Known as ‘Magic on Earth’, Walt Disney Productions has been recognized as one of the world’s most beloved and prevailing franchises. Nonetheless, as Disney gained popularity after their 1937 release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” it likewise gained criticism.
Leading up to May 23rd, 2023–the release of Disney’s live-action remake of the Little Mermaid–the media was filled with strong remarks regarding the casting of a Black woman, Halle Bailey, in a traditionally white role.
Now, with the announcement of Rachel Zegler, an actress of Latin American heritage, to play Snow White in the live action remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” many have taken again to social media to debate the apparent race change of the beloved character from the original release.
Beginning in July 2019, subsequent to publicly naming Halle Bailey as the lead in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the hashtag “not my Ariel” surfaced rapidly on Twitter. The backlash continued when Disney released the trailer of The Little Mermaid, as it gained over 1 million dislikes.
Many of those presenting resentment towards Disney’s casting in the Little Mermaid proclaimed they had no racist intentions, but were let down by Disney’s decision to make the features of Ariel dissimilar to the character’s traditional appearance.
Conversely, many Disney fans, including Clare Tinsman, a junior at Pleasant Valley High School, noted the importance of representation and diversity in the film industry.
Tinsman voiced, “‘The Little Mermaid’s plot did not change, and times are changing. There were videos I saw of young Black girls seeing Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid, and I think that just shows the importance of representation, and these little girls having someone to look up to.”
Junior Kailee McCaw, featured as Disney princess Belle, in the Pleasant Valley Theater Department’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” had particular thoughts about changing the race of characters within movies and musicals alike. “I don’t think that race is necessarily part of the character itself, it’s just a feature the character happens to have,” said McCaw.
McCaw also pointed out that films like “The Little Mermaid” do not hold cultural significance in comparison to other movies such as “Pocahontas.” McCaw remarked, “‘There are also certain things that shouldn’t be changed, like I don’t believe that anyone other than someone of Native American descent should play Pocahontas, because that’s not their story to tell’”.
Junior Swetha Narmeta, however, looks at the Disney remakes in a different light, hoping Disney can input equal effort towards producing culturally and ethnically diverse original movies as they have with their refashions of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “The Little Mermaid.”
Expanding from the reasoning of McCaw, Narmeta articulated, “While I do applaud Disney for trying to add more diversity to their movies and cast, I do think there should also be more movies that come out that actually star people of color rather than replacing already existing characters.”
Many conservatives and Disney fans have taken to social media to express their frustrations that Rachel Zegler’s skin is not “white as snow,” as depicted in the original film. On the other hand, many liberals appreciated the inclusivity in Disney’s “Snow White”.
The new “Snow White” movie also has added complexity as a result of plot changes and variance from the original story, including Snow White likely being a ‘stronger’ feminist character. Tinsman questioned Disney’s intentions in diversifying the storyline of “Snow White,” Tinsman affirmed, “Women can be strong while still wanting to find true love.”
As the buzz about Snow White increased, members of the media brought to attention the diverse group slated to play the seven dwarfs. Although many believe this particular casting choice is a way for Disney to embrace greater diversity in their films, other fans like Tinsman have a varying perspective.
If able to include the seven dwarfs in a non-offensive manner, Tinsman reasoned that staying true to the original may have actually already been an inclusive approach to the movie. Tinsman stated, “There are not a lot of people with dwarfism seen in movies.”
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of casting and plot decision-making for production companies, but many question the integrity of their reasoning for casting and plot adaptations. Varied opinions and rationales shared by Disney and other people beg the question: Is Disney truly embracing inclusivity in 2023, or are they simply playing into a “woke” culture?
