Son of original Snow White director wades into Rachel Zegler remake debate
Lead actor Rachel Zegler has drawn criticism for her comments about the animated classic
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The son of the animator who directed the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has lambasted Disney’s forthcoming live-action remake, which stars Rachel Zegler in the lead role.
Zegler, 22, has received criticism from some Disney fans after repeatedly suggesting that the original storyline was no longer fit for modern audiences.
“The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird! So we didn’t do that this time,” Zegler told ExtraTV in October 2022.
“We absolutely wrote a Snow White that... she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love; she’s going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be,” she added in another interview.
In an interview with The Telegraph, David Hand, whose father of the same name was one of the directors on Walt Disney’s 1937 hit, said a lot of younger people “have never seen the original” and “don’t know what they’re talking about”.
He said of the reimagining: “I mean, it’s a whole different concept, and I just totally disagree with it, and I know my dad and Walt would also very much disagree with it.”
The 91-year-old continued: “They change the stories, they change the thought process of the characters… they’re making up new woke things and I’m just not into any of that.
“I find it quite frankly a bit insulting [what] they may have done with some of these classic films… There’s no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did… I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves.”
Zegler’s comments have recently resurfaced on social media as some commentators accused her of “pseudo-feminism”.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
In a TikTok video with more than 10 million views, a user who goes by the handle @CosyWithAngie said: “It is not anti-feminist to want to fall in love, to want to get married, to want to stay at home, to be soft, to want to be a homemaker. None of these things makes you less valuable as a person or a woman.
“Criticising Disney princesses is not feminist. Not every woman is a leader. Not every woman wants to be a leader. Not every woman wants or craves power and that’s ok,” she continued.
“Thinking that a woman is any less valuable because she falls in love or because she accepts help from somebody instead of girl-bossing her way through her problems is not feminist.”
Representatives for Zegler did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.
Zegler has not directly responded to the debate; however, posting on X (formerly Twitter) on 11 August, she wrote: “I hope the world becomes kinder.”
In a separate tweet, she added: “I love you very much. forever and ever. remember to be kind. treat each other with patience and empathy. remember that you are loved unconditionally, no matter your mistakes, no matter your misunderstandings. you deserve it. you deserve love. you deserve to live without fear. x”