How Backwards are the Seven Dwarves? The Snow White Dwarfism Row.

Disney’s frequently criticised but highly profitable factory of live-action remakes is still going strong, and the next live-action remake to enter production will be a new take on their 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. West Side Story breakout star Rachel Zegler will play the title role, with Gal Gadot getting to vamp it up as the Evil Queen. The traditional story is also receiving some substantial changes, as Broadway star Andrew Burnap will play a new male protagonist – a Robin Hood/Flynn Rider style rouge called Johnathan. In addition, the film will be feature new songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the duo behind the iconic music featured in La La Land and The Greatest Showman. After 5 ½ years in development hell, Snow White will finally begin production the middle of the year. However, before the cameras start rolling, Disney have to deal with one problem that is already giving them a real headache – In an age where increasing attention is being paid to the struggles of minority groups, is the traditional portrayal of the Seven Dwarves too un-PC for today’s sensibilities? The issue came out into the open after a complaint from America’s most famous and respected Dwarf celebrity, the actor Peter Dinklage. In an interview with Marc Maron on the WTF podcast, the Game of Thrones icon claimed that the story was “F-ing backwards” and argued that it was hypocritical that a company boasting about casting Latina actress Rachel Zegler as its lead character would preserve an inherently problematic take on dwarfism. In response, Disney issued a fairly generic corporate statement promising a more progressive depiction of Snow White’s companions. They stated they have been “taking a different approach with these seven characters” and claimed they held meetings with “members of the dwarfism community”. We still have no idea what changes have been made due to these routine discussions. An online article shortly afterward Disney’s statement suggested that the dwarves will be replaced by a new collection of unspecified fantasy creatures. On the other hand, the dwarf actor Martin Klebba (who was in the 2012 non-Disney Snow White retelling Mirror Mirror) has been rumoured to take over the role of the sceptical dwarf Grumpy. We still have to wait a few months for the start of filming, which will give us more time and the information necessary to make a clearer judgement over Disney’s approach towards dwarfism in their Snow White reimagining. Unsurprisingly, Dinklage’s complaints have created strong divides in the dwarfism community - several commentators in the dwarfism community have supported him, whilst others (including a few dwarf celebrities such as WWE star Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl) have accused him of trying to “cancel” the story of Snow White. As trivial as the argument over Dinklage’s comments may seem in comparison to other issues, it shined a valuable spotlight on the way Dwarfism is portrayed in the media, and the effect it has in the real world. Why do people believe that an escapist fantasy like Snow White perpetuates negative stereotypes about people with the condition, how can this be mended?

A Quick Overview of Dwarfism

Dwarfism is an umbrella term for a variety of genetic conditions that cause people to be considerably shorter than the average human height (This is usually between 5 and 6 ½ ft. tall, so people with Dwarfism are under 5 feet, with many being 4 ft or less.) In the medieval era, people with dwarfism were often treated as novelties in the royal courts (frequently getting hired as jesters) but this sort of exhibitionism became more widespread and toxic in the 19th century, as eugenics and other abhorrent aspects of “scientific thinking” led to discrimination against minorities becoming a far more systemic problem. During this time, people with Dwarfism were frequently put into freakshows. Sometimes, they were able to gain a degree of autonomy and financial security from this, but the psychological pressures caused by having to constantly maintain a regressive and stereotyped image of themselves to satisfy the prejudices of their audiences usually proved overwhelming. Other members of the dwarfism community found themselves forced to take part in experiments, most notoriously during the era of Nazism. As this article is too short to provide anything more than a basic overview of the struggles of the dwarfism community, we will simply focus on dwarf actors in modern film and TV. Most find themselves typecast in dwarf roles as fantasy creatures and goofy henchmen (Such as Nick Nack from The Man with the Golden Gun or Mini Me from the Austin Powers sequels). Even relatively positive portrayals of dwarf characters can contribute to mockery and insults from people who believe that they represent the entirety of the dwarf experience. And sometimes, dwarf actors can’t even get those roles. Some productions – including Snow White and the Huntsman – have used CGI to graft the faces of normal-sized actors onto dwarf bodies. Considering the outrage that was starting to accompany insensitive casting in other productions at the time, the lack of reaction to this outside the dwarfism community is a perfect embodiment of the “blind spot” that Dinklage was aiming to call out.* The casual cruelty towards people with dwarfism is embodied by the fact that many dwarf performers even find themselves forced to participate in degrading and frequently dangerous activities such as Dwarf Tossing** and Dwarf Wrestling.

In this climate, it is unsurprising that celebrities with dwarfism should feel so sensitive about the problems they face in society. Several dwarf actors (including Herve Villechaize, who Dinklage portrayed in the 2018 film My Dinner with Herve) committed suicide due to health conditions caused by their dwarfism and/or depression caused by the hostility they faced in their daily life. Like many actors with Dwarfism, Dinklage has often found himself cast in degrading roles earlier in his career, but his acclaimed performance as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones allowed Dinklange to shun the traditional fantasy creatures or angry/eccentric comic relief, and he has started using his influence to headline projects such as the recent musical drama Cyrano – where his disability adds new layers to the classic tale of Cyrano de Bergerac - and the forthcoming remake of the notoriously bad-taste cult superhero film The Toxic Avenger, where he plays an average joe turned into a vigilante superhero by the reliably destructive power of toxic waste. In the field of animation, Dinklage has voiced often voiced giants (Ice Age 4, The Angry Birds Movie) or characters of average height (The Croods 2) – an excellent way of challenging stereotypes of who dwarf actors can portray. In recent years, there has been noticeable progress when depicting actors with Dwarfism. Doctor Who often used dwarf actors to play villainous characters or quirky aliens, but the 2017 episode “The Pyramid at the End of the World” was praised for casting Rachel Denning as a human ally whose dwarfism is barely commented on. Another example of our increased sensitivity towards dwarf actors is the career trajectory of Warwick Davis, who went from being typecast as fantasy creatures (The Ewoks in Star Wars, various elves and goblin characters in the Harry Potter series) to finding success as a TV presenter and gameshow host. However, these feelgood stories still fail to make up for the fact that we still struggle to properly understand dwarfism in the media, and the average person with dwarfism is treated as a figure of ridicule by many.

Challenges with Representation

One of the is the notable trends in modern blockbusters is the growing emphasis on representing different cultures and minority groups as authentically as possible within a Hollywood framework. Representation is essentially an exercise in improving and extending a brand, a way for corporations like Disney to build their audience (and increase profits) and avoid unnecessary controversy. The ideal outcome is a success story like Black Panther or Encanto, where a film is generally welcomed by the community it represents and proves to be an enormous hit with those outside of it, as the characters and their struggles resonate with other cultures and generate increased understanding and empathy. However, it can be a challenge to target one group of people in particular, as those outside the represented demographic may not have the same investment in these stories – done badly, representation in movies can feel like “homework” for outsiders instead of escapism. This means that the projects can struggle to make money – Encanto only found mainstream success when it reached Disney +, and other blockbusters which focused on representation, such as West Side Story and In The Heights, ended up making a loss at the box office. Fans from the affected communities are the most exacting critics of these works. Even seemingly trivial alterations and compromises can attract a lot of criticism, and the lack of Hollywood films about certain cultures creates often unfair pressure on the ones we do get. The controversy surrounding the colourism in the adaption of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights (where most of the least roles were played by lighter skinned Latin American actors) is a clear example of this. A lot of this criticism is made with the intention of encouraging future films set in these cultures to improve on things (It is worth noting that Vivo and Encanto – two other Lin-Manuel Miranda films from 2021 rooted in various facets of Latinx culture - had no problems including darker-skinned characters in the core cast) but it can certainly be frustrating and demoralising, and the bad publicity can make studio heads reluctant to invest in more films from these cultures in the future.

Although increased sensitivity is generally synonymous with increased quality, this isn’t always the case, particularly when it comes to that ubiquitous Hollywood staple, the remake. One of the main complaints about Disney’s live-action remakes is their focus on editing out “problematic” elements from the original film. These have led to substantial criticism for adding too many complications to the source material and removing the sense of “magic” in order to try and explain away relatively minor plot holes or give female characters a larger role. Unsurprisingly, this sort of futile (and frequently half-hearted) attempt at attaining perfection fails to please either fans or detractors. Probably the most notable example of how the live-action remakes can be the worst of both worlds for Disney was their 2020 reimagining of Mulan. In order to win over Chinese critics who felt the original 1998 film was too westernised, Disney made several changes to the source material that aimed to make it more like a Marital Arts Fantasy epic – Mulan and her parents were the only characters from the original film who remained in this version. However, these alterations ended up removing a lot of the soul of the 1998 animation, with Mulan coming across as an unrealistically perfect “chosen one” instead of the brave and tenacious ordinary girl of the Disney film. It also failed to please anyone looking for greater authenticity, due to the all-white creative team and several moments where it provided an overly westernized view of Chinese magic. In short, Mulan highlighted the pitfalls of Disney’s attempt at balancing conventional Disney tropes with international sensibilities. Add to this the controversies over leading lady Liu Yifei’s support for the Chinese backed police forces during the Hong Kong protests, and Disney’s decision to shoot scenes in locations associated with the persecution and imprisonment of Uighur Muslims (Both these scandals alienated audiences across the political spectrum), and Mulan ended up creating a storm of negative publicity that reflected incredibly badly on the company.

Whilst Disney have started to attain a good line up of films depicting international cultures with greater respect, their handling of disability has been less impressive. One of Disney’s most notorious failures when depicting disabled people occurred in 1997, when they tried to make a live-action film based on the near-sighted 1950s cartoon character Mr Magoo. After 100 minutes of cheap jokes generated by Magoo’s inability to see things properly, the movie ended with a disclaimer stating that the film was “not intended as an accurate portrayal of blindness or poor eyesight”. In a sense, this made the problem even worse, as it seemed to imply that those concerned about the film were incapable of distinguishing fiction and reality. The Mr Magoo movie received some of Disney’s worst ever reviews and made so little money that it was pulled from cinemas early. Even in a time when representation was a less prominent issue, failing to respect those affected by problematic depictions of short sightedness had disastrous consequences for Disney, so hopefully they will be more careful when depicting disability in the future. However, the issues with the depiction of dwarfism at the heart of the Snow White are the sort that cannot easily be fixed…

Snow White and Dwarfism in Fairy Tales

When the row over Dinklage’s comments about Snow White reached the mainstream, the notorious gossip site TMZ approached the dwarf comedian Brad Williams for his opinion. He said he supported Dinklage’s argument, but also joked that the dwarves working in the diamond mine made them “self-made men” and thus better role models than a Prince who inherited all his wealth from his family. This ambivalent approach sums up the problems with the Seven Dwarves, but also their strengths. On one hand, they are ridiculous figures of fun – quirky comic relief linked to a single personality trait each. On the other hand, they are likeable and charismatic characters who end up being the ones to defeat the Evil Queen. The seven dwarves were the heart and soul of the original film, but that still can’t overcome the fact that the depiction of them does make them seem like comic “Others” who are entirely separate from modern society. When Walt Disney was making the original Snow White, America was defined by extremely conservative social values, and realism was far less important than showing the ways animation could depict a vivid fantasy world. This made it easier for audiences to separate the depiction of dwarfism in the movie from the real-life condition. The new Snow White movie is being made in the 2020s. It is being made in live-action, which forces a more grounded approach, and where films primarily focus on delivering authenticity and psychological complexity. As a result, the approach of the original film would no longer be viable.

Unsurprisingly, dwarves frequently appear in the world of fairytales. In the original Brothers Grimm story, the Seven Dwarves were not linked to any specific personalities (Walt Disney famously considered several alternative personality names before settling on Doc, Happy, Bashful, Grumpy, etc) and spent most of their time providing Snow White with warnings which she ignores. In the terse, simplistic world of fairytales, their dwarfism was their only unusual feature, but still marks them out as being an eccentric “other” defined by their helper roles. However, this is relatively progressive by fairytale standards as several Brothers Grimm stories feature evil dwarves - Two particularly notable examples of this occur in the Grimm classics Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White and Rose Red.*** One of the most infamous Dwarf villains to appear in a fairytale adaptation was the Wicked Dwarf from the East German fantasy movie The Singing Ringing Tree, which traumatised generations of British children when it screened on the BBC in the 1960s. Like the queer-coded villains from classic Disney films, these mysterious, proactive characters are more intriguing than the pretty princes and princesses, but still end up getting a gruesome comeuppance at the end, and the conflation of dwarfism and villainy is far more harmful than quirky but sympathetic sidekicks. Scholars like Amanda Leduc have explored the ableism that can often be part of the fairytale genre as a whole, and their work is worth checking out if you want a more detailed understanding of the issues with the portrayal of dwarfism in fairytales. However, one thing that is immediately clear is that even the most positive portrayals of dwarfism in the genre can still appear condescending and reductive for those who actually have the condition.

On paper, it is easy to see why Snow White would appear to be a reasonably strong choice for a live-action remake. Whilst many Disney live-action films have relatively modern hits, the original Snow White movie is now a whopping 85 years old. This gives it one advantage compared to the reimaginings of more modern movies. In addition to the problems mentioned above, Disney’s live-action remakes are limited by the need to stick to specific story beats and the clearly defined personalities of their characters. You can give Princess Jasmine clearer ambitions and a big power ballad, but she still has to remain a secondary character who needs to be rescued from Jafar in order for Aladdin to complete his classic character arc. In contrast, Snow White is a far simpler story with flatter characters – It says a lot when the most developed protagonists are defined by a single personality trait each. This means that Disney are relatively free from the constraints of the source material, and are able to make far more changes, allowing Snow White’s route to Happily Ever After to be more surprising and engaging, and more likely to stand out on its own terms. Criticisms of how Snow White portrays its female leads should be familiar to pretty much every fairytale enthusiast by now - even the least experienced storyteller can find ways to make Snow White less naïve and passive and give the Evil Queen motives more nuanced than mere vanity. For all the issues with the live-action production line, it will be interesting to see how Disney go about this task.

However, Disney’s screenwriters face a far harder challenge in trying to make the dwarves less problematic, as they must choose between removing them entirely or changing their personalities to highlight their complexities and their battles with the social prejudice they face due to their conditions. Both options are incredibly flawed. Disney remakes based on older animated films have often erased problematic elements outright (The supportive but horribly stereotyped crows from Dumbo, the conniving Siamese Cats from Lady and the Tramp) but this has sometimes been seen as a rather cowardly approach to the issue. This focus on cutting dated elements would really be a major issue with the Seven Dwarves, who are far more iconic and far more integral to the source material than the aforementioned crows and cats, who only appeared in a couple of scenes. Disney’s live-action remakes have usually opted for the “rewriting” approach, with comic relief characters generally depicted in a more serious and respectful manner. However, rewriting the Seven Dwarves would retain many of the issues with Disney’s live-action character alterations, as this would diminish the child-friendly charm that has made them popular over the years, and have too little impact on the story for those who want a more progressive take.

Since 1937, there have been a variety of Snow White adaptations, which have failed to upstage the Disney version, but still gained substantial success in their own right. Although Snow White and the Huntsman represents the nadir with its refusal to use dwarf actors, other modern versions of Snow White have been more sensitive. Probably the most notable recent retelling of Snow White is Jennifer Donnelly’s 2020 YA novel Poisoned. This had various ways of ensuring that the depiction of the Seven Dwarves avoids being offensive. First of all, the dwarves are inhabitants of a fantasy world full of creatures far more bizarre than they are. For starters, they have a giant ladybird as their maid and a giant spider as their chef (Having characters who already help them do their own housework gives them a level of autonomy and even respectability). In this context, seeing seven people of shorter than average height feels entirely normal. Second, they are portrayed relatively seriously as competent characters with clearly defined skills and interests. One of them creates a clockwork heart for heroine Sophie that proves a surprisingly effective replacement for the heart that was removed by the huntsman at the start of the story. This certainly makes it clear that the Dwarves are positive and heroic characters, but their role in the story still revolves around the happy ending of our average-sized human lead rather than getting one of their own. ****

The limitations of the portrayal of people with dwarfism in the Snow White story can be tied to the limits of fantasy in general. The genre often tries to use fantastical creatures as an equivalent to real life social groups, but this can often be rife with problems – the use of fantasy has a distancing effect, and whilst this can be useful in allowing us to understand social problems from a new perspective, it can often reinforce toxic perceptions of the groups affected by them. The use of dwarves and elves in fantasy can feel very limited and stereotypical compared to the portrayal of other forms of disability (Going back to Poisoned, the fantasy symbolism of Sophie’s clockwork heart feels like a more effective metaphor for living with disability than even the most empathetic depiction of fantasy dwarfs). It’s no surprise that many members of the dwarfism community believe that the use of dwarfs in the fantasy genre should be reduced or even dropped entirely in favour of a more grounded and naturalistic approach. However, an effective depiction of dwarfism in fantasy can be far more beneficial than a limited and regressive one in the real world. There should be a better balance between fantastical and realistic depictions of dwarfism, but that doesn’t mean that the former should be eliminated entirely.

Conclusion

The challenges faced when representing dwarf actors are similar to those faced when representing other disabled groups. You have to explore their condition honestly whilst highlighting the fact that people with dwarfism are still just as intelligent and competent as those of normal height and affected by many of the same flaws and insecurities. The difficulties for writers of average height trying to do justice to the dwarfism community, particularly in the fairytale fantasy genre. If the Dwarves are featured in Snow White (and the fact that these central characters might NOT be included is proof that they have become too problematic today.) they will certainly be sympathetic characters with a greater degree of depth, but it is unlikely that the stereotypes surrounding them will be challenged enough to win over Dinklage and other doubters. *****

There is an odd paradox at the heart of this debate. The power of the Snow White brand means that changing its portrayal of Dwarfism certainly matters, but it won’t change too much for the average person with the condition. The issue with Snow White is never really that story (There are several worse portrayals of people with Dwarfism, but also several that depict them with far more sensitivity), it’s all of the bullies who see a person with Dwarfism and make “seven dwarves” jokes. Regardless of how the Snow White remake deals with the issues of the source material, this will persist for some time. There are three primary solutions to this. First of all, be more assertive in calling out ableist bullying and height-based insults. Secondly, allow dwarf actors to play positive roles they wouldn’t normally be associated with. Most importantly, we have to challenge our perceptions and stereotypes about dwarfism and give people with the condition more opportunity to defy these cliches. If we want to be able to enjoy Snow White with less guilt, we need to ensure that it has less of a stranglehold on our understanding of dwarfism.

Notes

*The most compelling argument for keeping the seven dwarves intact is the prospect of giving positive representation to actors with dwarfism, but there are several ways of allowing actors with dwarfism to have a central role whilst avoiding “Dopey, Happy, Grumpy” cliches…

**One of the first things Dinklage did after Game of Thrones took off was to speak about the tragic story of Martin Henderson, who received debilitating injuries after being forced to participate in a Dwarf Tossing game and died from these in 2016. Whatever your opinions on Snow White, Dinklage’s status as an advocate for dwarfism deserves to be treated with the utmost respect.

***Though the Snow White of Snow White and Rose Red is a different character bar her name and appearance, Disney planned to do a live-action film where Rose Red was sister of the traditional Snow White. This project was scrapped in favour of a more familiar Snow White tale.

****Williams argued that it would be better if Snow White ended up with the dwarves instead of the Prince, but this is not solely a product of modern progressive thinking. There are several variants of Snow White where she stays with the dwarves at the end. Even the notorious 1943 cartoon 'Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarves' – one of eleven Looney Tunes shorts removed from circulation in the late 1960s due to their use of extremely crude racist imagery and stereotypes – made the “Dopey” character the one who woke up the female lead with “True Love’s Kiss”.

*****It is important to point out that there will also be many people in the dwarfism community who will welcome a more conventional take on the seven dwarves. A central part of the push for greater awareness of dwarfism is accepting that people with the condition can have many different opinions on a topic, even if these go against progressive/politically correct conventions. However, this merely confirms the fact that treating them with respect and understanding is far more important than their opinions on an over adapted fairy tale…