In March of this year, The Walt Disney Company held its 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, where CEO Bob Iger spoke about the company’s “outstanding year at the global box office following [their] reorganisation that restored creativity to the centre of [their] studios”.  

Paradoxically, Disney’s top three films of 2024 were Pixar’s Inside Out 2, Marvel’s Deadpool and Wolverine and Walt Disney’s animation studio’s Moana 2. 

A creatively centred company based on the rehashing and restructuring of previous plotlines.  

Iger then went on to announce a sequel to another of Disney’s films, Coco.  

“There’s never been a better time to be a storyteller”  He quips.  

The economic value of nostalgia in our collective consciousness cannot be underestimated. In fact, these three films, based on previously established franchises, brought Disney collectively 2.8 billion dollars at the box office, outstripping their initial spending.  

Originality brings with it a certain risk.  

Cinema was once a powerful method of communication, expressing culture, education and propaganda in a way that was accessible to all. Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stated, “The influence in India of films is greater than newspapers and books combined”. India’s literacy rate when Nehru was appointed to office was just 12.2%, allowing films to bridge an emotional gap that the written word could not.  

The same can be said of Disney’s animated film Snow White and the 7 dwarves. Yes, technically an adaptation of a Grimm’s Brother’s tale, the very media I am currently disparaging, but hear me out.  

Originally referred to as “Disney’s Folly”, movie-industry insiders mocked the full-length film’s concept, arguing that a return to the 6-7 minute animated shorts they were accustomed to was better. Walt Disney went ahead with the film’s production.  

With the resounding success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves when it hit theatres, Disney’s opponents were well and truly proven wrong. The film emerged as a cultural touchstone during the Great Depression. The stereotypical ‘Wicked Queen” presented a fictional outlet for those out of their luck to point fingers at. Snow White’s ability to accept and live in the subpar conditions of the cottage resonated with Americans whose living standards had also degraded. The decision to change the final scene, which in the original fairy tale is the Queen’s cruel death by way of hot dancing shoes, to one of romance, again provided an escape for millions of Americans.  

There it was. That hint of originality. That risk.  

Snow White’s tale has been remade, rebooted and resold a variety of times, each subtly reflecting its historical context. One notable example is 2012’s Mirror Mirror, Snow White is trained in combat and defeats her prince in an unwitting battle, reflecting the “Girlboss” movement popularised in the 2010s. The film has since become a cult classic among Gen Z and Millennials, despite Lily Collins’ cheesy delivery.  

2025’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves aims to bring a fresh breath of air once again to the beloved classic. However, unlike its predecessors, this film has become Disney’s poisoned apple.  

In a confusing move, Disney cast the gorgeous Latino actor Rachel Zegler as Snow White, but then opted to use CGI animation to create the dwarves. Perhaps in some perverse way, this is also reflective of our current social climate. One that sees abortion being banned in multiple countries and LGBTQ+ rights being revoked, despite an incredible comeback for endangered shorebirds on the New South Wales North Coast. In addition to this, the film adopts a similar tumbler-esque ‘Girlboss’ theme, a trend that has since waned in 2025.  

What a lack of originality.  

It is evident that this new live-action remake was merely an attempt at raising funds, with its scaled-back promotion following backlash indicative of Disney’s attempt to rely on nostalgia to drive engagement.  

Or maybe, we just need to start thinking of new stories.