GB News presenter Anne Diamond has criticised Disney’s decision to “destroy” their backlog of tales with a series of revamps.
It comes as the son of the animator who directed the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs claimed his father would be “turning in his grave” over the company’s latest offering.
David Hand, whose father, also called David Hand, worked with Walt Disney to create the 1937 classic, said the company founder would also be in despair.
Changes include the rebranding of the seven dwarfs, with the characters now being called “magical creatures”.
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Diamond said Disney are voluntarily going about destroying their own stories.
“It’s like they’re going through their own backlog and destroying it”, she told Martin Daubney and Stephanie Takyi.
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“Why would you do that? Walt Disney wouldn’t want them to do that.”
Showbiz journalist Takyi added the company have “ripped to shreds” the legacy of Snow White with the host of changes.
“I think parents will still take their children anyway,” she said.
“Kids are none the wiser, it’s only the adults who will see that is has been ripped to shreds.
Disney movies are exclusively streamed on their own platform
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“As a parent, you will want to show them the classic, then the new film, and then make them decide [what they prefer].”
Snow White has become yet another Disney live-action “reimagining”, where old classics are rewritten for modern audiences.
Rachel Zegler, who is starring in the film’s lead role, has sparked debate by suggesting that the original storyline was no longer suitable for modern audiences.
She told ExtraTV in 2022: “The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird!
Other Disney remakes such as The Little Mermaid have drawn criticism
Disney“So we didn’t do that this time.”
Speaking to The Telegraph, David Hand said a lot of younger people “don’t know what they’re talking about”.
“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 said: “They change the stories, they change the thought process of the characters… they’re making up new woke things and I’m just not into any of that.
“I find it quite frankly a bit insulting [what] they may have done with some of these classic films… There’s no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did… I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves.”
Zegler has not directly addressed the debate, however, she said in a post on social media on 11 August: “I hope the world becomes kinder”.
She added: “I love you very much. forever and ever. remember to be kind.
“Treat each other with patience and empathy. remember that you are loved unconditionally, no matter your mistakes, no matter your misunderstandings. you deserve it. you deserve love. you deserve to live without fear. x”
