According to the latest ‘whistles‘ on the digital streets, in hoping to undo at least some of the damage done by star Rachel Zegler’s very public denigration of the film’s source material, Disney is currently moving to trim her Snow White screen time by adding in a new subplot focused specifically on the titular princess’ childhood.
This rumor was first raised to the public on January 23rd courtesy of rising entertainment industry commentator and That Park Place editor WDW Pro.
[Disclosure: WDW Pro has a working relationship with Bounding Into Comics and is considered a personal friend by this article’s author.]
Terra (Jason Dohring) asks Snow White (Carolyn Gardner) for some directions in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (2010), Square Enix
Per information first relayed to him by an alleged insider source, in light of the Zegler’s star fading among audiences thanks to her aforementioned history of trashing every aspect of Disney’s original animated take on Snow White, the House of Mouse is presently working to “soften” the public’s perception of the princess’ live-action incarnation.
However, rather than do so by way of reshooting the film with a new actress or having Zegler attempt to portray a more traditional version of the princess – the former being considered unfeasible due to its costs and the latter because audiences would rightly find such a heel turn too unbelievable – Disney will instead attempt to salvage the live-action Snow White’s image with a new story beat centered on her younger self and brought to life by a completely separate actress.
Anthea (Rachel Zegler) defies her sisters Hespoera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu) in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Warner Bros. Discovery
To this end, as relayed by WDW Pro, “Disney has hired a young actress to play Snow White as a child.”
“The idea is to cut time out of Zegler’s performance, show Snow White as a cute little kid, and soften the character with flashbacks and/or major origin story portion at the beginning of the film,” he further recapped of his source’s information. “Of course, edits have not begun for these scenes as we believe they’re not shot yet, so things could change.”
Snow White (Adriana Caselotti) takes a nap in the Seven Dwarfs’ bed in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), DisneyAs of writing – and unsurprisingly given its explicit description by the YouTuber himself as a rumor – WDW Pro’s scoop remains uncorroborated by official sources.
But in an interesting twist, just days before WDW Pro broke his story, Disney-centric news outlet The DisInsider published a report claiming that the film had just cast 10-year-old CODA star Emilia Faucher to portray the child-aged princess.
The Prince (James Arnold Taylor) rushes to Snow White’s (Carolyn Gardner) side in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (2009), Square Enix
Should this rumor pan out, it would stand as but the latest change made to the animated original in it’s jump to live-action.
As previously reported, the film will make such further deviations from the source material as the addition of new character Jonathan, as portrayed by WeCrashed actor Andrew Burnap, and the Queen, as portrayed by Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, receiving her own song and dance numbers.
The Evil Queen (Lucille La Verne) takes up mixology in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney
Notably, like the preceding rumor, Faucher’s casting as a child-aged Snow White has yet to be confirmed by Disney or any parties related to the film’s production.
Ultimately, whether or not either report holds any weight – and if so, whether the admittedly adorable Faucher’s presence in the film will be enough to entice any audience members into handing their cash over to yet another of the Mouse’s soulless cash-grab – will be determined as Disney releases more information in the lead-up to Snow White‘s March 21st, 2025 release date.
