Disney is hosting a Hollywood premiere of Snow White on March 15, but the studio won’t be rolling out a robust red carpet like it usually does.
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New version is a live-action reimagining of Disney’s seminal 1937 animaton Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, based on the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 fairy tale “Snow White.”
The afternoon event includes pre-party and screening at the El Capitan Theatre with stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, expected to attend.
However, the red carpet will not include the dozens of media outlets usually invited by Disney to interview the cast at its premieres.
Instead, coverage will be limited to photographers and house crew.
The studio did not comment for this story, but the scaled back plans come amid controversies surrounding the Marc Webb-directed film, which hits theaters March 21.
In a Variety interview Zegler said, “She’s not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”
After Dinklage’s remarks, Disney said in a statement to GMA: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.”
Zegler has promoted “free Palestine” on social media. At the same time. Gadot, who is Israeli, has become outspoken supporter of Israel on social media as well as in a passionate speech she delivered on March 4 when honored by the Anti-Defamation League’s annual summit in N.Y. “Never did I imagine that on the streets of the US, and different cities around the world, we would see people not condemning Hamas, but celebrating, justifying and cheering on a massacre of Jews,” she said.
Gadot has said she felt she needed to speak up after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
In February, several dozen pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the Hollywood premiere of “Captain America: Brave New World” and called for boycott of the film over its inclusion of the Israeli superhero Ruth Bat-Seraph, aka Sabra, played by Israeli actress Shira Haas.
MAGA supporters also blasted Zegler for her reaction to Trump’s reelection when she posted on Instagram, “May Trump supporters and voters and Trump himself never know peace.”
“Snow White” publicity plans have already included Gadot and Zegler presenting together at the Oscars followed by Zegler making a promotional appearance in Tokyo.
Zegler and Webb will also visit Spain for the movie followed by Zegler hosting a screening in New York City for the Broadway community.
The official trailer for the film has garnered 11.8 million views on YouTube since its debut three months ago.
Snow White (1937): what you need to know
The first animated feature in the U.S., Snow White premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, on December 21, 1937, and went into wide release on February 4, 1938.
Despite initial doubts, it was a critical and commercial success–the international earnings of more than $8 million during its initial release against $1.5 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film of 1938.
The popularity of the film has led to many re-releases, making it the highest-grossing animated film for 55 years.
Adjusted for inflation, commercially it is one of the top-ten performers, with box-office of $2.3 billion worldwide.
