The names, Grumpy, Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Sneezy, Sleepy, and Happy might ring a bell as the seven adorable dwarves from Walt Disney’s first feature-length film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” The classic film has recently been chosen to receive a live-action makeover that will be released in 2024, but Disney has experienced backlash for the modern reinvention of the classic tale.
It all started when “Game of Thrones” star, Peter Dinklage, criticized the portrayal of the seven dwarves in a Disney classic that is considered the first feature length animated film in cinematic history. During an interview on Marc Maron’s “WTF podcast,” Dinklage claimed that he was taken aback by the studio’s decision to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but still considers the film problematic because of its portrayals of dwarfism.
“Take a step back and look at what you are doing there…it makes no sense to me.” Dinklage said. “You’re progressive in one way, but then you are still making that f**ing backward story about seven dwarves living in a cave together… What the f** are you doing man?”
In order to become less controversial, the Walt Disney Company moved away from the idea of seven adorable dwarves for a diverse group of seven average size individuals to avoid stereotypes of the dwarfism community, according to an article titled, “Seven Dwarfs Become Diverse Group of Magical Creatures for Snow White Live Action Movie,” published on the site, WDW News Today on July 19, 2023.
For those who haven’t watched or don’t recall the original film, the dwarves do not live in a cave at all, but rather work in a mine and live in a furnished cottage in the woods. The dwarves are uniquely distinguished from each other and act more prince-like than the actual prince. They are present for most of the film and are portrayed as heroes rather than side characters in Snow White’s story.
In an interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” dwarf pro-wrestler and actor, Dylan Postl said, “there are actors, dwarf actors, that [have] that dream to be in a major motion picture such as this…and now because Peter Dinklage said what he said last year, now it’s taken away because of ‘progression.’”
“It’s not right, because there are roles made for actors of my stature. I can’t go out for the Harrison Ford or George Clooney roles because that’s not for me,” Postl said. “These dwarf roles are for people of my stature and now it’s taken away.”
In addition to Peter Dinklage and the new seven dwarves, the film’s leading actress, Rachel Zegler, has also received backlash for her comments surrounding the original film. “It’s no longer 1937, and we absolutely wrote a Snow White that is not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” Zegler said in an interview with Variety magazine. “She is dreaming about becoming the leader [that] she knows she can be.”
Now, it is common for fairytales and folklore to change and adapt to the societal norms of the times. For example, the original Disney version of “Snow White” was released during the Great Depression. It’s understandable that American women of that time would be drawn to a film of a woman who received her happily ever after during a time when a happily ever after was a rare occurrence.
Despite the constant changes that these stories go through, these fairytales have stood the test of time for many audiences who have obviously fallen in love with the themes of true love, a dashing Prince Charming and a cast of seven unique dwarves who steal the show. No matter how many edits, adaptations and critiques of Snow White come to print and film, everyone deserves to have their own version of a happily ever after.
