On social media, news has been circling over actress Rachel Zegler’s supposed firing from the 2024 remake of Snow White (2024). The Golden Globe-winning actress, best known for her role as Maria in West Side Story (2021) has been the target of significant backlash against her comments about the upcoming film. In particular, her comments made at D23, Disney’s annual expo event for fans and shareholders, about giving Disney’s first animated feature “a modern edge,” has been met with significant criticism by certain demographics.
“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937,” Zegler said in the interview. “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 and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true.”
David Hand, son of the director of the original Snow White in 1937 (and with whom he shares a name), fuelled the already-existing backlash against Zegler, calling the upcoming film “insulting.” “They just aren’t the original stories anymore. They’re making up new woke things,” the former designer for The Walt Disney Company said.
“I find it quite frankly a bit insulting that 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,” Hand told The Telegraph.
While Hand did not reference Zegler directly, his comments perfectly encapsulated the conservative argument that Disney was tearing down classics in favor of new, more progressive political statements. In sum, they were the total opposite of Zegler’s comments at D23, acting as a direct response, whether he meant it that way or not.
Given the importance of David Hand Senior and Walt Disney to the image of the company, a foundation of filmmaking tradition to build itself upon, this condemnation helped spread a belief that the new remake would have to start from scratch, both in storytelling and casting.
So, did Rachel Zegler actually get fired from the ‘Snow White’ remake?
The short answer is no, Rachel Zegler did not get fired from Snow White. No legitimate source has claimed that this is true, and if it were, Disney Studios would likely be the first to announce the news. The posts online are essentially clickbait, designed to generate interest and be shared in exchange for views and monetization.
Disney live-action remakes often attempt to modernize the source material somewhat, in response to storytelling perceived by some as outdated. For example, Beauty and the Beast (2017) gave Belle more agency as a character, in response to a popular internet theory that Belle was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome — a psychological theory whereby trauma response causes a person to believe they love their captor or abuser.
In all likelihood, The Walt Disney Company is probably not overly upset with Zegler’s comments about Snow White, as the company probably aimed from the outset to modernize the material to appeal to new audiences. At most, it’s a PR problem that a powerful company like Disney can overcome with enough pulling power. Whether or not the changes are well-received is yet to be seen, as the movie does not come out until 2024.
In the future, how can I tell if news like this is real or fake?
News regarding movies and television, on major outlets as well as smaller publications, will include a named source. For example, a legitimate story about Rachel Zegler being recast would include a linked statement from The Walt Disney Company, usually a press release. Social media posts that say “sources claim” with no linked source should be taken with a pinch of salt, as anyone can claim to be a source.
In addition, news videos, especially on video-sharing sites like YouTube, attempt to get away with presenting false information by simply stating things. For example, many YouTube videos claim that actress Jenna Ortega spoke out in favor of Zegler’s firing, but no such source, like a video or written interview, exists. This is not to say that online videos are never truthful, but good quality news organizations will state outright where they are getting their information from.
