Rachel Zegler, star of Disney’s latest fantasy remake Snow White, is currently under fire for her comments on the new film–to be released in 2024. In an interview with Variety at the D23 Expo (pictured above), Zegler claimed that Snow White would absolutely “not be saved by the prince.” She then doubled down on the modern edge of the film and said: “That it’s not 1937…she isn’t dreaming about love, she’s dreaming about the leader she can be.” Since then, Disney fans have been ripping Zegler and her “attitude” toward this classic fantasy.
In the wake of the feminist film of the year, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023), a film that deals a lot with women (and men) separating themselves from being defined by their partners or genders, it’s clear that the invisible pendulum of the cinematic portrayal of femininity has swung to the left. More images of women in power, with more agency, and without love interests are being conjured up. That’s great, but some fans claim that particularly Disney and Zegler, by default, are forcing this newfound portrayal of empowerment on women. There is no room for true love or being “saved by a prince.”
Specifically looking at Disney, a studio whose princess films have already been critiqued for their lack of feminist characterization, some of their classic films admittedly haven’t aged perfectly. Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and later even The Little Mermaid (1989) all end with the princess falling in love with the prince. Before that, most of the plot is about the young princess dreaming of love. Later on, in their second Golden Age, Disney gave their princesses a little more agency in Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin 1992). Naturally, when all of these films got adapted into live-action films (some more than once), minor plot devices were used to make the princesses more empowered and independent.
Most recently, Disney released The Little Mermaid (2023), starring Halle Bailey. While the plot is still quite similar to the previous animated film, screenwriter David Magee added minor differences to make Ariel a little less concerned about kissing a boy and a little more interested in learning and exploring the world. (You can listen to my and our team’s thoughts on the plot changes in our film review here.) The general binary reactions about the sudden empowerment of a little mermaid either enhanced the beloved story or did nothing short of ruining the whole story. Henceforth, this article isn’t about reviewing all of Disney’s classics and remakes and determining whether or not the company is truly “feminist.” Rather, the question remains whether these sudden changes to stories that generations have loved are needed. To go even further in the context of the Zegler controversy, are we pushing the feminist agenda too far?
This new debate, taking place all over social media, has sparked an interesting dichotomy about how we deal with adapting older stories. On the one hand, people like Zegler see this adaptation frenzy as an opportunity to take a modern spin on old classics. Others claim that the fantasies from the past don’t need to be revamped. We, as women, deserve to have both fantasies of being saved by a prince and stories about independence and power. These two sides come into the context of how Disney is handling its historically submissive female characters. Are these characters in need of an update? Or should we leave them alone, allow those fantasies to flourish, and create new, independent female characters?
Disney’s last three princess films did not include a prince (Brave (2012), Moana (2016), and Raya and The Last Dragon (2021).) Furthermore, other major films featuring female protagonists including Inside Out (2015), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Encanto (2021), Turning Red (2022), Wreck-It-Ralph (2012 and 2018), Ghostbusters (2016), Captain Marvel (2019), Black Widow (2021), Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), Glass Onion (2022), and Barbie (2023) didn’t include, rejected, or downplayed the classic heterosexual love story. (I should note that I am specifically looking at non-independent, big-budget films. Most of which primarily target younger female audiences.)
Larger studios are making the conscious decision to have a bunch of female characters and being very adamant about not including any type of classic love story. We have a (small) library of films where the female characters have better things to do than love or lust over a man. It isn’t a new concept (see Alien (1979)), but I dare claim that the trend is growing exponentially. If films like the one mentioned above are being created, does the character of Snow White really need a makeover?
A line in the sand has been drawn. Either women only get to dream about love or women get to dream about a career (or saving the day). There seems to be no middle ground where female independence and romance exist. Spoiler alert, it definitely is, and a bunch of films do just that (see Little Women (2019)). So the issue is not whether it can be done; rather, why do studios feel the need to rewrite old characters instead of new ones?
If anything, this sudden push to have a bunch of independent female characters without love interests (whether that love is with a man, woman, nonbinary person, prince, or even plumber) cinema is now creating a truth that says: Falling in love is a type of disempowerment. You can do it, but it takes something away from your independence. If we take this perspective, suddenly the push to empower women is attacking a piece of femininity that I don’t think any woman wants to give up.
So let’s go back to the original debate. Sticking primarily with Disney and its remake of princess films, are we forcing female empowerment on young girls? And does Zegler really have a “bad attitude?” To truly answer this, I reflect on my own upbringing with classic Disney films. I watched my favorite female characters dream (and sing) about love and finding their prince. It is safe to say now that I, an adult woman, do not expect a man to come waltzing in to save me or “fix my life.” (Nor do I want a man to do such a thing.) That being said, just like most people on this planet I also dream about finding that perfect someone. So you can say that I have found a middle ground.
If my brain wasn’t “rotted” by the not-so-feminist female characters of my youth, I think it’s safe to say that little girls watching female characters without a prince charming will also find some kind of middle ground with what they want. It is true that a combination of a lot of things creates our perception of reality, not one Disney movie. Still, it is possible that studios, to prove their efforts in “wokeness,” somehow feel the need to push this new sense of empowerment on women. Are we really going to rely on only Disney to empower the female youth of America? And is this, the remakes of old animated movies, truly the best and only solution to empower women?
As far as Zegler/Snow White goes, I think adding fresh new takes on stories already told can add something new to Disney’s library. Zegler, as an artist, deserves to create a film that she believes is saying something new. Wanting to share your own perspective on a story or project doesn’t mean you have a “bad attitude.” As many critics pointed out, many people know and love the 1937 fairytale Snow White. That’s true, and as far as I’m concerned, there is a place for both films to exist. Adapting a film doesn’t suddenly erase the original text. If anything, Zegler’s “modern” Snow White will ensure we don’t walk into the theater in March and watch a movie we’ve already seen.
Article Courtesy of Sara Ciplickas
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