Disney’s Snow White controversy might’ve been avoided if they’d heeded Peter Jackson’s blunt take on CGI dwarves during The Hobbit era.

Peter Jackson opposed CGI dwarves for The Hobbit, valuing authentic performances from real actors over digital replacements.
Fans criticized Disney’s Snow White remake after their decision to use CGI dwarves, sparking widespread backlash over authenticity concerns.
Jackson’s success with practical effects and real performances showcased a formula Disney missed, leading to their current Snow White controversy.

Disney could’ve avoided the whole ugly Snow White controversy if they’d just tuned into Peter Jackson’s blunt take on CGI dwarves back in the Hobbit days. Seriously. Jackson didn’t mince words when he slammed the idea of computer-generated dwarves, calling out how weird it would look.

Peter Jackson in The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee | Credit: Canal Cat Films

Fast forward, and Disney tried to pull the same stunt with their live-action Snow White remake, thinking CGI could somehow replace real actors for the iconic dwarves.

Peter Jackson’s CGI wisdom: Why Disney’s Snow White dwarves missed the mark

A still from the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) | Credits: Walt Disney Productions

Disney could’ve dodged the whole Snow White dwarf controversy if they’d just listened to Peter Jackson’s blunt take on CGI dwarves back during The Hobbit era.

Jackson, who knows a thing or two about blending special effects and real performances, famously slammed the idea of CGI dwarves, saying it would’ve been “crazy” to go that route for The Hobbit‘s dwarves. He believed it was crucial to capture the individual performances of actors, not just rely on tech.

Fast forward to Disney’s Snow White remake, where fans were furious when the studio announced they’d use CGI for the dwarves, sparking an outcry over authenticity. Despite the backlash, Disney stuck with the CGI plan, but fans are still not over it.

What Jackson knew – and Disney seemed to ignore – was that sometimes, real performances trump even the most cutting-edge tech. Jackson asserted during an interview:

I do think that for the degree of performance that I want to get out of some of these characters, we’re getting to the point where digital effects are certainly overtaking prosthetics to some extent. For instance, in the movies we’re making now, we have a lot of drawf characters. Now you would never make the 13 dwarfs of The Hobbit CGI characters. 

That would be kind of crazy; you’d virtually be making a Pixar film. You want to get all the wonderful joy out of the individual performances. However, on The Lord of the Rings we had actors in prosthetics playing the orcs, and I was always a little frustrated by that. If I could have afforded it then, I would have much preferred to have all the orcs CGI. Now, in The Hobbit, I can.

Peter Jackson’s journey from low-budget splatter films to creating the cinematic magic of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is proof that a blend of practical effects and CGI is the sweet spot. After all, The Hobbit‘s dwarves were all about performance, and no one wanted to see them replaced by digital versions. Disney, take notes.

Peter Jackson’s DIY filmmaking: How low-budget ingenuity created Bad Taste’s success

A still from The Bad Taste | Credits: WingNut Films

Before hitting it big with The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson was making splatter comedies on a shoestring budget. His 1987 film Bad Taste is a masterclass in DIY filmmaking.

With just $25,000 to start, Jackson baked masks in his mom’s oven, filmed with a second-hand Bolex (that didn’t record sound), and constructed props like a $20 spring-loaded steady-cam. The crew, mostly friends, shot weekends over four years.

When the New Zealand Film Commission stepped in with a $235,000 budget, Peter Jackson’s ingenuity had already made the film a hit. The lesson: Creativity can make up for a lack of cash, proving that any filmmaker can get started with what they’ve got.