Public Reacts to Disney’s Decision To Replace Dwarfs in Live-Action ‘Snow White

Disney’s live-action Snow White continues to make headlines as controversy surrounds the upcoming film’s promotional rollout, casting decisions, and creative changes. With its March 21, 2025 release approaching, the latest developments have reignited debate.

The film, directed by Marc Webb and starring Rachel Zegler as the iconic princess, has faced ongoing scrutiny throughout its development. Disney’s decision to scale back its traditional press campaign has drawn particular attention. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio canceled its London premiere in favor of a private event in Spain and restricted its Los Angeles premiere to Disney’s in-house crews, excluding traditional media outlets from red carpet coverage.

In 2023, early glimpses of the film revealed CGI-rendered versions of the seven characters—a notable shift from earlier reports that they would be replaced by “magical creatures.” This adjustment followed mounting criticism regarding the portrayal of the characters.

Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage had previously voiced concerns, questioning Disney’s decision to retain what he described as a “backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.” While Dinklage praised the casting of Colombian-American actress Rachel Zegler as Snow White, he challenged Disney’s approach to the supporting characters.

In response, Disney issued a statement: “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.”

However, behind-the-scenes images revealing actors portraying these characters reignited backlash. Among those critical of Disney’s approach was Jackass star Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, who argued that Disney’s decision to minimize roles for dwarf actors was harmful. “You’re replacing jobs that people could have as little people. It’s for dwarfs. Why are you hiring ‘Snow White and the seven average people’?”

Disney later unveiled its final version of the seven characters as fully CGI, alongside news that the film’s release date was delayed from March 2024 to March 2025. While Martin Klebba was confirmed to voice Grumpy a while ago, the voice cast includes Andrew Barth Feldman as Dopey/Narrator, Tituss Burgess as Bashful, Jason Kravits as Sneezy, George Salazar as Happy, Jeremy Swift as Doc, and Andrew Grotelueschen as Sleepy.

The decision to use CGI characters has continued to draw criticism. Bodybuilder and performer Choon Tan, who has dwarfism, called Disney’s choice “absolutely absurd and discriminating in a sense” in a statement to the Daily Mail. “I think Disney is trying too hard to be politically correct, but in doing so it’s damaging our careers and opportunities,” Tan said.

Performer Blake Johnston echoed those sentiments, telling the Daily Mail, “We have plenty of dwarf actors out there who are dying for roles like this. I think Disney [has succumbed] to peer pressure on political correctness, which has now given top dwarf actors less work.” Johnston further criticized the film, adding: “I’m offended by the decision because Disney had the greatest educational story of all time. Now they have made it as a joke.”

In addition to casting controversies, the film has faced creative changes. Rachel Zegler’s comments at the 2022 D23 Expo sparked conversation when she described the prince as a “stalker” and emphasized that this new version of Snow White would focus more on “leadership and strength” than romance. Zegler’s remarks, combined with her outspoken political views and activism during the SAG-AFTRA strikes, have kept her at the forefront of media coverage.

Co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, has also faced backlash tied to her past military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with her involvement prompting renewed debate amid current political tensions.

On the financial side, Forbes reported that Snow White‘s budget may have ballooned to nearly $300 million, yet the film was notably absent from Disney’s Q4 2024 financial disclosures. This absence has fueled speculation about the studio’s confidence in its box office potential. Estimates suggest an opening weekend gross of $50-56 million, potentially making it one of Disney’s weakest live-action remake debuts.

Zegler recently performed a new original song titled “Waiting on a Wish,” composed by Pasek and Paul, which took place at the Alcázar de Segovia in Spain in front of a small audience. The song’s debut highlights the studio’s more restrained promotional strategy for the project, which has noticeably departed from Disney’s usual high-profile marketing campaigns.

As Disney prepares to release Snow White on March 21, 2025, the project remains divisive. Whether the film can win over audiences and overcome its controversies remains to be seen.

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