Disney has said it’s ‘taking a different approach’ with Snow White’s seven companions, after actor Peter Dinklage slammed the studio for remaking the ‘backward’ film that reinforces stereotypes.
Company, which is currently in third year of development of live-action remakes of Disney’s classic tale, said that it had been consulting members of dwarfism communities throughout the initial stages of production.
‘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,’ a spokesperson said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday.
“We are looking forward to more information as we move the film into production, after an extended development period.”
This response follows a Game of Thrones star who slammed Disney for remakeing the 1937 movie and then shared that he was shocked by the results. Casting of Rachel Zegler (West Side Story star) as Snow White
Disney’s remake of Snow White, which was originally called the’seven Dwarfs’ is taking a different approach to these characters to “avoid perpetuating stereotypes”
‘Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,’ Drinklage, 52, told Marc Maron on his WTF podcast.
‘Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. This makes absolutely no sense. You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing man?’
Disney claimed that the film will include cultural consultants. This is similar to its remakes of Mulan and Aladdin, which are still many years away.
Studio claims that it’s been working to reimagine the dwarf characters from its inception.
DailyMail.com did not receive a response from Disney immediately to our request for comment.
Peter Dinklage (left), who was upset that Disney had remade their 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, has made the move. He criticised Disney for creating the “backward” film, and he praised the casting of West Side Story’s breakout star Rachel Zegler as Snow White (right).
‘You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing man?’ He stated:
Dinklage was promoting his new movie Cyrano on the podcast with Maron where they were discussing ‘wokeness’ when he discussed the Snow White reboot.
“Have my actions done little to promote the cause?” I guess I’m not loud enough,’ Dinklage questioned.
He said he wasn’t sure what studio was making Snow White and Seven Dwarfs. But he remembered, “they were so proud.”
“All love and respect for the actress, and to all those who believed they were doing right.” However, I am just asking you what your doing. He continued.
Disney – which is in its third year of development for the live-action remake of the Disney classic tale – said they have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community throughout the early development stages
Studio claims the studio has also been involved in reimagining dwarf characters from its very beginning production stages
Dinklage is afflicted by a condition called Achondroplasia. It affects bone development and results in shorter limbs.
He claimed that Snow White’s story could still be told. However, it must be up-dated to keep pace with modern standards.
‘If you tell the story of “Snow White” with the most f***ed up, progressive spin on it? Let’s do it. He said, “All in.”
The animated movie was inspired by a fairytale from The Brothers Grimm in 1812. However, the original animation featured dwarfs who lived in a cottage and not in caves.
Some charities shared Dinklage’s worries, including the Restricted Growth Association of the UK.
‘I very much stand with Peter Dinklage on the disappointment and irritation towards Disney for the remake of Snow White,’ Rhonda Cutmore, a member of the association, told The Telegraph. This story had an adverse impact on my life as a 46 year-old woman who has limited growth. It was not just my physical features that were problematic, but also the fact that I was called “Dopey” or “Bashful”. This did not make it a pleasant place to be on the playground.
She said that people with limited growth were most likely to be children of average-sized parents. They don’t live in gingerbread houses or bear homes, and they are not able to live together in groups.
Steph Robson, a writer for Dwarfism, stated that she hopes film producers will avoid stereotyping the story of the classic movie.
She stated that she hoped that Disney’s latest live-action remake would at least help to correct the decades-old stereotypes about disability that continue to be experienced, particularly in arts and cultural settings.
Also, the story was criticized for being too ableist in portraying the dwarfs as having less intelligence than Snow White and seeing them as children.
Gal Gadot will play Zegler alongside Zegler. Marc Webb directs from Greta Gerwig’s script.
Marc Platt is the Oscar nominated producer who worked also on Disney’s live action version of The Little Mermaid.
Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine (starring as Dinklage), Danny Glover, Matt Dillon, Danny Pudi and Danny Glover will appear in American Dreamer. This film is still in post-production.
His current projects include Hitpig, The Toxic Avenger, and Brothers.