Who is David Hand? Son of original 'Snow White' director ridicules Disney’s 'woke' live-action remake
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The live-action remake of Disney's 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', slated for release in 2024, has been criticized by the son of the OG film's director.
Calling the remake "pathetic," he said the new 'Snow White' will make his father and Walt Disney "turn in their graves."
Marc Webb is helming the upcoming remake, which was written by Greta Gerwig, the 'Barbie' director.
Who is David Hand?
David Hand, whose son has the same name, directed the well-known fairytale animation that was released in 1937. The famous director's son told The Telegraph that the upcoming adaptation from Walt Disney Studios is "insulting" and "woke."
The remake has already been criticized for being too "politically correct" after leaked images showed the seven dwarfs reimagined as "magical creatures" of all sizes and genders.
He told the Telegraph. "I mean, it's a whole different concept, and I just totally disagree with it, and I know my dad and Walt would also very much disagree with it."
The 91-year-old Hand claimed that the studio executives had "destroyed" his father's creation by adapting it for the live action version.
In the Mouse House's updated version of the animated classic, which was based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale from 1812, Snow White will be played by 22-year-old Hispanic actress Rachel Zegler.
The characters of Prince Charming, and the dwarfs will also "avoid reinforcing stereotypes," according to Disney.
There have also been rumors that Disney has dropped the iconic song from the movie, 'Someday My Prince Will Come.'
"I think it's pathetic that people feel that way… these are art forms in the world of film today," Hand said of the updated remake's vision. He predicts young viewers — especially those who "have never seen the original" — will "misunderstand" the film.
Who directed the OG 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'?
American animator and filmmaker David Dodd Hand is best known for his work with Walt Disney Productions. He contributed to many Disney short films in the 1930s before rising to the position of supervising director for the animated films 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'Bambi.'
What did Rachel Zegler said about the 'Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs'?
Zegler, who took on the role of the title character, has criticized the original plot as being "extremely outdated" and featuring a prince with behavior akin to a "stalker," as reported by NewYork Post.
She said on the red carpet with entertainment news outlet Extra TV that, "The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There's a big focus on her love story with the guy who literally stalks her. Weird, weird."
Zelger, who made her acting debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of 'West Side Story,' defended the changes made to the upcoming 'Snow White.'
But her comments and the modern 'updates' to the original film drew harsh criticism from Disney fans.
Even 'Game of Thrones' actor Peter Dinklage had a bone to pick, but for different reasons.
Critical about the portrayal of a disability like dwarfism, he said that while Disney was being "progressive" by hiring a Latina for the lead role, their film was fundamentally also a "f**king backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together."