Some believe that their favorite Disney movie says a lot about them. Personally, I’m grateful that I grew up with parents who prioritized the Disney classics – I grew up on Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White (plus Pinocchio and Dumbo). For princess movies, my favorites were always Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, with Snow White coming in way, way behind. But a lot of people have strong feelings about Snow White, and so this news might cause some hand-wringing.
Continuing Disney’s phase of live-action remakes of all of their classic animated films, Disney has announced that they will be doing a live-action version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It will be a musical, and new music will be written for the film. There’s no word on whether the live-action film will include “the seven dwarves” but it absolutely feels like that could be a potential landmine for Disney, especially since many feel that even the word “dwarf” is politically charged in certain circles. I don’t know how that part of the story can be avoided though – I mean, that IS the story of Snow White.
But really, we should talk about casting options. Kristen Stewart memorably played Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman, the same film where she started banging her married director Rupert Sanders. So… Kristen is out. Here are some random options that I’m basing on a few minutes of internet research, plus my belief that Disney will hire a true brunette rather than a blonde in a dark wig. Keep in mind: whoever they hire will need to have an okay singing voice. Some choices: Zooey Deschanel, Anna Kendrick, Katy Perry (!!!), Alicia Vikander (??), Saoirse Ronan, Rooney Mara and Jennifer Lawrence . I’m dismissing the idea of Emily Blunt because she’s already doing Mary Poppins for Disney, and I’m dismissing Anne Hathaway and Mila Kunis because I just don’t think they would do it. I included J-Law and Rooney because it feels like they get so many scripts, even if they’re not appropriate for the role. You know J-Law is being offered this as we speak! While Rooney has the coloring for Snow White and I would love it if she had to DEIGN to do a big Disney movie, I doubt she’ll do it. But as I look at this list… am I crazy or would Zooey be sort of perfect for it?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Disney.
My favorite Disney film of all time is Mulan (fingers crossed Disney won’t eff that up). I can’t handle Zooey being even more twee (tweer?) than her usual twee self in an absolutely twee role. So I vote Ana Kendrick. Or Rooney Mara.
I LOVE Mulan! That, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin are in my top 3 Disney films, though I do have a soft spot for Sleeping Beauty, just because of how badass / evil Maleficent was. Plus: dragon!
I was never a huge Snow White fan, so I don’t care too much about this. I guess I could see Anna Kendrick in the role, mostly because she has a decent voice and if her hair was a bit darker she’d definitely have the look.
Mine is The Fox And The Hound. I never warmed much to princess movies because they were mostly annoying, apart from Mulan. Has anyone ever seen an animated movie about Mulan where all the characters were catterpillars and butterflies? I like that one much better than the Disney one. I also loved the Cinderella animated movie that wasn’t Disney better than the Disney one. She had brown hair in that one, has anyone seen it?
My favourite princess movie was The Swan Princess, but if I’m correct, that’s not Disney.
Instead of this, I wish someone would do a movie adaptation of Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman.
The Lion King, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Robin Hood. Zootopia has also been forcefully incepted through repeated exposure via my friend’s 2 year old.
Camille Belle.
I vote: leave Snow white alone!
get some new ideas Hollywood instead of ruinining all our childhood memories!
None of these girls are right……what about shailene?
I agree. And can any of them sing? And please no to JLaw!!! Here’s a novel thought. How about a newcomer with singing chops?
Zooey has musical skills and the look. But it’s a pretty lame story for girls, IMO so ultimately who cares?
All of the women listed are too old. Snow White, which has been done to death, needs to look about 17. None of the women mentioned above have looked 17 since they were 14.
I’d actually love if they made her older, around 23.
They need to pick someone who can convincingly play dumb because Snow White was *seriously* lacking in brain cells.
She was told not to open the door to strangers, and what did she do? She opened the door.
And who eats an apple a damn creepy stranger gives you?
I have many issues with some of the older generation of Disney princesses and their agency (or lack thereof).
I’ll just leave this Elsa vs Snow White rap battle here – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gcrQvoCzs80
I’m right there with you.
I watched and liked Cinderella and The little Mermaid when I was a kid, but nowadays I roll my eyes at them. I never cared about Snow White (can’t even remember watching it as a kid) and I hate Sleeping Beauty with a passion.
I even have problems reading Grimm’s fairy tales to my boyfriends daughter. Because they all tell girls to be beautiful and diligent (for others, usually cleaning and cooking for men), otherwise they will never find true love.
I can still just about watch The Little Mermaid because of a combo of Jodi Benson, nostalgia and the fact that it’s so damn pretty, but I completely agree.
They perpetuate so many outdated expectations of women to be ‘feminine’ and so on and so forth.
I always thought Cinderella would be far more interesting if old Cinders ignored the “Have courage and be kind” advice and decided to just get MAD.
But that wouldn’t be ladylike, would it?
*hums a tune in perfect pitch*
*prances around a meadow with enchanted chipmunks and fawns*
@Amelia: I prefer the czech version of Cinderella. She also never gets MAD, but she is so much more than a damsel in distress. She meets the prince for the first time in the woods and stops him from shooting a deer. They meet a second time in the woods, when she is dressed like a hunter and shows off some good hunting skills. When they meet on the ball she asks him a riddle to see if he can identify her and finally in the end, when he realizes who she is, he asks her to come with him IF she wants to or something like that.
THAT is a good message. Oh and she talks to animals too 🙂
Here in Germany it has a cult following and is shown on several channels around christmas a dozen times or more.
No, I’m being a good girl again and go back in the kitchen.
I saw the Czech one, it’s pretty cool. The Cinderella version with Drew Barrymore is pretty good.
This sounds amazing Greenmonster! How have I never heard of this version before?
*Immediately goes off to Google Czech baddassery.*
@Locke: you are from Croatia, aren’t you? Has the czech movie the same cult following there as well? It is a very nice, cute and even cheesy movie. But I like that this Cinderella has personality and is challenging the prince a bit.
@Amelia: if you find it, good luck with getting the music out of your head 🙂 You could play that melody to 1000 german women in their late 30’s or early 40’s and 999 out of them would get that enchanted expression on their faces 😀
As I said to Locke Lamora, the movie is also cheesy, but just different and the Cinderella is adorable. Soooo pretty. But maybe this my childhood heart speaking. It just makes me feel good to watch this movie.
Sadly, I don’t think it has. I saw it on the TV maybe once ot twice.
The Grimm brothers actually made the women in the fairy tales way more passive than they were in the folk tales they were based on.
They were tales told by women and had the heroines fight their fate themselves instead of being victims needing to be rescued. You might want to google it.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to think that there are deeper messages that are not appreciated. The older princesses are all stuck in horrible situations, and despite all this, they never give way to bitterness or anger. Despite being mistreated, bullied, and even abused, they remain determined to look on the bright side of life and make the best of their situations.
It’s not as good a story as running away or starting a revolution, but it’s also more realistic and just as valid a message. For me, it’s more valid because there have been so many times I need to remind myself not to feel anger or hate for certain people or things (if I were in Cinderella’s shoes, I would be 2 hop skips away from burning the whole chateau down in a cackling rage). As nuanced as it is, these stories remind you that these darker emotions of anger, jealousy, blame, narcissism, etc. end up only poisoning oneself.
Very well said.
I actually don’t like that message. Instead of getting mad, like they should, they just stuck it out. These dark emotions are often better motivators than positive ones. Especially Cinderella. If the Prince didn’t have a ball, she’d still be stuck in her horrible life.
I guess I never liked that because, I was always pretty pessimistic and cynical, even as a kid, amd could never relate to these women.
I agree to a certain extent.
There’s a middle ground between having patience and being optimistic about your lot in life and also being a total pushover.
Not that Cinderella was necessarily a pushover, because like you say, it was a pretty crappy situation she was stuck in; orphaned, no place to live other than with her step-family, little to no education (I’m guessing. I’m assuming tertiary education and universities didn’t exist in Cinderella’s universe).
This is what I love about Mulan and Tiana; They got mad and weren’t afraid to be disagreed with.
The point of their stories was never about getting a man to make their lives complete or to rescue them from their circumstances.
They had already followed the path they thought was right to happiness, and a relationship was the cherry on top, so to speak.
@Amelia. Yeah. My father always says there’s a fine line between being the bigger person and being the chump. I feel like it’s a curse of womanhood to have to navigate that line.
@Locke Lamora–I don’t know if I agree with that. Darker emotions can perhaps help you accomplish your goals, but I don’t think it will bring you fulfillment. My aunt can be a case study for that. And while Cinderella might have stayed forever trapped in that house, it’s just as possible that her fairy godmother/mice/whatever-friend-metaphor-used would have helped her in another way because they recognized she was a good friend and person.
Also, you can flip other stories as well. Mulan could have turned out disastrously if Shan-Yu had actually died in the avalanche. She would have returned home in disgrace, bringing more shame to her father and causing her family to be outcasts. I’ve found that later Disney movies tend to ignore that all actions have consequences, and oftentimes bad ones.
Anyway, I just wanted to add my 2 cents because I also never could relate to the older princesses as a kid. It’s only now that I’ve begun to get that being optimistic, even in bad times, is not just a form of agency, but an important life-skill. And I love these discussions, so thanks for replying!
@vilebody: But is being angry so bad? I think anger is just an emotion as happiness and love. I might not be the best emotion, but it is nothing more than that. The action that follows anger is way more important. We should never hurt someone or be resentful for our whole live, but being angry with a person is absolutely fine in my book. A person can use that anger as fuel to study harder or learn a certain skill.
I get what you are saying, but still… These movies tell girls to take what life throws at them with a smile and a nod and a nice tune on their lips. We should allow girls to be angry too.
@Locke Lamora, I agree.
The women who really invented those folk tales had Cinderella be far less passive than the Brothers Grimm made her in their version.
The Brothers Grimm did that with lots of those famous tales: completely erasing the agency that women had in them and replacing them with meek, man-dependent characters that the misogynist Grimm Brothers were more comfortable with.
Even now, we still suffer from being fed those versions of the fairy tales while the voices of our female ancestors have been mostly erased from them.
The live action Cinderella we had in the 90s was very progressive. The cast were diverse. Whitney Houston as fairygodmother, Brandi as Cinderella, a Filipino played Prince Charming and a gay guy played the King. I do not remember people complaining about the cast members and it was a hit.
Taylor Swift.
As who – the poisoned apple?
No. They need someone who can actually act and sing.
BURN
And I agree. Besides I feel like Snow White should be petite and Swifty is nearly 6′ tall. She would do better as a Sleeping Beauty type.
Always the same actresses. Can we get someone new please?
exactley! also, I know they’re all young; but I’d like to see a new face and somene in early 20’s to rock this.
I’m an extremely pale brunette who can sing, how do I submit myself?
Lol. They’d have to cover up my tattoos though, unless they want to go in a more badass direction.
First thought -Alexis Bledel.
She may be in her 30s but she looks innocent and so pretty.
My favourite story is Pipi and no one cares about the brave unusal looking little girl who has all the power
Did Disney make a Pipi movie? I love that story so much, I’ll have to check it out.
Yeah, none of their choices seem right. They need to go with a talented unknown.
Is there anyone who looks like Marge Champion? https://babbittblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/marge_champion_lookup.jpg
Sorry, but they are too old. The girl needs to be in her early 20s
I agree. Unless they make massive, MASSIVE changes to the story, the character needs to be desperately naive in a way that would come across as very off-putting in a 30-something actress.
I wonder if she gets to have a conversation with the Prince before she kisses him and marries him. 🙄 I’m all for fairytales but this one was so bizarre. At least Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella got to meet their princes!
agree. teens or very early 20’s. this is the one time where casting a very young girl is totally appropriate.
Well Snow White was supposed to be thirteen or fourteen yeas old so all of these people are too old. They need someone in their late teens at least to play her if the are sticking to the age she is supposed to be in the Disney version.
I think they’ll go with someone a bit less established for Snow White and spend money on hiring someone great to play the evil step-mother. It’s a recipe that worked out great for Cinderella.
I think a lot of these actresses are too old for Snow White anyway. Traditionally she’s 14, and obviously they’ll age her up a fair bit, but she does have to be young otherwise the story doesn’t really work. The evil stepmother is meant to be insanely jealous and threatened by the young, beautiful princess, and she’s trying to get rid of her before the people become too enamoured with her. If she leaves Snow White be til she’s 30-something they’d need to find a new motivation for the stepmothers homicidal tendencies.
What about Anna Kendrick? She’s little, she’s the right colouring and the girl can sing.
I personally think they should stop with these, but if they insist on it, I think she’s be fun in the part.
My favourite Disney Princess film is Beauty and the Beast and I’m not entirely content with Emma Watson’s casting (she’s beautiful but I don’t like her as an actress) but I’m really hoping they don’t eff up Mulan. That’s the one I really care about.
Rooney would be perfect, maybe. She has the right colouring but Snow White is “soft” and this girl barely smiles. Zooey Deschanel would be better, imo. But Anna Kendrick would kick it out of the park.
Please let’s keep Katy Perry far away from this.
Anne Hathaway is perfect for it. It is her brand.
Or some nobody teenager they can screw up, and cast Angelina or some other mega-star at the witch.
I was about to say that. Anne would be perfect. She is an amazong actress, she can sing and she has the right look for it.
Rooney Mara for sure. She has the right look and pulled off innocence perfectly in “Carol”.
I vote Bella Ramsey, the girl who played Lady Mormont on Game of Thrones. Lol. She seems to be an incredible actress although at only 12 years old, she may be just a bit too young for the role.
ohhh emmm geee!! What a great suggestion. Lady Mormont is beyond superb.
Plenty of East Asian actresses fit Snow White’s physical description but considering how they even have trouble getting hired to portray canonically Asian characters, there’s no way in hell they’d get considered for this.
Hell yes!!!! I immediately thought of Phillipa Soo for Snow White! She’s got that kind of updated soprano voice that would be gorgeous on Snow White’s songs. There’s so much talent out there being kept from the mainstream thanks to prejudice and bigotry.
None of the actors mentioned in the OP are going to be Disney’s picks. It will be someone new with a strong voice and solid acting chops. Likely 20 years old and the cute version of stunning. I have predicted!
I like Lily Collins for this
Shells we think alike and at the same time
Me too!!
Too bad she already played her in Mirror, Mirror 🙁
Lilly Collins ….. and I have a feeling with Phil as her dad, she can sing.
Yes! Jinx
NO ONE. Why why why do we need this movie? Aren’t there better stories to tell girls — and boys — about women?
From this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/12/the-real-story-behind-eve_n_4239730.html
“In the Brothers Grimm version, the evil queen stepmother asks a hunter to take Snow White into the forest and kill her. However, in the story, she asks him to also bring her back Snow White’s lungs and liver. He can’t kill Snow White, so brings back a boar’s lungs and liver instead. The queen eats the lungs and liver, believing them to be Snow White’s. In the book, the queen tries twice (unsuccessfully) to kill Snow White. The third time, when the queen gives her the apple, Snow White faints and can’t be revived. She is placed in a glass coffin. A prince comes and wants to take her away (even though she is still asleep, which is pretty weird). The dwarves hesitantly allow it, and while she is being carried, the carriers trip, causing the poisoned apple to become dislodged from Snow White’s throat. She and the prince, of course, get married. The evil queen is invited. As a punishment, she is forced to wear burning-hot iron shoes and dance until she drops dead.”
Come. On.
The original fairytales were morality tales, but society has moved on and we don’t condemn single cat-loving old ladies as witches nor do we perpetuate the evil step-relations trope ( mostly).
The originals are very grim tales indeed, but they are fiction, not documentary.
And by the way, does reading the original stories to your children constitute abuse of some kind? Those are some horrible stories and imagery. Disney has sanitised them into harmless ( sort of) tales, but really both versions should be banned from children’s reading lists.
Thanks for the reminder that fairytales are fiction and not documentary?
And we’ve moved on? I could not disagree more, living in America 2016. We’re obsessed with morality, judgement and “witch hunts” of many kinds. I acknowledge that they may not make the Brothers Grimm version of the Snow White story — But do we need ANY version of this story?
My point about fiction rather than documentary is the fact that people really believe this fiction and take the lessons to heart as if it were a real life tale and not something made up by people with horrid imaginations.
Children are indoctrinated into horrible beliefs such as Patriachial society because of these tales and then go on to lead their lives as if it’s truth and any deviation is deviant and morally wrong.
I agree that these tales shouldn’t be reading for anyone, but since they are, i will settle for banning them from children’s reading lists.
@LAK: My boyfriends daughter sometimes asks me to read her the fairy tales. I’m not really keen to it, because of how the female characters are portrayed. The young girls are either beautiful, good hearted, cleaning, cooking, caring (downright servile) or ugly, lazy and bad. Nothing in between. Older women are usually dead or ugly and mean spirited.
When I read the stories to my bf’s daughter, I’ll make sure to tell her that this is not a good representation of girls and that you can find happiness in life without being the pushover for others.
Hailee Steinfield
I second the choice of Hailee. She can sing and she’s young and innocent looking
I just googled some young actresses and physichally I’d say: Emily Browning has the looks. But I haven’t seen her in anything.
Hollywood will have no problem casting an actress with skin as white as snow.
What about Lucy Hale? She acts and sings well.
Didn’t they already do a live action Snow White starring Lily Collins?
https://entertainment.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/1403444/
Isn’t Snow White supposed to be like 14….. I feel like they need to hire a teenager this time tbh because people are so exhausted by the 25 year old Snow White that Kristen played
Evan Rachel Wood
Can’t wait for the live action LION KING.
I might be alone in this, but what about Megan Fox? Not sure if she can sing, but she looks like snow white to me. I’m thinking though that disney will pick a younger actress. Like a girl in her late teens or early twenties.
Hmmm. Wasn’t Snow White like 13 or 14? They will probably pick someone in their early 20s. I think Hailee Steinfield, Lucy Hale or Lilly Collins (even though she already played SW in Mirror Mirror.) They all have the look and can sing. SW is one of my least favorite princesses and Disney movies but they’ve been doing good so far with the live-action versions so it may be good. I’m a 90s child so I’m very excited for Beauty and the Beast & Mulan.
Jaden Smith
I’d totally be on board with this. And don’t give him any dialogue, just let him improvise everything.
I vote for Rob Lowe as the male lead!
Scarlett Johannsen….
Samantha Barks, who played Eponine in Les Miserables, would be perfect.
Yep I like this… I also thought of Emmy Rossum. She was great in Phantom a while back.
There were 2 snow white films in 2012. Why do we need another one?
In the original story of Rapunzel the Prince gets her pregnant (with twins) and the old Witch catches hold of him and throws him from the Tower and pokes his eyes out, so he has to wander about blind !
I loved it when I was a kid.
As for Disney I always preferred the animal films, Lady and the Tramp, the Aristocats and 101 Dalmatians were my faves. The princess ones were always a bit lame.
It’ll never happen anytime soon, but I’d love to see a Snow White story set in a different cultural context than a European one.
What about the actress that played Lana Lang in Smallville?
She’s already starred in a TV version with Miranda Richardson playing the evil Queen
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255605/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_48
wow! I did not know this
Lily Collins
Olivia Cooke! I loved her in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, no idea if she can sing though.
Zooey’s way too old bruh. What about Phillipa Soo?
Eww I just realized, you know they’re going to give it to Hailey Steinfeld. She sings, she’s pale, she’s done the ingenue thing before, she’s somewhat in demand atm. Ugh. Now I’m really sad because Phillipa would be so incredible.
Katy Perry
Elle Fanning would de perfect…
Rachel Weisz is my Snow White heh. But uh…I think Snow White is not very smart so I have no idea what’s the modern appeal here. I would love an older Snow White or a fresh, original story on an older Snow White (older than a teen). If this is going to be an exact adaptation of the animation, I’ll pass. Sorry, if I need a teen heroine who kicks ass, it’s always been Buffy.
They may give it to Kaia Gerber. Singing is secondary.
I would LOVE to see Natalie dyer from stranger things nail this part… and she can sing and she’s the right age.
YES!!!! ‘
It should be Krysten Ritter!
molly ephraim she already looks like snow white and has worked in theater….
Late to the party, but not mentioned yet. If they rework Snow White using an actress less than 18 years old, they BETTER CAST AN APPROPRIATELY AGED PRINCE! Sorry for raising my voice, but a teen should never be part of a May-December romance, especially targeting young audiences. Way too skeevy any other way. (and I want to see Cameron Diaz as the Evil Queen)
How has no one mentioned Selena Gomez??!! She would be perfect! He pretty round face would look so much like Disney’s Snow White and be perfect! Her singing voice is good enough too. I know she’s seeking medical help now but maybe when she got out if it was something manageable without compromising her health.
LEIGHTON MEESTER!!!
Camilla Belle might be perfect for it, but Anna Kendrick doesn’t have a delicate face like the character has.