Son of original ‘Snow White’ director bashes Disney’s ‘woke, pathetic’ remake

The son of the unique “Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs” director has bashed Disney’s forthcoming live-action remake of the movie as a ‘pathetic’ do-over that will have his father and Walt Disney “turning of their graves.”

David Hand, whose father by the identical identify directed the beloved fairytale animation that was launched in 1937, informed the Telegraph that Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming adaptation — which has already been blasted for being “politically right” after leaked photographs confirmed the seven dwarfs reimagined as “magical creatures” of all sizes and genders — is “insulting” and “woke.”

“I imply, it’s an entire totally different idea, and I simply completely disagree with it, and I do know my dad and Walt would additionally very a lot disagree with it,” he informed the Telegraph.

Studio bosses have “destroyed” his father’s creation,” mentioned 91-year-old Hand of the tailored version to his dad’s famed work, in line with the outlet.

The Mouse Home’s fashionable tackle the animated unique, which was primarily based on the 1812 Brothers Grimm fairytale, will see a personality named “Jonathan” instead of Prince Charming, 22-year-old Hispanic actress Rachel Zegler as Snow White and dwarfs that Disney has mentioned “keep away from reinforcing stereotypes.”

There have additionally been rumors that Disney has ditched the movie’s traditional tune, “Sometime My Prince Will Come.”

“I believe it’s pathetic that individuals really feel that approach… these are artwork varieties on the earth of movie right this moment,” Hand mentioned of the updates, which he predicts will make younger viewers — particularly those that “have by no means seen the unique” — “misunderstand” the movie.

In the meantime, her successor because the titular character, Zegler, has blasted the unique storyline as being “extraordinarily outdated” with a prince whose conduct is just like that of a “stalker.”

“The unique cartoon got here out in 1937 and really evidently so. There’s an enormous give attention to her love story with the man who actually stalks her. Bizarre, bizarre,” she mentioned throughout a purple carpet interview with leisure information outlet Additional TV.

“So we didn’t do this this time,” she mentioned.

Zelger, who made her movie debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of “West Facet Story,” defended the modifications to the upcoming “Snow White,” which sparked fierce criticism from Disney followers, together with “Recreation of Thrones” actor Peter Dinklage, who has dwarfism and bashed the movie early on for its portrayal of the incapacity.

“Individuals are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, the place it’s like, yeah, it’s, as a result of it wanted that,” she told Vanity Fair in October.

The upcoming remake was written by “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig and directed by Marc Webb.

The Submit has sought remark from Disney.

Hand informed the Telegraph of his father’s creation — which, when adjusted for inflation, stays one among Disney’s highest-grossing movies, making $997 million on the home field workplace: The unique movie was executed “with good style when it was written… and I disagree with this entire new idea… however I do know Disney’s entering into that mode.”

Hand, who labored as a designer at Disney himself within the ’90s, additionally known as it a “shame” that Disney is “making an attempt to do one thing new with one thing that was such a terrific success earlier.”

“They modify the tales, they alter the thought processes of the characters, they only aren’t the unique tales anymore. They’re making up new woke issues and I’m simply not into any of that,” he informed the Telegraph.

“I discover it fairly frankly, a bit insulting that they could have executed with a few of these traditional movies. There’s no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did… I believe Walt and he can be turning of their graves.”

Hand’s father labored as an animator for Walt Disney Productions for many years, making a slew of Disney shorts within the Nineteen Thirties earlier than serving as supervising director on the unique “Snow White” and “Bambi” animations, which debuted in 1937 and 1942, respectively.

Nonetheless, because the movies method their centennial anniversary, Hand informed the Telegraph that studio bosses must be developing with new movie concepts quite than reimagining previous hits.

They “shouldn’t be taking a traditional and rewriting it in their very own picture. Decide on one thing else… create new characters, when you’re gonna do that, however don’t destroy or attempt to destroy one thing that’s, that could be a traditional and is a gorgeous piece,” he mentioned.

Hand recalled how Adriana Caselotti, the unique voice of the fairytale heroine who handed away in 1997, can be “terrified” to search out out her character at some point wouldn’t be “saved by prince” or “dreaming about real love.”

He informed the Telegraph that Caselotti was “very pleased with her position in Snow White. So beautiful… she lived that position for all her life.”