After months of speculation, Disney has finally unveiled the first trailer for the live-action remake of Snow White. The trailer was released at the fan-favourite event D23 in Anaheim, California, on Friday. While the film became a subject of controversy when it was first announced in 2016, the teaser has only added fuel to the fire, with fans attacking Rachel Zegler and Peter Dinklage online.

Netizens slam Disney for casting Rachel Zegler as Snow White

The 23-year-old actress has been under fire even before Disney released a trailer for the Snow White remake. Last year, Zegler faced major criticism for her controversial remarks about the upcoming film, which is set to hit the theatres in 2025. “I just mean that it’s no longer 1937. We absolutely wrote a ‘Snow White’ that ... she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love," she said at the time, per Variety.

“She’s going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true,” Zegler added. However, following the release of the teaser trailer, which provided a first look at Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, things took a different turn. Netizens are now comparing Zegler's appearance to that of the Wonder Woman star.

Ardent Disney fans have flooded social media criticising showrunners, with one saying, “This looks like hot garbage.” “Are you really expecting us to believe that Snow White is more beautiful than the villain?” wrote another user on X, formerly Twitter. The clip, which was aimed at providing viewers with a “magical” experience, has sparked a debate over “woke” casting, with another user saying, “Woke flop. Lets add it to the list.”

Another user said, “The trailer looks fine but unfortunately Rachel Ziegler has done irreparable damage to this film by trashing the original film for clout. If the classic plot elements that she said are omitted from the film really aren’t there, then this is going to be a dumpster fire.”

Peter Dinklage slammed for CGI dwarves

Zegler is not the only actor facing backlash for the Snow White remake. Dinklage, who is famed for Game of Thrones, is drawing heat for his past comments about the seven dwarves. “I was a little taken aback by [the fact] they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White,” Dinklage told podcaster Marc Maron, adding, “but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

“You’re progressive in one way but you’re still making that f**king backward story of seven dwarves living in the cave. What the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough,” the 55-year-old actor continued. “They were so proud of that, and all love and respect to the actress and the people who thought they were doing the right thing but I’m just like, ‘What are you doing?’" he added.

Dinklage's harsh criticism of the film provoked showrunners to scrap the seven dwarves altogether and use CGI instead. This change did not sit well with fans, considering the film is a live-action remake. “This movie could have started so many careers for up and coming dwarf actors. But no, peter Dinklage just had to ruin it for his community. If he wasn’t type casted no one would know who Peter is. Also Snow White isn’t Latino. Please boycott this horrid movie,” one angry user said.