- Disney has received criticism for using CGI for the dwarves in the film
- It sparked backlash among the dwarf community
- The film has been controversial in other ways too
Actors with dwarfism will rally outside Disney Studios to protest the use of CGI for the dwarf characters in the new Snow White live action remake.
Hundreds of little people are expected to join the protest, many of whom are flying in especially for it.
Read more: Rachel Zegler addresses Snow White live action backlash
Disney has said it used CGI dwarves in the remake to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film” and that it would replace the seven with “magical creatures”.
However, it has faced backlash from the dwarf communities for denying them the opportunity to act in such a high-profile film.
Jeff Beacher, who organised the protest, said a lack of inclusion for actors with dwarfism in the film was “a disgrace”.
“Snow White isn’t the first time little people have been overlooked,” he told The Mail on Sunday.
“If Hollywood is about inclusion and diversity then you could have had talented little people actors in all of these roles.
“This is a moment in history. Equality is a movement but when it comes to little people no-one in Hollywood is representing them. This was a beautiful opportunity to hire seven diverse highly-talented little people actors and actresses and ‘woke’ Hollywood failed.”
“I was born to play Dopey the dwarf”
“The seven dwarves were the stars of the original 1937 film which is a classic loved by millions of people,” Ali Chapman, who is 3ft 8 inches tall, told the same outlet.
“Disney has made a live-action film and instead of giving seven talented little people the chance to shine, they’ve scrapped us completely and used CGI instead.
“It’s a total travesty and there are a lot of angry little people, actors and actresses out there. People are flying in from all over the world to tell Disney this isn’t acceptable.”
Her husband Matt McCarthy, who is 4 ft 1, said: “We’ve been totally shut out but we’re not going down quietly.
Read more: Why Has Disney Pulled Back Snow White Premiere?
“It’s hard enough in Hollywood. Everyone’s trying to make their dreams come true.
“When you’re a little person opportunities are few and far between. I was born to play Dopey the dwarf. It’s my dream role but Disney never gave me a chance.
“There were seven great parts right there but Disney decided to go with freaking cartoons. Shame on them!”
What other controversies has Snow White caused?
Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who has dwarfism, appeared on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast to dub the fairytale a “backwards story”.
Read more: Live action Snow White controversy explained
He said that he “was a little taken aback when [Disney] were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but you are still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Rachel Zegler, who plays Snow White, was the target of racist abuse as her skin isn’t “as white as snow”. She is of Colombian and Polish descent.
Many pointed out the political differences between Zegler and Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen. Zegler has expressed her support for Palestine, while as a former member of the IDF, Gadot has made her pro-Israel views very clear.
In response, Palestinian groups have called for a boycott of the movie.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel’s Alia Malak urged people to avoid the film due to the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Amid all this controversy, Disney scaled back the premiere and decided to scrap the red carpet.
