‘My dad and Walt would turn in their graves’: The son of the original ‘Snow White’ director slams the ‘pathetic’ remake starring Rachel Zegler and accuses ‘radical’ Disney of disrespecting the classics

The son of the original director of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ has slammed Disney’s ‘pathetic’ live-action remake of the film, accusing the company of disrespecting classics.

91-year-old David Hand, whose eponymous father directed the original 1937 animation, chided Walt Disney Studios for pursuing an “offensive” and “woke” remake of the film that aimed to “destroy” its predecessor “.

He said the new adaptation would “turn in his grave” both his father and Walt Disney himself, while criticizing the upcoming film starring Rachel Zegler.

This is just the latest Disney remake in a long line of live-action “reimaginings,” rewriting classic 20th-century animation for today’s audiences.

This comes after multiple videos surfaced online in which Zegler, 22, disparaged the original film – saying she “hated” it and found it “extremely dated”.

Snow White’s seven “magical creatures” can be seen behind-the-scenes in these pictures after bosses changed characters following criticism of the film’s outdated portrayal

David Hand, 91, whose eponymous father directed the original 1937 animation ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (pictured), chided Walt Disney Studios for going for an ‘offensive’ and ‘bright’ remake of the film

Rachel Zegler attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Warner Bros. Shazam! Fury Of The Gods’ at Regency Village Theater on March 14, 2023 in Los Angeles

Mr Hand told The Telegraph that many younger people haven’t even seen the film and therefore “don’t know what they’re talking about”. He said their views “misunderstood” the film.

He said the information known so far about the new film, which is set to hit theaters in March 2024, turned out to be a “very different concept”.

“I know my dad and Walt wouldn’t approve at all, either,” he told the publication, adding that the first film was “tastefully” produced.

Mr Hand added that it was “pathetic” that people should feel hostility towards the image, which will soon be nine decades old.

Amid the outrage over other Disney remakes — including this year’s The Little Mermaid — Mr. Hand chided the company for feeling it needed to recreate classic films.

He called their thoughts “radical” and said he was afraid to see what they would do next with other early films, adding that it was a “shame”.

Mr Hand said some of the remakes have been changed so much that the characters and the original stories are no longer the same.

He said they “invent new, bright things” and that they “have no respect for what Disney and my dad did.”

Rachel Zegler will play the Disney princess in the upcoming live-action remake

A substitute actress is pictured in Snow White’s outfit in the latest images from the film’s set in Bedfordshire, UK

Rachel Zegler attends the SAG-AFTRA members’ Rock The City For A Fair Contract rally July 25 in Times Square

While Disney has focused on remaking live-action versions of its classic films in recent years, he urged company executives to focus on new, original ideas.

Mr. Hand said they should create new characters and not destroy a classic.

This comes after Zegler said she thought the prince in the 1937 animation was a “stalker” whose “strange” plot won’t appear in the new remake.

The West Side Story actress also said her character was an “amazing leader,” though there was speculation the film wouldn’t be the classic love story.

Zegler told Variety in an interview, “She will not be saved by the prince and she will not dream of true love.”

Mr Hand said Snow White’s original voice actress, Adriana Caselotti – who Mr Hand says she met on several occasions – said she was “terrified” of claims her character was not a feminist.

Zegler plays the role of the Evil Queen alongside Gal Gadot

In an interview with Variety, Zegler (left) also said she would not portray the beloved character as she appeared in the 1937 cartoon

Other changes in the new production include replacing seven dwarves with “magical creatures”. The characters all appear to be a mix of gender, ethnicity, and height.

Disney made the decision to replace the seven dwarfs in the new version to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes” after Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage criticized the “fucking backwards story” last year. Due to the changes to the characters, the film will be called Snow White and remove the seven companions from the title.

There is also evidence that the classic Someday My Prince Will Come has also been scrapped.”

MailOnline reached out to Disney for comment but didn’t immediately respond.