The live-action Snow White remake is already earning a strong response from VFX artists. Continuing Disney’s trend of reimagining its classic animated hits, the upcoming Snow White movie stars Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Ansu Kabia, and more stars. The movie reportedly has a budget of over $200 million, driven by costly reshoots and an expensive all-star cast. While it was originally going to feature live-action magical creatures instead of the seven dwarves, Disney recently revealed that the movie will instead feature CGI dwarves.
As part of their “VFX Artists React to Bad & Great CGi” series, the Corridor Crew took to YouTube to share their reactions to the Snow White trailer. They first examined the dwarves, which they described as “painterly” and “faithful to the cartoon at the sacrifice of being human“. The artists disagreed about the quality of the animation with one describing it as an uncanny valley effect, while another argued that the proportions make that impossible. In one full quote, they explained that the entire issue is completely controversial:
I feel like this movie would have been easier if Snow White herself was full CG, cause now they’re having to… It’s more complicated when you’re having to integrate all of these CG elements with a live-action plate. You’re locked to where that person is acting and they motion at the camera angles, all that stuff. Whereas, if everything was fully CG, there’s a lot more flexibility to make sure you get the shots correctly. I mean, honestly, this doesn’t look bad from a visual standpoint, but like another thing that you know people will say that this is definitely uncanny valley, as far as like the dwarf faces go, but it’s like their proportions are super wild, so they’re never going to be able to get to that human level no matter what, without changing their proportions to be more human.
What The VFX Issues Mean For Disney’s Snow White
The controversial Snow White remake has already proven itself to be a divisive production. Peter Dinklage sparked much of the critique after explaining that Disney has portrayed itself as a progressive company, while also basing an entire franchise on magical dwarves. Disney attempted to replace the seven characters with magical creatures, but it faced criticism from other people with dwarfism, as the decision meant that they were unable to take a rare but available role. Disney was left struggling to respond to both sides of the divide and eventually elected to move to an entirely CGI appearance for the dwarves.
While the Corridor Crew did admit that the CGI is effective in mixing live-action elements with computer-generated characters in a faithful recreation, Disney did not escape the mounting criticism. The decision still left actors bereft of jobs, and Dinklage’s initial argument remains salient. Much like Wonka‘s own casting controversy, Disney has no easy way to avoid alienating members of its audience. As incredible as the CGI appears to be, it will remain highly controversial.
Our Takes On Disney’s Snow White’s VFX Issues
The mounting criticism is a significant issue, but it is unlikely to be the root of the movie’s problems. Wonka had a similar issue with its decision to cast Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa, and that movie made $632 million at the box office on a $125 million budget. Still, Disney’s various live-action remakes have received mixed receptions, ranging from The Lion King (2019)’s $1.67 million total to Mulan (2020)’s $70 million:
Title | Budget | Box Office Total |
|---|---|---|
The Jungle Book (2016) | $175 million | $967 million |
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) | $170 million | $300 million |
Beauty and the Beast (2017) | $160 million | $1.3 billion |
Christopher Robin (2018) | $70 million | $198 million |
Dumbo (2019) | $170 million | $353 million |
The Lion King (2019) | $250 million | $1.67 billion |
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) | $186 million | $492 million |
Aladdin (2019) | $183 million | $1.05 billion |
Mulan (2020) | $200 million | $70 million |
Cruella (2021) | $100 million | $234 million |
The Little Mermaid (2023) | $240 million | $570 million |
The divisive nature of this movie will undoubtedly convince some viewers to avoid the movie altogether, but Wonka proves that it is unlikely to play a significant role. The heavy dislikes against Disney’s Snow White trailer are a sign that there has been an extremely negative reception. Still, the movie promised to be faithful to the original, and the dwarves do appear to mimic the art style of the animated classic. That alone can save it. As long as the VFX avoids an uncanny effect, it could still see the success of The Little Mermaid (2023).
