Disney is scaling back the Hollywood premiere of its upcoming live-action movie, Snow White, this weekend.
The movie has been plagued with controversy for some time now, including significant backlash over the casting of Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, as the titular character.
The movie has been plagued with controversy for some time now, including significant backlash over the casting of Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, as the titular character.
Disney is scaling back on the premiere of its upcoming Snow White movie amid controversy
Highlights
- Disney is set to scale back on its new "Snow White" Hollywood premiere.
- The new live-action has been plagued with controversy ever since its announcement in 2022.
- Fans called out Disney's "Snow White" over casting Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress, for the titular character.
Image credits: Disney Movies
Disney’s Hollywood premiere for Snow White won’t be a spectacle. According to Variety, the production company will not be rolling out a red carpet with dozens of media outlets and photographers who interview the cast and the crew that we’re used to seeing in similar Hollywood premieres.
The premiere on March 12 will have a pre-party and the movie screening at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The film's leading actors, Rachel Zegler (Snow White) and Gal Gadot (the Evil Queen) are among the stars who will be attending the event. The premiere will be covered by a limited number of photographers and an in-house crew.
The movie received backlash from fans for casting a Latina actress as Snow White
Image credits: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Image credits: DisneyMusicVEVO
Marc Webb’s Snow White will be theatrically released on March 21. However, the movie has been plagued with controversy since its announcement in 2022, and Disney reportedly decided against premiering the film in the United Kingdom amid strong backlash from fans.
Some fans questioned the motives behind casting Zegler in the titular role as she is a Latina actress set to play a character described as having "skin as white as snow" in the original fairytale.
Zegler commented on the backlash the movie received, saying, “I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion,” in an interview in the March 2025 issue of Vogue Mexico. “What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about,” she added.
Rachel Zegler called 1937’s original Snow White cartoon dated
Image credits: Disney
Zegler was also the target of angry comments after her comments on the original Snow White. “The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so,” Zegler said in a 2022 interview. She added, “There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird!”
In another interview with Variety, Zegler said, “She’s 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.” Fans nicknamed Zegler’s portrayal of the iconic character the “woke” Snow White.
Snow White’s CGI portrayal of the seven dwarfs was criticized
Image credits: rachelzegler
The film has also been criticized for its CGI portrayal of the seven dwarfs, with Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage calling the movie "backwards" in 2022. Dinklage said, “Literally no offense to anything, but I was sort of taken aback,” in the WTF With Mark Maron podcast in 2024.
“They were very proud to cast a Latino 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,” the actor added.
Image credits: Variety
In response to Dinklage’s comments, Disney shared a statement in Good Morning America, which read, “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.”
Gal Gadot was under fire for being cast as Cleopatra as well, with critics calling the choice "whitewashing"
Image credits: Disney
After being announced as the lead in Disney's Snow White, Zegler faced criticism from those who believed the role should align more closely with the fairytale depiction of Snow White.
The controversy in Zegler's casting echoes the backlash that Gal Gadot experienced after being cast as Cleopatra in an upcoming film. Critics accused the production of "whitewashing" by casting Gadot as the ancient Egyptian queen, traditionally portrayed as Arab or African. Defending her role, Gadot told BBC, "I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honor this amazing historic icon that I admire so much."
Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler have been politically outspoken on social media
Image credits: gal_gadot
Image credits: Disney
Aside from the controversies regarding the casting choices, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s political remarks have also been publicly criticized, which led to calls to boycott the movie.
Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, has been active on social media and in public appearances, voicing her opinions. While Zegler is also using her platform to do so. The political remarks made the fans lash out amid the movie's promotional events.
The lead actresses continue to promote their upcoming movie
Image credits: ABC
Image credits: Disney
Aside from their political differences, Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler continue promoting their film. On March 2, the duo presented an award together at the 2025 Academy Awards to promote Snow White.
On March 5, Zegler attended the movie’s Tokyo premiere, where she performed the first single from the movie. Gadot also promoted the movie on the new episode of Good Morning America on March 10.
The movie’s official trailer, which was released three months ago, got over 12 million views on YouTube.
Online users commented on Disney's upcoming Snow White
