Disney’s use of CGI to create the seven miners at the heart of the live-action remake of Snow White And The Seven Dwarves has left little people feeling “disregarded” and “erased,” according to a disability activist.
Comedian, model and content creator Fats Timbo, who has spoken about being bullied as a child, told Sky News she believes Disney has missed a golden opportunity to educate children in what is likely to be their first encounter with someone with dwarfism.
Timbo, who has dedicated her activism to raising the profile of people of short stature, has achondroplasia, a genetic condition that inhibits growth and affects around one in 27,500 people.
Award-winning actor Peter Dinklage, who has the same condition, previously criticised the film, telling the WTF With Marc Maron podcast: “It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarves living in a cave together?”
Following the remarks, Disney said it consulted with members of the dwarfism community to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film”.
It was the 1937 classic that established Disney’s name as an industry leader. But the remake has been beset by controversy.
Early on it was labelled “woke” due to its casting of Latina actress Rachel Zegler, who is of Colombian-Polish descent, in the lead role.
Zegler also faced backlash after suggesting the early version of the film had content that was unsuitable for the 21st century – namely the fact the prince “literally stalks” Snow White.
There was then speculation as to whether Zegler and Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who plays the evil queen, got on as they have previously expressed very different views over the Gaza war.
Not dwarves but ‘animated magical creatures’
Now the erasing of the dwarves – first from the title, then from the film, at least in human form – is proving highly divisive.
Disney used computer-generated images (CGI) to create what they called “animated magical creatures” rather than using little people in the roles.
Timbo tells Sky News: “Our representation is already small as it is – no pun intended. It’s already limited. To erase that and use CGI, like we’re mythical creatures or people that could be made on computers, it’s disregarding us in general.”
She goes on: “Let’s say kids have never seen somebody that has my condition and they’ve seen a CGI version of me. It’s going to be a bit baffling to children. It could have been a real educational piece to have actors that have the condition and give them the role they deserve.”
Timbo says lack of visibility for small people has real-world consequences.
“I used to get made fun of all the time. [Kids would be] saying ‘You’re one of the dwarves from Snow White,’ that kind of thing. I think now when somebody sees a little person, they’re not going to believe it’s real. They’re going to see that CGI version on Snow White instead of seeing a real little person that has real character with real depth.”
‘Snow White And The Little People’
Timbo says other children’s films were also used to taunt her, including Charlie And The Chocolate Factory: “The Oompa Loompas – I got called that all the time.”
In the Snow White remake, Martin Klebba voices CGI Grumpy, while George Appleby has a physical character, playing one of a band of seven robbers – both actors are little people.
But the decision not to use people of small stature to play all seven dwarves on-screen has left many scratching their heads.
And it’s not the first time small people have been edited out of movies.
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’s 2023 re-make, Wonka, used special effects to shrink down Hugh Grant to play an Oompa Loompa, while 2012 film Snow White And The Huntsman replaced its dwarves with able-bodied actors Ian McShane, Ray Winstone and Nick Frost.
Not a fan of the term dwarfism, Timbo says she thinks Disney would also have done well to tackle the title differently, too: “If they had put a different spin on it where it was Snow White And The Little People, that would have sounded great.”
She says that in an attempt to avoid controversy, Disney chose “the safe option” of simply cutting the physical roles completely, and letting CGI fill the void.
It’s a decision Timbo calls “upsetting,” due to the fact it “reaffirms the negative stereotypes of little people not being actual people”.
Disney’s poisoned apple
Timbo’s 2023 book Main Character Energy, about living fearlessly in the face of adversity, seems like it could be a good read for the bosses of Disney right now, as they face growing criticism over the decision.
With a muted release (no Leicester Square premiere, and a limited LA debut) it’s been a less-than-fairytale opening for a movie which had been intended to rival the success of 2017 remake Beauty And The Beast. Many might say it has turned into something of a poisoned apple.
Proving controversial and polarising, the response couldn’t be more removed from Disney’s brand proposition if it tried. Early reviews are so far mixed.
Timbo says she will give the movie a shot: “I want to see if it lives up to the hype or the bad press.”
Box office figures and audience ratings will soon deliver a verdict, and Timbo remains generous despite reservations: “I want it to surprise me, I want to enjoy it… I hope it does do well. But obviously, I think Disney could have done things a bit differently.”
Sky News has contacted Disney for comment.
Snow White is in cinemas now.
