Disney’s live-actionSnow Whiteremake has been confirmed to have made a big but necessary change to the title character’s name, which copies a decision Disney had already made in a TV show with a 78% critics score onRotten Tomatoes. Since the 2010s, Disney has been riding the wave of live-action remakes of some of its animated movies, and though not all of them have succeeded, the studio continues to make the most out of it. Disney still has a long list of live-action remakes coming up, and next in line isSnow White, directed by Marc Webb.
TheSnow Whitelive-action remake will keep the same premise as the animated classic, but like every other remake of this kind, it’s expected to have various changes.Starring inSnow Whiteare Rachel Zegleras the title character, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, and Ansu Kabia as the Huntsman.Snow Whitehas been surrounded by different controversies since its cast was announced, and it only grew once the first teaser trailer was released.The latest reveal aboutSnow Whiteis a change in the origin of the character’s name, a decision that Disney had already made 13 years ago.
Disney’s Live-Action Snow White Name Change Uses Once Upon A Time’s Explanation
Once Upon A Time Made A Key Change To Snow White’s Name
The Brothers Grimm’s version ofSnow Whiteexplains the origin of the character’s name, and it’s purely based on her physical appearance. The story begins with a queen sewing at an open window during a snowfall. The queen pricks her finger with the needle and three drops of blood fall onto the snow on the black window sill.The queen then says to herself how she wishes to have a daughter with “skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.” Some time later, the queen dies giving birth to a daughter she names Snow White.
Zegler explained that her character’s name comes from having survived a snowstorm when she was a baby.
AlthoughSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsdoesn’t explain the character’s name, it’s understood that it’s the same as in the Brothers Grimm’s tale due to her physical appearance. This will be different in the live-actionSnow Whiteremake as confirmed by Zegler, who, in an interview withVariety, explained that her character’s name comes from having survived a snowstorm when she was a baby.According to Zegler, the king and queen decided to name their daughter “Snow White” to remind her of her resilience.
Zegler mentioned that this comes from another version ofSnow Whitethough she didn’t specify which one, but fans of the character will remember this change was already made by Disney in the TV seriesOnce Upon a Time. Created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz,Once Upon a Timehad two main settings: a fantasy world where fairy tales come to life, and a fictional seaside town called Storybrooke, where fairy-tale characters were transported and their memories were wiped. One of the show’s main characters is Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), and the origin of her name was also changed.
In an episode ofOnce Upon a Time, it was revealed that Snow was born during one of the harshest wintersin the Enchanted Forest. Her mother, Queen Eva, named her “Snow White” because of that, but also because she had snow-white skin.Once Upon a Time’s Snow White still fitted the classic description of the character, but for the live-action remake, this wasn’t fitting anymore.
What Version Of The Story Inspired Once Upon A Time & Snow White’s Name Change
Snow White’s Name Has A Different Origin In The Brothers Grimm’s Tale
As mentioned above, Zegler said the change to the origin of Snow White’s name in the live-action remake comes from another version of the story in history – the problem is that she didn’t mention which one, andthere are way too many versions ofSnow White, depending on the country and more. Of course, there are also several adaptations of the tale that have made changes to it depending on their genre and more, so finding out exactly which version Disney took the origin of Snow White’s name from is very difficult.
Given thatOnce Upon a Timeis also a Disney property, it’s most likely that the movie took inspiration from the show for the origin of Snow White’s name.
However, fans on social media have pointed out that Snow White’s name being associated with a snowstorm wasa change made in the 1997 horror movieSnow White: A Tale of Terror,starring Sigourney Weaver and Monica Keena. It would be surprising if Disney took the idea from a horror version of Snow White, but given thatOnce Upon a Timeis also a Disney property, it’s most likely that the movie took inspiration from the show for the origin of Snow White’s name.
Why Disney Is Changing The Origin Of Snow White’s Name From The Animated Movie
Snow White’s Name Change Is A Good Decision
Amongthe backlashSnow Whitehas receivedis Zegler being Latina, thus not having the physical traits that the character has in the classic tale and the animated version. Zegler later shared thatSnow Whiteis changing the character into a stronger, less reliant, and more of a leader typeof character, giving her a lot more agency than she had in the 1937 movie.Snow Whiteis paying more attention to the story’s themes than to the characters’ looks, so it makes sense that the origin of the character’s name was changed.
Snow White surviving a snowstorm as a baby will also add to her strength as a teenager/young adult.
By changing the origin of the name,Snow Whiteis focusing on her personality and other traits rather than on the color of her skin, and emphasizes the character’s resilience. Snow White surviving a snowstorm as a baby will also add to her strength as a teenager/young adult, so this different origin isn’t so much linked to Rachel Zegler’s physical appearance but to the development of the character.
Source:Variety.
Snow White
A live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale. The film follows Snow White as she escapes into the forest and seeks refuge with seven dwarfs to elude her jealous stepmother, the wicked Queen, who is threatened by Snow White’s surpassing beauty.
