Can a fanbase be united by hatred? From the problematic behavior of Rachel Zegler to the scandal involving the inclusion, removal, and CGI-created dwarves, Disney's live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been doomed from the start.
Given the almost unanimous backlash Disney has received from viewers, it seems like it might be easier just to drop the project altogether. However, the studio is doubling down its efforts, not by reworking the film in any way, but by trying to appease the haters.
Heigh-ho, oh no!
To say the film has its problems before it even lands in theatres is a grand and glorious understatement, and the fans have had no issue making their voices heard. However, some of the most recent footage from the film's marketing seems to be targeting the naysayers directly.
Take a look at the TikTok shared by Fandango (seen here) and tell us if anything looks even a smidge familiar. Those opening titles to other, more successful, Disney classics filing in line to lead up to Snow White's carry a very familiar nostalgic flavor. One that this writer has seen a lot in Disney's developments lately.
This isn't dissimilar to the teasers beginning with the whirr of a VCR seen just a few weeks earlier, and there might be method to this madness. Since the millennial Disney Adults seem to be the most social media savvy (and most vocal) Disney might be trying to curry their favor so at least the film makes its budget back.
Personally, I will be the first to admit that nostalgia is a heck of a drug, but there's a certain air of desperation with Disney's recent reliance on the theme. The nostalgia factor is a spice, not a dish, and the studio still struggles with that concept.
Granted, the argument could be made that the wonders and memories of childhood is the rock on which Disney is built, but the fact that this feels like a targeted plea to get vocal fans to not walk out of the film feels very off. To a point, it's like Disney knows Snow White is a sinking ship, and the studio is making one last effort to try and save some face.
In this writer's opinion, the new remake will either still make something of a profit, or (more likely) it will tank so hard that Disney will reconsider the live-action remake genre altogether. That might be something of a hyperbole, but fans will be heard one way or another.
Disney's Snow White premiers March 21, 2025.