I really went back and forth about writing this article. I usually hate when writers comment on things they have not seen. So putting my cards on the table. I have not seen Disney’s live action Snow White, nor do I intend to, at least until it inevitably ends up on TV or some streaming service for free. I’m just not that interested in it for a variety of reasons. That being said, you’d have to be living under a pretty large rock not to have heard about all that’s going on surrounding it, and there really a few lessons to be learned here for creatives.
Disney’s Folly
Disney’s original, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is revered as a classic and with good reason. It was amazing. We have to remember this was a first in many ways. We live in a world where there are animated films everywhere. Snow White is widely regarded as the first traditionally animated feature film. No one knew if it would work. It took over 2 million sketches by 750 different artists, 250,000 individual finished pieces of art comprise the finished film. () It had a budget that ballooned to over 1.5 million dollars. This would equate to $34 million dollars today. As the costs climbed the critics became more vocal, and for a time they called it “Disney’s folly.” The risks were huge.
High Risk High Reward
Keep in mind, the world was just coming out of the great depression. If the movie had flopped it would have destroyed Disney and probably bankrupted some other folks as well. Now of course that did not happen. The movie ended up grossing nearly $185 million dollars on its initial theatrical run (over $1.5 billion in today’s terms). According to Wikipedia, “Adjusted for inflation Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” ranks as the highest-grossing animated film of all time.”
What Happened?
The movie ended up being a huge commercial success, and it could be argued that it made the company what it is today. The new live action film seems to be going in the opposite direction. While it led at the box office in the opening weekend, it came nowhere close to expectations and flopped critically, scoring 42 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and 1.5 out of 10 on IMDb.
Don’t Bash a Classic
Part of the problem with this movie falls at the feet of it’s young star, Rachel Zegler, who after being cast in this iconic role, proceeded to bash the 1937 classic on which her film was allegedly based. It seems Zegler is infected with a bad case of presentism, which Wikipedia defines as “a term for the introduction of present-day ideas and perspectives into depictions or interpretations of the past.” While it is obvious that values have changed since 1937, and that making a more modern interpretation will likely address some of those changes, it was unnecessary for the young star to bash the classic, rather than seeing it as a moment in time. This is a beloved film and many will not react kindly to it being bashed.
Don’t Trash a Classic
Secondly, the storyline was changed radically. In. the original version of the film, which didn’t make it to screens, the dwarfs were written out in favor of an eclectic group of folks. This received such backlash, that the premise was trashed in favor of incorporating CGI dwarfs. It led this writer to wonder if there were no actors who happen to be dwarfs were looking for work that week. This was supposed to be a live action film after all, but I digress. In this version, Snow White is now a Joan of Arc like figure who leads a rebellion against the evil queen, and rather than her falling in love with the handsome prince who rescues her, her love interest in this is a fellow rebel. To me this begs the question, at what point does a remake depart too much from the original material?
Don’t Rehash a Classic
This film has not been well received at all, and I think the reason for that aside from some of the actions of its young star, is that it departed too far from the original. A beloved storyline could be updated slightly, but remakes have to be handled carefully. Go too far away from the original and you run the risk of alienating your fan base. The keyword in that statement is original as in what is with all this rehashing to begin with? Disney has proven that stories with an empowered female lead can do very well. (Can you say Frozen?) The issue is if you make a film called Snow White, ironically people expect Snow White. I know repackaging classics is a way to avert risk, but at what cost? Maybe the main lesson from Snow White is stop all this repackaging.
Make Something New
It’s not like Disney has a lack of budget or creative people. Why not make something new? The 1937 original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a groundbreaking film and a huge risk for all involved. It could be argued that that film made the Walt Disney Company, and that this repackaging of it could mar the company’s reputation, again. Why not do something original and creative? A company that made its reputation on innovation should be able to figure that out. So should we,
A New Creation
For creatives in the body of Christ, the lesson is simple. Be original and don’t depart too far from the source material. We have been entrusted with telling the world the most important story there is, a story with eternal implications. We can be as original as God gives us the ability to be. We can do amazing innovative things and take creative risks as big as our Creator. What we can’t do is depart from the teachings of Scripture. So innovate but don’t separate. We’ve been entrusted with the greatest story ever told. There are multitudes of ways to communicate that message, but don’t deviate from the source. Remember Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… There’s our core message. Now go make something original and amazing.
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