Snow White Remake Reveals First Look at Rachel Zegler as the Disney Princess at D23

 Posted on August 31, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  968 words  |  Martina Birk

“Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”

Fans were treated to the first look at Disney’s live-action “Snow White” remake at the D23 Expo on Friday, revealing Rachel Zegler in the role of the first-ever Disney princess.

The 30-second teaser, which was shown exclusively to attendees in the room and was not released online, opened with the Evil Queen’s iconic question to her magic mirror. Snow White dons her signature costume in the footage, which ends with her dropping the poisoned apple.

Stars Zegler and Gal Gadot were on hand to tease the film.

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“I didn’t even see it! I didn’t see what you guys saw!” Zegler said in tears.

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“There’s such an emphasis on what it meant to be the fairest of them all,” she later said, referring to the movie’s opening line.

“It was very different from anything I’ve ever done before. I’m used to playing the other end of where the heart should be,” Gadot added.

A musical retelling of the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the live-action “Snow White” is based closely on 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Disney’s first feature film and the world’s first full-length animated movie. As in the original pic, the story focuses on Zegler’s Snow White, a beautiful young princess orphaned at a young age and living with her cruel stepmother, the Queen (Gadot). When the Queen’s magic mirror proclaims that Snow White has surpassed her in beauty, she begins a series of schemes to murder the child, forcing Snow White to flee their castle and ultimately take refuge with seven dwarfs living in the woods.

Along with Zegler and Gadot, the film also stars Andrew Burnap, Tony Award winner for 2019’s “The Inheritance,” as Snow White’s love interest, while “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor Martin Klebba plays Grumpy, one of the seven dwarfs. The live-action film has faced some backlash over its casting, with Zegler speaking about the racist criticism she received from fans who are angry a Latina is playing Snow White. In addition, actor Peter Dinklage publicly criticized Disney for remaking the film, calling it a “fucking backwards” depiction of people with dwarfism. The company responded to Dinklage’s comments by claiming they consulted with the dwarfism community to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes” present in the original animated film.

“Snow White” is directed by Marc Webb, best known for helming “500 Days of Summer” and the Andrew Garfield “Amazing Spider-Man” films. The script was written by Erin Cressida Wilson and “Lady Bird” director Greta Gerwig, while “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Greatest Showman” songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul penned new songs for the remake. Webb produces the film, which is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Aside from “Snow White,” other Disney live-action remakes on the docket include 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” and the Disney+ film “Peter Pan & Wendy,” as well as “Hercules” and “Lilo & Stitch” that are reportedly in development.

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