Latest news with #SnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarves
The Hill
28-03-2025
- Business
- The Hill
FCC chair launches investigation into Disney over DEI
The hits keep coming for The Walt Disney Co. — and not in the way that the media empire would probably prefer. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr announced Friday on the social media platform X that he is opening an investigation into Disney, the parent company of ABC, over potential violations of the FCC's equal employment opportunity regulations through the company's efforts that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). 'For decades, Disney focused on churning out box office and programming successes. But then something changed,' Carr wrote in a letter to Disney that he also posted online. 'Disney has now been embroiled in rounds of controversy surrounding its DEI policies.' The Walt Disney Co. said it received Carr's letter and will cooperate. 'We are reviewing the Federal Communications Commission's letter, and we look forward to engaging with the commission to answer its questions,' a Disney spokesperson told The Hill. The FCC last month launched a similar probe into Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, over DEI concerns. Letters that Carr sent to both companies note the FCC wants to ensure that the companies 'are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination.' Since President Trump took office in January, his administration has pushed to curb DEI efforts that swelled in government and private businesses in recent years. He signed executive orders to end DEI programs across federal agencies and pull federal funding from recipients, including colleges, that promote DEI. In his letter to Disney, Carr wrote that the FCC's enforcement arm would follow up with the company, which he suggested may have altered names of its DEI initiatives without changing policies. 'In recent years, Disney made DEI a key priority for the company's businesses and embedded explicit race- and gender-based criteria across its operations,' he wrote. 'Although your company recently made some changes to how it brands certain efforts, it is not clear that the underlying policies have changed in a fundamental manner – nor that practices complied with relevant FCC regulations.' Disney, in particular, has faced conservative backlash over what's been perceived as the company's 'woke' priorities in filmmaking and other endeavors, including the recent remake of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,' which opened this month with a disappointing box office take.
South China Morning Post
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Meet Snow White star Rachel Zegler's lookalike sister, Jacqueline Zegler – who's in politics: the Disney actress' sibling worked for the Biden-Harris administration and had a cameo in The Hunger Games
After months of growing controversy, Disney's reboot of the classic 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has finally been released. Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney's live-action remake Snow White. Photo: Disney Starring Rachel Zegler – who caused a stir for calling the original film's storyline 'weird' and the prince a 'stalker' – Snow White has been met with mixed reviews so far. In addition to cast dramas, some have criticised the film's 'woke' approach to the seven dwarves and the casting of a Latina actress in the lead. Others, however, have praised Zegler's performance in the film, with The Hollywood Reporter calling her 'incandescent' and saying she sold the film with 'conviction and heart'. Advertisement Rachel Zegler arrives at the Oscars on March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Photo: AP Zegler defended her earlier comments in an interview with Variety in 2023. 'I just mean that it's no longer 1937, and we absolutely wrote a Snow White that's not gonna be saved by the prince, and she's not gonna be dreaming about true love,' she explained. 'She's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true. And so, it's just a really incredible story for young people everywhere to see themselves in.' Snow White co-stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot reportedly don't get along. via AFP Zegler, 23, is no stranger to controversy though, and is rumoured to also be in a feud with her co-star Gal Gadot over the Israel-Palestine conflict – at least according to a source who spoke to People magazine. Jacqueline Zegler was born in 1999. Photo: @jacinblack/Instagram But what do we know about Rachel Zegler's low-key sister, Jacqueline – who's not afraid to get political herself, and who's supported her through the ups and downs? Who are Rachel and Jacqueline Zegler's parents?
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What went wrong with Snow White?
Disney's live-action remake of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, now simply Snow White, emerged this week to poor reviews and bad buzz. Rumour has it that the studio scaled back advertising for it, expecting (and ensuring) a box-office disappointment. Negative stories have been constant since the film started shooting three years ago, with the studio scrambling to control its fate — but maybe that is exactly how one of Disney's crown jewels became such a problem child. Think about it: the first hurdle for director Marc Webb and his team was a storm in a teacup over the casting of Rachel Zegler. This was, to be clear, nonsense: if you're casting a musical Disney film you would be negligent not to consider the honey-voiced star of West Side Story who, incidentally, looks exactly like a cartoon princess. But for certain commentators, the 'White' part of Snow's name disqualified the Latina Zegler, so they claimed that Disney's casting choice was "woke" instead of obvious. To address these critics, this film explains Snow's name in relation to her birth, in the middle of a snowstorm, as if we needed to know. But perhaps the furore is why they stuck so close to tradition in the way they dressed Snow, adopting the original film's jarringly bright blue and yellow skirt instead of bringing the kind of flare that costume designer Sandy Powell, a three-time Oscar winner and 15-time nominee, could have offered. It might also have created a general air of panic around the film. The haters next leapt on Zegler's comments to Extra about the original; explaining how this would be different, she said "it's no longer 1937. She's not going to be saved by the prince…" and compared the relationship between the original Snow White and her prince to stalking. Zegler talked about how her Snow White would work to become the leader her father believed she could be, rather than waiting around for a love story. This caused more faux outrage on the internet — such disrespect! — though the criticism is entirely fair if you actually watch the 1937 version. But perhaps that led Webb and the studio to feel torn between beefing up the role of Andrew Burnap's bandit leader Jonathan and telling the story of Snow White's own quest for her throne, overstuffing the story. Then Peter Dinklage entered the chat, calling the whole idea of a new Seven Dwarves "backward" and something that perpetuated stereotypes. Disney panicked and assured the world that the new Seven would be VFX creations. Then other actors with dwarfism complained that that denied them jobs they might otherwise have had, so the studio scrambled again to assure viewers that they would still be represented. The resulting compromise pleased no-one. On the upside, actors with dwarfism were cast to voice some of the CG dwarves, and in other roles (in Jonathan's gang, for example). On the downside, the new dwarves look extremely weird next to live actors despite the best efforts of the VFX team. They're supposed to be mythological creatures, fine, but they resemble balloons of classic Disney characters instead. And given that Jonathan has a team of bandits around him, you have to wonder if someone planned to use them instead of the small miners at some point. Later came the political fuss. Zegler expressed her heartbreak at President Trump's re-election — hardly a niche position, but one for which she apologised soon after anyway — and her support for the Palestinian people, an equally mainstream view. Her co-star Gal Gadot, a former Miss Israel, has been steadfast in her calls for the release of Israeli hostages following the October 7 attack by Hamas and her condemnation of antisemitism. Gadot told Variety, "I want everybody to have good life and prosperity, and the ability to raise their children in a safe environment." The two have expressed nothing but love and admiration for one another despite their differing views on the Palestinian conflict — which, given that both have chiefly expressed a desire for peace, hardly seems difficult. You might think that actors should avoid politics while they have a film coming out, but given that the film shot more than two years ago, how long exactly should they stay silent? Wouldn't we rather have celebrities who speak honestly about causes close to their heart? And yet there was more studio panic, as the premieres were cancelled or scaled back and press junkets limited. By trying to please everyone and listen to all the critics all the time, Disney seems to have made whatever faults the film had much, much worse. Its aggregate reviews score is hovering somewhere in the 45% range, far below the level that the talent involved should have ensured. Yet most of these controversies are nonsense. Dinklage had a fair point about stereotypes, yet it's also fair for other actors with dwarfism to just want to work on a big movie. The real issue was Disney attempting to thread the needle for both. Controversies don't always hurt a film at the box office, but disappointing audiences will impact quite a bit. Zegler desperately tries to carry the film on her back, and Gadot and Burnap give her good and committed support (Gadot can sing! And is campy fun), but there's only so much they can do amid the design mess. Little ones will still probably enjoy this film for its empowering message, but for the rest of us it's an oddly compromised experience. Worse, the sheer madness surrounding this film might make film studios more and more scared to confront online noise, and more timid in their choices, and that's bad news for all movies. Snow White is in cinemas now.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rachel Zegler Cries in Emotional Speech, Says She Loves 'Everybody' at 'Snow White' Screening amid Controversies
Rachel Zegler is showing gratitude for her Snow White role. Ahead of a recent early screening of the live-action Snow White remake, Zegler surprised fans when she appeared and gave an emotional speech about what playing the Disney princess has meant to her. "This is a movie that is so close to my heart. I auditioned for this movie when I was 19 years old and I am about to turn 24," Zegler said, in video shared by Disney. "So it's a really big chunk of my life, and about five of the seven years of my career, which is crazy. I love everybody in this movie so dearly." Zegler reflected on her journey playing the titular character, who first appeared in 1937's animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, sharing that seeing the movie come to life has been "emotional" for her. Related: Rachel Zegler Praised by Critics as a 'Shining Supernova' in the Live-Action Remake of Snow White: 'Pure Disney Magic' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Coming to the end of this road of this release feels really crazy because when you spend so much time with something, it becomes such a big part of you and a big part of your heart. Snow White has really been that way for me and to see this is really emotional for me. So I'm going to try not do that," Zegler said, her voice cracking a little. "I love her and I am so glad to see that so many of you love her as well," Zegler continued. "Her superpower is her heart. It's nothing supernatural. It's something that all of us have. Deep within us, there is an inherit good and belief in the kindness of humanity." "I hope that you walk away from this film understanding what the true meaning of fair is. I really hope that for the world as well. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your Snow White. It means the world to me." Zegler's speech comes amid tensions plaguing Disney's live-action remake ahead of its March 21 release, which has extended to both the West Side Story actress and her costar Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen. A source told PEOPLE that Gadot and Zegler have "nothing in common" due to their age difference and 'on top of that, their political views differ, adding to the tension." Zegler and Gadot have appeared at multiple events in the past to promote their long-delayed film, including at Disney's D23 Expo in 2022 and at the recent Academy Awards, where they presented the Best Visual Effects category together. They posed together at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Saturday, March 15. After her casting announcement in 2021, Zegler faced racist backlash from social media users over her being of Latinx background and playing the Disney princess. (Zegler is of Colombian and Polish descent.) Zegler also made headlines when she said in interviews that the new movie would modernize Snow White and that the original was 'dated.' While speaking with Vogue Mexico, Zegler addressed negative reactions over her casting as well as past statements she's made about the original animation, saying audiences were being protective over the famous princess. 'I interpret people's feelings about this film as their passion for her and what an honor to be a part of something that people are so passionate about,' Zegler said. 'We are not always going to have the same feelings as everyone around us and all that we can do is do our best." (Zegler's interview was conducted in Spanish. Quotes were independently translated from Spanish to English by PEOPLE.) Snow White is in theaters March 21. Read the original article on People
