Rachel Zegler, who was recently cast asSnow Whitefor the upcoming Disney live-action remake, visited Disney World for what she called “character research.” Zegler is a rising singer, actress, and established YouTuber who will also be debuting in her first landmark role in Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Storyin December.
Rachel Zeglerauditioned as a teenager amongst “30,000 other girls” for the role of Maria in Spielberg’s musical remake. Her talent caught the eye of Disney, leading them to select her for another role as Snow White.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarvesis the first everDisneyanimated feature and was released in 1937. Over 80 years old now, the movie still remains prevalent in the pop culture eye, with lovable characters like Snow White herself, Grumpy, Dopey, and the Evil Queen, one of Disney’s most horrifying villains.
Based on a fairytale from the Brothers Grimm, the Snow White story has received many adaptations includingSnow White & the HuntsmanandMirror Mirror. However, Disney has yet to make a live-action adaptation thus far. With the success of their other remakes likeThe Lion KingandBeauty and the Beast, a live-action version of Snow White was inevitable. The film will be directed by Marc Webb and will feature new music from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La LandandThe Greatest Showman).
Based on her Instagram posts, Zegler is incredibly excited to bestepping into the role of a Disney princess. In her Instagram post, she can be seen sporting a Snow White backpack and a red bow. She is viewing a cavalcade with Disney Princesses, most notably with Snow White blowing kisses back to her. The caption for the post says “character research.” The actresses who portray princesses atDisney parksoften do remarkable impressions of the animated characters, so it isn’t a bad idea for Zegler to do some research of her contemporaries.
Disney is really committing to creating live-action versions of all of their animated films and Snow White is one of many upcoming films. Another upcoming film isThe Little Mermaidand Ariel herself, Halle Bailey, took to Instagram sharing a post that she had wrapped filming on it. The Little Mermaid movie also stars Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder. There is still no release date for The Little Mermaid yet.
Some other projects includePinocchiowith Tom Hanks as Gepetto,Peter Pan and Wendy,Lilo & Stitch, and an adaptation ofHerculeswhich is being produced by the Russo Brothers. Most recently, Disney releasedCruellawhich starred Emma Stone and told the origins of the classic villain from101 Dalmatians.
With all of the live-action remakes coming from Disney, it will be great to see them bring their first animated film to a new generation. These remakes have landed with some mixed reactions from audiences and critics, so we can only wait and see if theSnow Whiteremake manages to live up to the original. Zegler is certainly excited to give it her best effort.
