial stance or a more liberal stance on something, you as a communicator, you have to prepare for that. And how you prepare for that is you let leadership know, we're going to get blowback for this. We need to be prepared. What are we going to say about it? And then maybe, just maybe, your CEO might think differently about what they're saying or the choices that they're making. Disney's casting choices and communication strategies needed to speak clearly to all audiences from the start. And that is a good takeaway. When you are rolling out any campaign and there are numerous stakeholders, you have to speak clearly to all of the stakeholders. Because stakeholder engagement isn't just for show. When it comes to stakeholders that matter are actors with dwarfism, short stature actors, little people. Genuine inclusive dialogue is essential. The Little people of America provided guidelines for this, provided guidelines for inclusive language and representation. Had they communicated that they worked with them, that's how you stop the blowback. This has been in consultation and in collaboration with the lpa. We're using the referred terms, we're using the recommended terms. And these terms are considered respectful and accurate when referring to individuals with dwarfism. We cast these actors with dwarfism for these reasons. And with those photos coming out that Disney casted actors with diverse backgrounds, race and gender, they could have easily spoken to that and they would have given seven actors roles. But they chose to go with cgi, which I'm even just looking in the clips. I do think it was a poor choice. Live action is live action. And third, managing public statements is key. The polarizing political views of key figures. In this case for Disney, the actors only added fuel to the fire. They should have seen that coming. My goodness, that one was an easy one. They could have supported their stances, they could have asked them to tone it down. Whatever it was, they all should have been on the same page. And lastly, while scaling back marketing may control the narrative short term, it can still signal deeper issues that need addressing with transparency. Always remember transparency. It's a crisis killer. It's a controversy killer. That all should have been planned out in advance for this film. The filming started in 2020. The Israel Gaza conflict started in October 2023. So in the end, Disney's Snow White remake is anything but a fairy tale. It's a real world case study on the challenges of honoring tradition while embracing modernity and on navigating of today's cultural and political debates. I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think is more important? Staying true to the original or reinventing the story for today's audience? There's more than just one Snow White out there. Let me know what you think. You can reply to my social media posts or my PR Breakdown take on Substack so you can find me there. PRbreakdown.media. that's the website. Or you can find me Molly McPherson on substack. Thanks for tuning in this week. Until next time, I hope you find your prince. Or not. Maybe you don't want a prince. Maybe you want a princess. Or maybe you just want to be left alone. You want to sit there with your apples and you want to cook an apple pie. Maybe you want to bake a gluten free apple pie. Whatever it is you want. I hope you enjoy it. I think it's time for me to go. Bye for now.