It seemed like a surefire hit. A big-star live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney's first big screen classic.

But the new film, Snow White, which was released in the UK on Friday, is predicted to be a box office flop. Disney has downplayed the film's promotion.

The critics have been brutal. In a one-star review, The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey writes that Disney has found a new formula: "Do the bare minimum to make a film, then simply slap a bunch of cutesy CGIComputer-generated imagery. animals all over it and hope no one notices." 

The greatest anger has been directed at a series of changes which aimed to remove outdated ideas from the story.

The original title Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been shortened to avoid offending people with dwarfismThe condition of being of unusually short or small in size, especially on account of a genetic or medical condition.. Snow White is no longer described as having "skin as white as snow". 

Gender roles are evened out. The dwarfs now clean for Snow White rather than watching on as she works. There are seven new characters representing diverse backgrounds.

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw calls these changes "so tiring you'll want to put your head in your hands".

All can agree that this film has come at the worst possible time. Thanks to Donald Trump, diversity has become a dirty word. Many US companies are watering down their DEIDiversity, equity, and inclusion. policies. Disney is among them, as Forbes reports.¹

It is far from the first time that "wokeAwareness of injustice in society, particularly related to sexism and racism." changes to stories have caused controversy. In 2023 The Telegraph revealed that hundreds of changes had been made to new editions of Roald Dahl's popular children's novels. 

Words relating to gender, skin colour, mental health, weight and height were removed. The BFGA story by Roald Dahl about a big, friendly giant. no longer wore a "black" cloak while a group of "Cloud-Men" were renamed "Cloud-People". 

Author Salman Rushdie called the changes "censorshipPreventing or stopping speech, writing or communication that is considered harmful or "inconvenient". ". Some thought this would lead to bland, badly written books. Others worried about the precedentAn earlier event that is seen as an example or guide to be considered in later similar circumstances. set. What if someone with a sinister ideologyA believe system based on evil. started editing books in the same way?

Yet others think this is an exaggeration. Texts have always been edited. Fairytales like Snow White have always changed according to their tellers. Disney's edits are just part of this long tradition.

Is it wrong to change classic stories?  

Yes: Classic stories are classics in part because they reflect the society and values of their time. To change them to reflect our own values is to remove part of what makes them special and important.

No: It is important to learn about past prejudices and inequalities. By editing classics to remove them, we prevent readers from doing this which could have harmful effects in the long term.

Or... It depends on how well the changes are done. Both Disney and Roald Dahl's editors made clumsy alterations. They could have made better ones.

CGI - Computer-generated imagery.

Dwarfism - The condition of being of unusually short or small in size, especially on account of a genetic or medical condition.

DEI - Diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Woke - Awareness of injustice in society, particularly related to sexism and racism.

BFG - A story by Roald Dahl about a big, friendly giant.

Censorship - Preventing or stopping speech, writing or communication that is considered harmful or "inconvenient".

Precedent - An earlier event that is seen as an example or guide to be considered in later similar circumstances.

Sinister Ideology - A believe system based on evil.