In what appears to be yet another example of Disney substituting a political message for creativity, the House of Mouse is receivng backlash for their decision to remake the classic movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with a Latinso Snow White and a cast ‘magical beings’ of ever race,sex, and gender.
The earlier controversy concerning the Latinx recasting prompted Disney to work with ‘activist groups’ to come up with a new and variously diverse cast of ‘magical beings’. The new recasting sparked the ire of actor Peter Dinklage, who took exception that the dwarves were being stereotyped in the movie.
EXCLUSIVE Snow White and the Seven… Politically-Correct Companions? https://t.co/gOantUJDEQ pic.twitter.com/Gn8NpFIEKP
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) July 14, 2023
People have taken to social media to express their disgust with Disney for their decision, with one Twitter user writing: “This is an insult to the Disney classic! We aren’t so insecure that we have to change something classic for political correctness”.
However, the controversy runs much deeper than a few Tweets. It’s a symptom of Hollywood’s overarching problem of losing its creative touch and relying solely on political messages as means of entertainment.
Movie industry analysts have said, for a while now, that Hollywood is becoming more and more boring as filmmakers have grown afraid of taking risks. The fear of being politically off-base has, according to the critics, resulted in “tediously predictable” films with no new ideas, stories, or themes.
The latest move of Disney mirrors a 2016 decision by the company to race and gender-swap the characters of Star Wars into woke archetypes. The result, The Force Awakens, tanked at the box office and was panned by the critics.
At the same time, television, particularly on cable channels, appears to be vibrant and seems to have the best mix of storylines. While most stories on cable aren’t exactly family friendly, they have the freshness that is lacking in Hollywood.
And that freshness doesn’t come from a woke agenda, but from stories that are well told.
Analysts say this is what Disney has failed to grasp, that by being too obsessed with the need to tick the boxes of political correctness, they are essentially alienating their broader consumer base.
The recent spate of controversies and woke-ifying decisions have meant that audiences aren’t flocking to watch Disney movies the way they used to, something that should be a cause for concern within the company.
If Disney wants to appeal to wider audiences, they should put the storytelling first and leave the politics out.
Otherwise, the House of Mouse could find themselves with no more room at the top.
Snow White and the Unabomber https://t.co/2wKV0kh0wP pic.twitter.com/LZdpiEy3p4
— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) July 14, 2023
