Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs

[TP2000]

If you actually watched modern movies or TV you'd now.

He was just in Wicked.
He has 3 movies coming out this year, including the sequel to Wicked.
He is on the new Dexter TV show.

So to say the least he is not just sitting at home twiddling this thumbs.

And thus this shouldn't be a question you ask about any actor as you don't pay attention or care anyways.

That was my point exactly. He's actually working. While seven other actors with dwarfism are not.

 

[Disney Irish]

That was my point exactly. He's actually working. While seven other actors with dwarfism are not.

Do you actually know 7 other actors with dwarfism? Let alone be able to actually comment on their careers?

Do you even know that the movie does actually have 2 actors with dwarfism in it?

 

[John park hopper]

We'll just never know why Snow White flopped so badly. We'll just never know.

Not hard to figure out

 

[TP2000]

Do you actually know 7 other actors with dwarfism? Let alone be able to actually comment on their careers?

Do you even know that the movie does actually have 2 actors with dwarfism in it?

Yes, I do know that. I watch Bill Maher, and he had a hilarious take on this nonsense on a recent show.

 

[Disney Irish]

Yes, I do know that. I watch Bill Maher, and he had a hilarious take on this nonsense on a recent show.

Quick, without a 8 second google search who are the 2 actors with dwarfism in this movie?

 

[TP2000]

Quick, without a 8 second google search who are the 2 actors with dwarfism in this movie?

I don't know their names. Who cares who they are? They're supporting actors in 2025, why would I know them?

What I think is stupid is that Peter Dinklage got to kill off 7 gigs for actors with dwarfism, while he still has a busy career. It was a stupid and unnecessary bout of woke nonsense. And the movie apparently was handicapped for it, as many folks have commented how forced into the new story the CGI dwarves are as they were added in post-production in 2024. Messy!

 

[TP2000]

Both Zegler and Gadot look white to me. Sure, they aren't Northern European white, but I would struggle to categorise them as another "race".

I agree with you on that. I thought it was much ado about nothing, as Rachel Zegler looks more Italian to me than anything.

But having traveled quite a bit in Mexico and Asia, I know how race-conscious those cultures are and how outright bold they can be in their racial prejudices. It didn't surprise me that Little Mermaid did poorly in Central America and Japan, and it wouldn't surprise me to know audiences stayed away from Snow White in Asia or parts of Europe due to racial prejudice.

 

[Disney Irish]

I don't know their names. Who cares who they are? They're supporting actors in 2025, why would I know them?

What I think is stupid is that Peter Dinklage got to kill off 7 gigs for actors with dwarfism, while he still has a busy career. It was a stupid and unnecessary bout of woke nonsense. And the movie apparently was handicapped for it, as many folks have commented how forced into the new story the CGI dwarves are as they were added in post-production in 2024. Messy!

Except he didn't, not 7. If you want to get technical he got 6 if you're only counting the dwarf roles.

Martin Klebba stars as Grumpy. Something that should have been a gimme for you since it was discussed at great length in the Snow White thread where you had a field day of comments when it was active.

George Appleby is the other actor and he is one of Jonathan's Bandits.

 

[TP2000]

Martin Klebba stars as Grumpy. Something that should have been a gimme for you since it was discussed at great length in the Snow White thread where you had a field day of comments when it was active.

George Appleby is the other actor and he one of Jonathan's Bandits.

I have absolutely no earthly idea who either of those two men are. I trust they are doing well?

Burbank execs needed to stand up, politely, to Peter Dinklage when he went on his dwarf rant. Although, I do remember the vapid and limp statements from Disney's HR team about dwarves being in a movie about seven dwarves to be hilariously funny at the time. So at least we got a few chuckles out of Burbank's spineless incompetence, even if a half dozen paying gigs went to computer technicians instead of human actors.

 

[Disney Irish]

I have absolutely no earthly idea who either of those two men are. I trust they are doing well?

Burbank execs needed to stand up, politely, to Peter Dinklage when he went on his dwarf rant. Although, I do remember the vapid and limp statements from Disney's HR team about dwarves being in a movie about seven dwarves to be hilariously funny at the time. So at least we got a few chuckles out of Burbank's spineless incompetence, even if a half dozen paying gigs went to computer technicians instead of human actors.

I think no matter what Disney did (either hired 7 actors or did the CG route) there was going to be an uproar one way or the other. Hire 7 actors and it could be seen as insensitive to the community. Don't hire 6 other actors and hire 1 and go CG and it could be seen as insensitive to the community.

Basically they did what Disney always does which is just move forward and damn the uproar.

 

[erasure fan1]

there was going to be an uproar one way or the other. Hire 7 actors and it could be seen as insensitive to the community.

I didn't scavenge the Internet to look. But I didn't see any real support for what Peter said. I did see negativity against his statements. Disney made the wrong choice. Especially taking advice from Dinklage, the guy who became known playing a part where it was a big Santa's elf gag. So I think any blowback would have been less just sticking to live action.

 

[Disney Irish]

I didn't scavenge the Internet to look. But I didn't see any real support for what Peter said. I did see negativity against his statements. Disney made the wrong choice. Especially taking advice from Dinklage, the guy who became known playing a part where it was a big Santa's elf gag. So I think any blowback would have been less just sticking to live action.

If you can't imagine in 2025 there wouldn't be uproar if Disney went the full dwarf actor route, you're kidding yourself. In a time where there is outrage at the drop of a hat over the most silliest things, I can almost guarantee it would have happened. Now would it have been enough to affect the movie, I can't say, but uproar would have happened.

 

[Chi84]

If you can't imagine in 2025 there wouldn't be uproar if Disney went the full dwarf actor route, you're kidding yourself. In a time where there is outrage at the drop of a hat over the most silliest things, I can almost guarantee it would have happened. Now would it have been enough to affect the movie, I can't say, but uproar would have happened.

And if they put the dwarfs in a movie that was faithful to the original, they would have had Snow White embarrassing them into washing up before dinner and teaching them table manners as if they were children.

Yeah that would have gone over well with Peter Dinklage.

 

[erasure fan1]

If you can't imagine in 2025 there wouldn't be uproar if Disney went the full dwarf actor route, you're kidding yourself. In a time where there is outrage at the drop of a hat over the most silliest things, I can almost guarantee it would have happened. Now would it have been enough to affect the movie, I can't say, but uproar would have happened.

I didn't say people wouldn't make a fuss. I said it would be less. Of course people will be offended either way. But the guy doesn't speak for the entire community. Don't forget, he played a dwarf character early in his career too. I've seen plenty of support for live actors. I've seen almost no support for Dinklages take. I guess it doesn't matter at this point. It's just one more thing on the pile of nonsense associated with this film.

 

[erasure fan1]

Yeah that would have gone over well with Peter Dinklage.

Do people care what he thinks though? He played a dwarf in Narnia and a character making a joke of it with the Santas elf gag.

Here's an interview with Greg Doherty. He played a goblin in Harry Potter.

"Film work for little people doesn't come around too often, but when it does it's really enjoyable, which makes what Disney is doing so disappointing. I think they've gone backwards. What they have done is deny very talented and hard-working people with dwarfism that are out there and could have fulfilled these roles."

"You can see them in their interviews, on the streets; they aren't CGI dwarves, they're real people. There are many people that I know with dwarfism and this has upset them. By Disney doing this, they've gotten rid of those little people being able to have a chance for community in and around the shoots, and have basically said they don't need these people in the future."

If those roles weren't available, Dinklage might never have broken out. One person doesn't speak for a community, that's all I'm saying. His view on it is no more valid than another with dwarfism.

 

[Chi84]

Do people care what he thinks though? He played a dwarf in Narnia and a character making a joke of it with the Santas elf gag.

Here's an interview with Greg Doherty. He played a goblin in Harry Potter.

"Film work for little people doesn't come around too often, but when it does it's really enjoyable, which makes what Disney is doing so disappointing. I think they've gone backwards. What they have done is deny very talented and hard-working people with dwarfism that are out there and could have fulfilled these roles."

"You can see them in their interviews, on the streets; they aren't CGI dwarves, they're real people. There are many people that I know with dwarfism and this has upset them. By Disney doing this, they've gotten rid of those little people being able to have a chance for community in and around the shoots, and have basically said they don't need these people in the future."

If those rolls weren't available, Dinklage might never have broken out. One person doesn't speak for a community, that's all I'm saying. His view on it is no more valid than another with dwarfism.

People do care what he thinks, probably because he is a well-respected, award winning actor.

From what I read here, people care deeply about what actors say. More than about the movie.

 

[erasure fan1]

People do care what he thinks, probably because he is a well-respected, award winning actor.

So he transcends the whole community? Don't get me wrong, I've liked just about everything he's been in. But he was given that opportunity with roles that he's opposing. Now if Disney comes out and says they did all theses focus groups and says the community overwhelmingly said it's insulting to play those roles. Ok fine. But based on the reaction to the film and cgi dwarfs. I'd say Peter should just take the L on this one. I'd ask you, why is his opinion more valid than the interview I posted?

 

[Disney Irish]

I didn't say people wouldn't make a fuss. I said it would be less. Of course people will be offended either way. But the guy doesn't speak for the entire community. Don't forget, he played a dwarf character early in his career too. I've seen plenty of support for live actors. I've seen almost no support for Dinklages take. I guess it doesn't matter at this point. It's just one more thing on the pile of nonsense associated with this film.

To say it would have been less is something that is unprovable. We don't know how people we have reacted. There could have been even more blow-back for all we know. Dinklage might have been able to garner enough support for this cause that it started a whole storm of blow-back against Disney. Them trying to be respectful even if the outcome wasn't ideal for everyone in the community is probably the best they could have hoped for. Basically they were damned if they do and damned if they don't.

But you're right it doesn't matter at this point. I think this mental exercise of trying to say xyz would have cause this film to be less of a bomb is not fruitful. Any number of things done "right" or an approximation of "right" and it still could have been the same outcome.

For as critical of a property as this is for the Studio, this is probably just one remake they didn't need to do. And I say that as someone who actually thought it was ok, not great, just ok.

 

[Disney Irish]

So he transcends the whole community? Don't get me wrong, I've liked just about everything he's been in. But he was given that opportunity with roles that he's opposing. Now if Disney comes out and says they did all theses focus groups and says the community overwhelmingly said it's insulting to play those roles. Ok fine. But based on the reaction to the film and cgi dwarfs. I'd say Peter should just take the L on this one. I'd ask you, why is his opinion more valid than the interview I posted?

If the general public thinks of one actor at this point with Dwarfism, its probably him. Go back a generation or two and its probably Warwick Davis or Billy Barty, and even to a minor extent Verne Troyer. But for most modern audiences he is the face of the community.

So he has a platform, right or wrong, and as you can see he uses it. So yeah I would say he sort of transcends the whole community for a lot in the general public and speaks for them, again right or wrong.

 

[erasure fan1]

To say it would have been less is something that is unprovable. We don't know how people we have reacted. There could have been even more blow-back for all we know.

Well yea. Every thought you give is unprovable, as is mine or anyone else on here. I thought that was a given? The point of the forum is discussion. There sure could have been a huge backlash with real actors. But the data doesn't really play that out. I say that from the mostly negative reaction to his take from most, including the community.

Any number of things done "right" or an approximation of "right" and it still could have been the same outcome.

True. But that's mainly because of the other baggage that went along with the film. And if everything that was a PR problem didn't exist, you still have to make a good film. So yea, live action dwarfs weren't helping. But that wasn't really the point. It was more about letting one represent all the voices and the hypocrisy that goes with it.