“Mirror, mirror on the wall, what’s the most expensive Disney flop of all?”

By now, it is well known that Disney’s recent “Snow White”reboot will go down as one of Hollywood’s biggest money losers ever. With a budget rumored to be about $350-400 million, and with the most optimistic revenue projections expected to clock in at no more than $295 million, Disney’s financial loss will be huge.  Forget rewriting classic fairy tales — what most needs a revamp is the philosophy driving such projects.

If (like myself) you’re old enough to remember the launch of video discs, Beta tapes, and then VCRs, you may also remember that these were accompanied by predictions of the film industry’s demise. It is true that movie theater attendance has been gradually tapering off since the birth of video rental stores more than four decades ago. Already tepid theater attendance never fully rebounded since COVID quarantines darkened screens throughout 2020 and into 2021. The proliferation of streaming services that bring the public unlimited viewing choices is a big part of why the marketing budget for films often equals or surpasses the production costs.           

In the months, then weeks, leading up to “Snow White’s” release, coverage regarding the film was dominated by news of so much negative “buzz.” Way back in June 2021, there was something of a cultural “groan” when it was announced that “Snow White” (“the fairest of them all”) would be played by feisty Latina actress, Rachel Zegler. Public sentiment was that her casting in this live-action remake of a Disney classic was just one more example of woke/DEI punch lists driving production plans. 

Zegler, in the lead role, is certainly not the only reason this film is a box office bomb. But her public “brand image” has in no way helped the film succeed. Zegler self-describes as a “narcissist,” and is on record coolly saying that if people don’t like her, then they shouldn’t watch her films, because “she doesn’t need them (the public) anyway.” Well . . . alrighty, then.     

Adding to the public bias against the film was that Zegler used her social media platform to speak critically of conservatives — the people most likely to have both children (the primary customer base for this film) and the discretionary cash needed for today’s not-inexpensive trip to the theater. So, what did Zegler do pre-release, now enjoying the largest media platform of her career, thus far? She trashed President Trump, literally pronounced a curse on Trump’s supporters, and threw in a few F bombs for good measure. She later apologized, but as we all know, the internet never forgets.

Zegler even trashed the “Snow White” story itself, calling the prince a “stalker,” and criticized Disney’s beloved 1937 animated version as “sexist,” faulting it for being short on “female empowerment.” In a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair,Zegler said that this would be “… the PC ‘Snow White’”and that there “needed to be” deviations from the original story.  Though possessing an admittedly fine singing voice, Zegler publicly made it clear that she would not perform the original film’s signature song, “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

Zegler generated additional controversy in fiercely criticizing her co-star, Israeli-born Gal Gadot (cast as the wicked stepmother). Unsurprisingly, Gadot voiced support for her native Israel in the aftermath of the October 2023 terrorist attacks on the country. Also not surprising: As a very woke Gen-Z’er, Rachel Zegler is a political Leftist, she has voiced support for Hamas and condemnation for co-star Gadot. Not great for building cast camaraderie.

Then there was the unpopular choice to jettison seven dwarves for “magical creatures.” And this “live action” “Snow White” would have Doc, Grumpy and the others as not-live-action figures onscreen. The “seven magical creatures” would be CGI (and fairly odd CGI renderings, at that).

So, where in this remake did Disney find room for onscreen inclusion of little people? Actor George Appleby (born with dwarfism) plays a bandit,Quigg. In the quest to not offend anyone, casting and storyline decisions led to “little people feeling erased.”   

By the time of “Snow White’s” opening date of March 21, Wall Street Journal film critic Kyle Smith opined that public sentiment might likely be summarized as follows: “The remake was going to be an act of cultural vandalism on a par with tossing a bucket of paint on the Mona Lisa.”

“Go woke, go broke”

Will losses of $100 million dollars plus teach Hollywood to steer from and not toward wokeness of storylines and stars? I’m not holding my breath.

Over 20 years ago, I had the honor of working for James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. My duties included contributing to the ministry’s entertainment/media review magazine “Plugged In.” We often reported on how “family friendly” fare consistently did well at the box office: Wholesome stories, well done and without nudity or profanity, make money.

Pre-release, no one can be absolutely certain what film will be a hit or a miss. But something we noted two decades ago, and which still holds true today, is that the more woke/progressive/ideologically “preachy” a film is, the more likely it is to do poorly.        

“Snow White” screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson worked for years on the script, and said that she wanted to do something fresh and new with the venerated story. Why not amplify the deeply Christian worldview of “Snow White’s” original authors, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm? How about cast members and collateral trailers communicating that the Grimm’s original story conveyed thoroughly Biblical themes: “Snow White” depicted Eve, the evil, self-absorbed, murderous queen depicts Satan, and Eden’s the forbidden fruit, is the poisoned apple.

The original dwarves were like Snow White’s guardian angels (note that “seven” is the number of divine perfection), and that the long-awaited Prince Charming is a messianic figure. Disney and other studios could be really gutsy and innovative in the following way: Focus less on each project meeting all the line items of a DEI punch list, and focus on creating art with a moral worldview. 

Instead of assuming there are massive numbers of people hungering for woke entertainment, realize that more than 60% of Americans identify as Christians — and this number is growing. Consumers do not make entertainment expenditure choices based on how “progressively enlightened” something is. If consideration of “woke” backstory or content plays any part at all in public reception, if anything, such moves consumers not to attend.  

“Snow White” has lost big on multiple levels. As a reviewer on RogerEbert.com said, instead of being the fairest in the land, this “Snow White” is just, well, “fair.”