By Tom Snyder
Disney’s new live action SNOW WHITE movie has been a hotbed of controversy for two years. Now that the movie’s finally been released, some Christians and conservatives are castigating Disney Studios for the movie, saying that it’s politically correct and violates the spirit of the original fairy tale.
However, as Movieguide® found out in screening the movie and researching the original story, the attacks on the movie and the veneration of the Grimm brother’s story lack credibility.
In the first place, there are many versions of a Snow White story in multiple cultures that don’t follow the German folktale published by the Brothers Grimm at all.
In the second place, the first version of Snow White published by the brothers in 1812 depicted Snow White’s mother as the Evil Queen. It was her mother who was intensely jealous of Snow White. Not only did she want Snow White to be killed. She also wanted the Royal Huntsman to bring back Snow White’s lungs and liver so she could eat them.
The second version published by the brothers, in 1859, changes the cannibalistic mother to a cannibalistic stepmother. Apparently, complaints about the original story led the brothers to “tone down” the story by changing the Evil Queen from Snow White’s biological mother to her stepmother. Thus, Walt Disney’s own efforts to tone down the story in his 1937 classic, WALT DISNEY’S SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES, have a precedent in the Grimms brothers’ own publishing history!
That said, there is no Prince in the early part of the two versions by the Grimms. So, unlike Walt Disney’s 1937 version, Snow White isn’t looking for a Prince at all. In fact, she starts off as a 7-year-old little girl! So, the complaint that the new live action SNOW WHITE does away with Snow White’s longing for romance is a complaint based on a total fantasy.
The attacks against the movie also complain that the new SNOW WHITE does away with the original story’s Christian symbolism.
This isn’t true at all!
As Movieguide® wrote in or review, “SNOW WHITE has a strong moral, redemptive, conservative worldview with Christian allusions.” For example, the movie has many direct Christian references to “the One True King.” Also, Snow White’s character in the new movie emulates Jesus. She dies but then comes alive again. Also, a big song in the beginning has the royal couple and the people singing, “May goodness be our one true guide.” Furthermore, Snow White’s character doesn’t have a longing to be a leader totally on her own. It comes from her father, who tells her that someday she will lead the Kingdom and who encourages her to be “fearless, fair, brave, and true.”
In addition, although the movie gets rid of the Prince, there’s still a love interest for Snow White, a young man who leads a fight for freedom against the selfish Evil Queen. Both he and Snow White clearly fall in love during one key song. Also, eventually, Snow White’s love interest still wakes her up with “true love’s kiss.”
Finally, the live action version of SNOW WHITE contains a nod to conservative, free market values. In the story, the Evil Queen drafts farmers and store owners to serve in her army. At the end, the farmers and store owners happily return to their farms and businesses.
Thus, the new live action SNOW WHITE doesn’t violate any sacrosanct version of the story. In fact, it’s more Christian, conservative and traditional than “woke.” And, it’s a pretty entertaining movie as well.
Now, about those CGI dwarves. . .
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