‘Complete nonsense!’ Furious row breaks out after Disney cancels UK premiere due to ‘anti-woke backlash’
Carole Malone has questioned Disney’s decision to cancel the UK premiere of its Snow White remake, suggesting the move reflects concerns about potential backlash.
Disney has cancelled the UK premiere in an apparent attempt to avoid “anti-woke” backlash.
The film, which stars Latina actress Rachel Zegler in the title role, has already faced criticism from various quarters.
Speaking to GB News, Carole Malone said: “This would generate you’d think, a lot of money for them in England. They had it in Leicester Square and whatever, but they’re not doing it because it’s a very woke Snow White starring a Latino actress.
“They’re very worried about the kind of publicity that they’re going to get, which I think, why would you be making a movie that people are going to rail against and go mad about and you’re going to lose money over?”
Jonathan Lis said: “Because she’s from Colombia it is seen as woke, I don’t know, it’s a complete nonsense, the whole story. The idea that it’s woke is just complete nonsense.
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“What this film company is obviously concerned about is that there’s an anti-woke backlash because people pick up on things that the actress said, criticising the original 1937 film and so generate that into what you see on programmes such as this. “
Bev Turner pointed out: “But it is called Snow White. The whole point is that she has white skin.”
Lis responded: “Exactly. And they want to avoid controversy. But I honestly, I just think that we can get permanently furious about literally everything.
“Or we can just say, you know what? Someone said something a bit silly. We move on, we try to make the best of our very, very short lives.”
The decision comes amid growing controversy surrounding the film’s casting and modernised storyline.
An insider told the Daily Mail: “Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled press events.”
The source added: “That is why they have taken the highly unusual step not to host a London premiere for the film and are minimising the amount of press questions that Rachel Zegler gets.”
Metro reports that no interview junket was planned for the UK, with extremely limited press opportunities being controlled as part of a European-wide junket in another country.
Zegler, 23, has previously been labelled “a walking PR disaster for Disney” following controversial comments about her role.
In a 2022 interview, she called the original film “dated” and criticised Snow White’s relationship with Prince Charming as “a guy who literally stalks her”.
The film has also faced criticism for its extensive use of CGI, particularly in the portrayal of the seven dwarfs.