The new live-action remake of Snow White has experienced a car crash of publicity since it was first announced. Lead actress Rachel Zegler has been under heat for her controversial comments about the original film, and for driving a 'woke' narrative by stating that the remake is not focused on the love story between Snow White and the Prince but on her journey of self-discovery.
Other controversies, including the CGI of the seven dwarfs, and the inclusion of Israeli actress Gal Gadot in the film have also sparked heated conversations on social media.
However, despite all these critical discourses, one thing that hasn't been discussed much is the over-saturation of the live-action remake genre. The new Snow White is yet another product of Disney's film-recycling, money-making scheme.
The film will mark Disney's 20th live-action remake and its 7th retelling of a Disney Princess's story, and they don't seem to want to stop anytime soon, with multiple remake projects already announced for the near future including Lilo and Stitch, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Moana.
Whilst I think it would be interesting, and maybe even a little terrifying, to see a live-action remake of a film like Lilo and Stitch, I can't help feeling tired of Disney's relentless recreations. Though I think that it's great to be able to see our favourite Disney characters in a more realistic format, the constant regurgitation of these classic and treasured animations is starting to strip away their magic.
Disney's animations were a massive part of my childhood. I grew up watching all the original films, and remember the excitement of new animations such as Tangled, Frozen and Moana being released, as I'm sure many others did as well. There's always been an added element of magic and escapism in animation, which is even more potent when you're a child.
I believe that live-action recreations can never fully capture the same feeling as the original animations, which begs the question of why Disney are so eager to keep making them instead of coming up with new and original concepts for animated films. Even though the new Snow White claims to freshen up and modernise the original story, it still might be the make or break for Disney's live-action genre...
Hundreds of fairytales and legends have not yet graced our screens, so why has Disney not lapped them up and made them into unique and exciting animations, instead of recycling the same old narratives and adding real actors? They are playing a clever yet transparent game by staying within the safety of the remake-sphere, as they know it brings in the bucks and satisfies the loyal fans. Though, if any company could afford to take some risks, surely it'd be a billion-dollar conglomerate like Disney?
Perhaps it's true that animation is slowly dying out, and real-life depictions of our favourite tales are the new demand. But as someone who turns to Disney films for fun and escapism, I now find myself too reminded of the real world.