Snow Woke

Grimmer than the brothers could imagine

There is plenty of publicity surrounding the upcoming (2024) Disney film Snow White. This will be a live action “remake” of the beloved 1937 animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The landmark 1937 work was a masterpiece and did more to put Disney on the map than even Mickey Mouse.

The animation was based on “Little Snow-White,” as told by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Disney slightly modified the story to remove the gorier parts. But then, the Grimm brothers also changed things. In many fairytales, the “evil stepmother” replaced the actual mother from the source folktales.

However, modifications are one thing, and completely vandalizing the story is another matter altogether. It seems that the dwarfs were removed from the title and the script of the 2024 feature based on the ridiculous posturing of dwarf actor Peter Dinklage. Dinklage objected to stereotyping, or something. Ever the woke company, Disney succumbed in record time.

Only, how is it “stereotyping” to use dwarfs in a story that not only contains dwarfs, but these characters are genuine heroes? And, how outrageous is it for Dinklage, who has achieved some level of success as an actor to deny other little people a chance at plum roles? Does this remind you of a certain blue-haired soccer player who—now that her career is over—advocates for biological men to play alongside the women?

But, for this Snow White, that’s only the beginning of woke. According to the Brothers Grimm, “Snow-White grew up and became ever more beautiful. When she was seven years old she was as beautiful as the light of day, even more beautiful than the queen herself.” Indeed, her mother had wished for a child who was “as white as snow [complexion], as red as blood [lips], and as black as ebony wood [hair].

Thus, the queen (Snow White’s real mother) got her wish, but alas, died in childbirth. The new queen (stepmother) was insanely jealous when her mirror told her that Snow White was more beautiful than she. Fair enough, only no one would argue that the new movie’s Snow White (Rachel Zegler) is more beautiful than the evil queen (Gal Gadot).

Far worse, though, is the insufferable attitude of the bratty Zegler, who tells the public in interviews how dated the original classic is. The prince, you see, is stalking Snow White, and besides, the film isn’t going to bother with all that “finding true love” stuff. No, far from it. Snow White will instead become the leader she knows she can be.

SO…We have a race-swapped “Snow White” played by a half-Hispanic, without the dwarfs and the love story, and an evil stepmother who is more beautiful than the protagonist. Thus, we have a gigantic bait and switch, whereby the title is the only part of the work that remains intact. I’m not sure how things can get more cynical than that.

Add to this the TIRED “girlboss” trope, and Disney is setting itself up for one more box office disaster.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary has this to say about “woke”:

aware of social and political issues, especially racism This word is often used in a disapproving way by people who think that some other people are too easily upset about these issues, or talk too much about them in a way that does not change anything.

That’s OK as far as it goes. But at this point, “woke” is better understood as being contrary to Western civilization, and especially intent on undermining objective morality and family values. And on a more prosaic level, it loses money and promotes pathetic athletic performances.