Live-Action ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’

[Chi84]

You haven’t even seen The Little Mermaid to judge how faithful it is! This is my third time saying it, but Aladdin is notably more divergent from the original yet did significantly better at the box office. That’s evidence to the contrary of what you and @Frankenstein79 are claiming.

People miss so much when they pre-judge things.

Oh, and you’re arguing about what’s in the movie with someone who hasn’t seen the movie.

 

[TP2000]

People miss so much when they pre-judge things.

Oh, and you’re arguing about what’s in the movie with someone who hasn’t seen the movie.

My only point was that Mermaid did very, very badly at the box office compared to Aladdin and Lion King.

I haven't discussed the artistic merits of the movie at all, because I haven't seen it. I've only discussed the box office results, and some of the background reasons for why they likely were so bad for Mermaid compared to others.

Snow White doesn't look like it's going to course correct from this box office trajectory either.

 

[Disney Irish]

The difference between now and then is that The Apple Dumpling Gang and Herbie Goes Bananas didn't have budgets of $200 Million.

Sure, however I would say that Disney is in a better position now than back then to handle a string of disappointments in-spite of the higher budgets.

And lets be honest, as long as Disney has access to capital they don't have to worry about any film funding the company. So really while none of us here want it to happen they could literally go for a number of years without having another mega hit at the box office.

The unknown to that is do Disney's senior leadership and their sycophant staffs have the ability to course correct? Do they even know why family audiences don't want to see their films in numbers that justify their mega-budgets?

What is witty in Silver Lake, is offensive in Salt Lake City. What plays well in Brooklyn, bombs in Baton Rouge.

Do they even know that? And will they be able to admit it out loud? I'm not convinced they have the proper level of self-awareness yet.

As was said we'll find out in 3 months.

 

[Andrew C]

Oh, and you’re arguing about what’s in the movie with someone who hasn’t seen the movie.

Why did it do badly overseas? If you don’t know, Disney better. Otherwise they are likely to run into this issue over and over.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Every single movie, with the sole exception of Avatar, is struggling over seas, particularly in China. Something profound has changed in China, and we don’t know exactly what it is, but in no way shape or form is it solely related to Disney.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

In what way do you think her feelings about the original film will affect her performance?

That’s like hiring a CM at park that hates that park. They’re not going to do a good job.

Who are those people? What specifically have they said to make you believe this about their intentions?

The team in charge of casting dropped the ball in the worst way possible. Whoever changed the script so much that its only connection to the original is that it condemns the original. Basically everyone at the studio. They have no creativity left. Their hate of anything that doesn’t project their postmodern beliefs on everyone else makes them incapable of telling a good story.

How do you know what the people in charge thought… were you in the room when it was green lit…no one knows what the plot will entail as no one has seen it yet… all that we have heard is the opinion of the original film by the actress who was hired for the lead role

How do I know? Based off what decisions they’re making. You don’t need to be a fly on the wall here. Look at the facts.

 

[LittleBuford]

That’s like hiring a CM at park that hates that park. They’re not going to do a good job.

She doesn't need to like the 1937 film to do a good job in the remake, just as a Disneyland CM doesn't need to like WDW to do well at their job.

Whoever changed the script so much that its only connection to the original is that it condemns the original. Basically everyone at the studio. They have no creativity left. Their hate of anything that doesn’t project their postmodern beliefs on everyone else makes them incapable of telling a good story.

Did Maleficent and Cruella condemn Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians by playing with and even subverting major aspects of those films? We have a very incomplete idea of how Snow White, as a finished product, will situate itself in relation the original movie.

Incidentally, one of the people who "changed the script" (as you put it) is Greta Gerwig, whose eminently feminist Barbie seems to have melted even the hardest of anti-woke hearts. It's interesting that several posters here who loved Barbie seem unwilling to even consider that Gerwig might do Snow White justice also.

How do I know? Based off what decisions they’re making. You don’t need to be a fly on the wall here. Look at the facts.

The facts are few and far between. None of us knows very much at all about this film.

 

[Chi84]

Why did it do badly overseas? If you don’t know, Disney better. Otherwise they are likely to run into this issue over and over.

This isn’t a box office thread. I’m just talking about what was in the movie and how it compared to the original.

I don’t pretend to know as much as others here about box office. This is a Snow White thread so I’m following it for info and came across some talk about TLM and how it compared to the animated version.

 

[Andrew C]

This isn’t a box office thread. I’m just talking about what was in the movie and how it compared to the original.

I don’t pretend to know as much as others here about box office. This is a Snow White thread so I’m following it for info and came across some talk about TLM and how it compared to the animated version.

You don’t see how TLM could be connected? Ok.

 

[DisneyHead123]

But the criticism that's usually made of Disney is that they're too heavyhanded and preachy with their messaging. It's difficult for me to understand how the strategy you're suggesting would quell, rather than fuel, this criticism.

Maybe it's naive, I don't know. But I think a real story from a real human about real struggle would be a more effective way to reach people. I could be totally wrong though, that's just my two cents.

It needn't be one or the other. The casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel does not prevent new roles being created for black actors in other, original, films.

Agree, it doesn't have to be one or the other. But I feel it's leaned largely that way, which is why I think people see it as lazy.

No-one has actually explained to me how they feel snubbed by Disney, despite my having repeatedly asked for specific examples of the sense of alienation that people keep referring to.

I mean, is it fair to say that Disney has done things that indicate they have political allegiances to the liberal left? And, conversely, would it not be almost laughable to say "In the past five years, I'm really annoyed at how Disney has put out vibes that show their conservative Republican loyalties?" There's the old "You don't talk about religion or politics with people" for good reason. There are few ways to alienate a person faster.

 

[LittleBuford]

Or if Maybelline got Clint Eastwood to do ads where he touted his alleged favorite shade of foundation.

Or if Disneyland Paris got President Chirac to do ads from his office about Disneyland not being his cup of tea.

It's just all wrong for the brand they are trying to sell. Know your audience. And for Godsakes, don't hire executives who look down their nose at their own customers.

I can’t imagine a boycott following those hypothetical examples. Finding an advertising campaign unconvincing or phony is one thing; getting outraged over it is quite another.

 

[LittleBuford]

Agree, it doesn't have to be one or the other. But I feel it's leaned largely that way, which is why I think people see it as lazy.

What examples do you have in mind other than Ariel?

There's the old "You don't talk about religion or politics with people" for good reason. There are few ways to alienate a person faster.

What statements has Disney issued that you think would alienate those of a particular political leaning?

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Did Maleficent and Cruella condemn Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians by playing with and even subverting major aspects of those films? W

Weren't they both prequels, not remakes?

 

[TP2000]

I can’t imagine a boycott following those hypothetical examples. Finding an advertising campaign unconvincing or phony is one thing; getting outraged over it is quite another.

I think if you were able to create the perfect storm that Anheuser-Busch created for themselves, with both the wrong spokeswoman and the wrong executive saying and doing all the wrong things in perfect succession, you could.

Which is why it was that one-two punch of Alissa showing up after Dylan that really made the boycott go. Dylan's TikTok video was a cringey mess, but it would have blown over. Dylan paired with Alissa was a monster that no one could stop.

If Craftsman Tools used Kim Kardashian in an ad and she couldn't even hold the circular saw correctly, guys who buy Craftsman tools would be ticked off. But then a week later, if a video went viral of the Vice President of Craftsman saying in a media interview that he didn't like the reputation his brand had as a "guys tool company in decline, with all the dorky suburban men and fratty guys we kept using in the ads for the past few decades, and all the associated imagery of men using our tools to fix stuff that seems so out of touch, and so I wanted to change it up and make Craftsman lighter and brighter and appealing to a fresh inclusive customer. Because I went to Harvard and I'm really smart." then yeah...

You'd have a Craftsman Tools Boycott just as fast as you had a Bud Light boycott.

 

[LittleBuford]

Weren't they both prequels, not remakes?

Cruella takes place before the events of 101 Dalmatians but isn’t a true prequel, while Maleficent’s timeline overlaps with that of Sleeping Beauty. Both films take great liberties with their source material

 

[Casper Gutman]

I think if you were able to create the perfect storm that Anheuser-Busch created for themselves, with both the wrong spokeswoman and the wrong executive saying and doing all the wrong things in perfect succession, you could.

Which is why it was that one-two punch of Alissa showing up after Dylan that really made the boycott go. Dylan's TikTok video was a cringey mess, but it would have blown over. Dylan paired with Alissa was a monster that no one could stop.

If Craftsman Tools used Kim Kardashian in an ad and she couldn't even hold the circular saw correctly, guys who buy Craftsman tools would be ticked off. But then a week later, if a video went viral of the Vice President of Craftsman saying in a media interview that he didn't like the reputation his brand had as a "guys tool company in decline, with all the dorky suburban men and fratty guys we kept using in the ads for the past few decades, and all the associated imagery of men using our tools to fix stuff that seems so out of touch, and so I wanted to change it up and make Craftsman lighter and brighter and appealing to a fresh inclusive customer. Because I went to Harvard and I'm really smart." then yeah...

You'd have a Craftsman Tools Boycott just as fast as you had a Bud Light boycott.

You continue to misrepresent the timeline. The boycott and firestorm were sparked by the Mulvaney PR hit. The marketing comment, which you also continue to misrepresent, was found as part of the firestorm and had relatively little effect. You are using it to try and claim victimhood for the victimizers, and it’s deeply deceptive.

Your hypothetical would not have inspired senators, governors, and media stars to headline a hate campaign.

 

[LittleBuford]

If Craftsman Tools used Kim Kardashian in an ad and she couldn't even hold the circular saw correctly, guys who buy Craftsman tools would be ticked off.

I just watched the video for the first time to see how this analogy could possibly apply to the act of drinking liquid, something pretty much all humans are capable of. Turns out Mulvaney is as capable as the next person of imbibing.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

You continue to misrepresent the timeline. The boycott and firestorm were sparked by the Mulvaney PR hit. The marketing comment, which you also continue to misrepresent, was found as part of the firestorm and had relatively little effect. You are using it to try and claim victimhood for the victimizers, and it’s deeply deceptive.

Your hypothetical would not have inspired senators, governors, and media stars to headline a hate campaign.

I think you're wrong. IMHO, the stock drop is far more a result of the marketing director insulting the customers than the beer can.

 

[Chi84]

You don’t see how TLM could be connected? Ok.

Why are you being so cryptic? I don’t know how TLM and Snow White are connected because so little is known about Snow White.

I can say that I saw TLM and loved it. It was very faithful to the animated version. Some posters didn’t like some changes in the ending and songs but I really didn’t think those changes were substantial or took away from the story.

I liked the fact that the prince had more of a role. Certain aspects of a story need to be developed more when you’re going from animation to live characters.

From what I’m hearing - and I think it’s all speculation - Snow White may not be quite as close to the animated version because of choices made with the cast, especially the dwarfs.

How do you think those two movies will be connected? Other than both being live-action remakes, which I tend to prefer to the animated versions.

 

[Andrew C]

Why are you being so cryptic? I don’t know how TLM and Snow White are connected because so little is known about Snow White.

Not being cryptic. I will point back to my previous post about whether Disney has learned lessons from previous and recent failures. If they haven’t, that will impact Snow White.

I can say that I saw TLM and loved it. It was very faithful to the animated version. Some posters didn’t like some changes in the ending and songs but I really didn’t think those changes were substantial or took away from the story.

And it failed internationally. Which matters for future Disney releases.