Find out why Disney chose to portray the seven dwarfs through computer-generated imagery in the live-action ‘Snow White’
The first teaser for ‘Snow White’ revealed not only the first scenes of Rachel Zegler (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) as the first official Disney princess and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) as the Evil Queen, as well as new sequences of the seven dwarfs, Dopey, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Happy, Master and Bashful, who, unlike the protagonists, are not brought to life by real actors.
Why do characters appear on screen as CGI?
Becoming part of the story through CGI, Disney communicated the decision to bring the iconic figures through computer-generated images after the film’s official announcement, as it brought criticism to the adaptation of the story, especially the live-action portrayal of the seven dwarfs, treated in a problematic way due to concerns that the film could reinforce the stereotype suffered by people with dwarfism.
The biggest disapproval came from a well-known Hollywood actor: Peter Dinklagewho became famous for playing the character Tyrion Lannister in the television series “Game of Thrones”, as he placed the casting of Zegler as progress, but the dwarfs’ plot as “retrograde” during a participation in the podcast of Marc Maron (via BBC), held on January 24, 2022.
“Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little surprised when they were so proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. But they keep telling the story of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ Take a step back and see what you’re doing there. It doesn’t make sense to me. You’re progressive in a way, but you keep doing that backwards story of seven dwarfs living in the cave, what the hell are you doing, man?” Dinklage said.
In the same chat, Dinklage He even questioned the visibility he brings to the cause, since he sometimes used his relevance in the spotlight to defend people with dwarfism and question Hollywood about casting actors with dwarfism as fantasy creatures, which he considered an offensive practice.
I didn’t do anything to further the cause of my platform? I don’t think I’m speaking out loud enough. I don’t know which studio it is, but they were very proud of it. All love and respect to the actress and all the people who thought they were doing the right thing. But I’m like, what are you doing?”
As a result, days later, to The Wrap, Disney issued a statement, saying that the necessary changes to adapt the story would be made.
To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film moves into production after a long period of development.”
At the time, the studio also stated that the dwarves would be replaced by “magical creatures”, and that actors were being sought to voice the characters, generating mixed reviews.
As a result, comments gained strength on social media. about how the use of CGI could have taken away the opportunity for seven actors with dwarfism to demonstrate their acting talent and gain visibility by being cast in one of the feature films of one of the largest entertainment studios in the world and, in the media, actors and agents stated, in an interview with the British newspaper Daily Mail (via Folha de S.Paulo), that they would happily accept acting in the feature film, and that Dinklage is not an authority on what the community as a whole finds offensive.
It is worth remembering that, although most of the actors cast to play the so-called “magical creatures” have not been revealed, in July 2022, Martin Klebbawho has a type of dwarfism called acromicric dysplasia, and became famous for playing the pirate Marty in Pirates of the Caribbean, personally revealed that he was behind Grumpy’s performance in the film.
“I just finished filming Snow White. It’s coming out at the end of next year. And of course, I play Grumpy. Gal Gadot is our witch, and Rachel Zegler will be our Snow White. It’s going to be a good time,” the actor said while holding a plush of his character,” Klebba said via a TikTok recorded at Fan Expo in Denver.
Source: Recreio
