The disabled community raised concerns after Disney revealed intentions to adapt their 1937 film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in real action. How would it be possible to handle the dwarf characters without offending anyone? Actor Peter Dinklage was among those who questioned whether the film could possibly be redone in light of the progressive views that are currently held regarding individuals with disabilities. Movies that have a historically negative attitude toward the disabled, particularly the little people (LP) population, usually make me nervous. While “Wicked” attempted to do something novel by casting actress Marissa Bode as Nessarose in an authentic manner, it didn’t really address the broken legacy of the Munchkins. In contrast, films like the recent “Wonka” have mostly been shrugged off by people who don’t pay attention to disability representation in films.

What category does Disney’s latest “Snow White” fit into? Though it shifts away from the Dwarfs’ issue rather than addressing it, it surprisingly strives a little higher than either “Wonka” or “Wicked.” This is not surprising. The film is simply called “Snow White,” and Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot are prominently featured on billboards and other promotional materials. In Los Angeles, a billboard for the film merely displays the dwarfs’ feet at the bottom.

In response to accusations that the characters would be computer-generated imagery, the Mouse House declared that the dwarves were actually LPs rather than dwarves. The animals were “magical.” The dwarfs claim that Snow White is a “human” when they first encounter her, although they are not. The dwarfs are introduced working in their mine, where their touch helps them locate where diamonds are. Except for one strange scene in which Snow White thinks Doc (voiced by Jeremy Swift) is a real doctor and gives him the task of saving someone’s life, which he accomplishes, they don’t have any other jobs outside of this. So is he actually a doctor? Since the Evil Queen (Gadot) is also human and possesses magic abilities, and the only other creatures we see are the large-eyed computer-generated creatures that appear to be able to coordinate and communicate with Snow White, calling them magical (but not human) seems like the script painted itself into a corner. In a setting where the rules of the film do not specify what the other is, the dwarfs are othered. Once more, the dwarfs are unique due to their diminutive size.

The use of LPs in movies has proven challenging for Hollywood. Billy Barty, a little person and actor, devoted a large portion of his cinematic career in the 1930s to portraying youngsters, most notably a lustful infant in the Busby Berkeley musical “Gold Diggers of 1933.” Since then, the most well-known LPs have been the young, doll-like Munchkins from 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” and the wise, foreboding Oompa Loompas from 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Since then, because of their diminutive size, LP performers have been forced to play other kinds of elves or to play humorous parts. With the advent of computer-generated imagery (CGI), even those positions are now being eliminated in an effort to simply “shrink” individuals of normal size.

In the current situation, studios engage in what I term “awareness acknowledgment.” This occurs in films where the director or studio knows they must depict persons with impairments, so they put them in the frame but don’t offer them any character development. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is a prime example. One scene features a woman with a limb difference, and another notably features a wheelchair user at the front. It’s even more annoying that neither of these characters has a name or personality, especially because there is a Barbie named Becky who uses a wheelchair. Due to their disability, they are simply extras with prominent placement. This kind of awareness acknowledgment is ineffective for representation because the characters aren’t really characters. They are positioned in the frame as a set dressing to prevent reaction or criticism.

By including real LPs in the movie and giving one of them a legitimate character, “Snow White” aims to disprove the notion that the Dwarfs are emblematic of LPs. Snow White meets Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), a charming robber who leads a gang of forest-dwelling criminals. Quigg (George Appleby), an LP and self-described “Master of the Crossbow,” is one of those robbers. Although there isn’t much information about Quigg’s past, he is shown to be as valiant and courageous as the other bandits that battle the Evil Queen. He’s got good comedic timing and has the opportunity to save the day. He ultimately has more characterization than the real dwarfs because he actively participates in the narrative. There are also other LP actors in the crowd sequences. Although they aren’t revolutionary changes, Disney could have easily avoided making them. It further demonstrates that, if you make it a priority, accurate casting is important.
The most depressing aspect of this is how apathetic audiences have grown toward poor representation of people with disabilities. The Latina actress Zegler’s “woke” choice for the main part and her derogatory remarks about the original film and President Trump have generated a lot of discussion surrounding the picture. Gadot, who is Israeli, has also faced criticism because of the present state of affairs in Gaza. However, because disability is still so invisible, it appears that people are really interested in those disputes. Hugh Grant’s portrayal of a little person in “Wonka” is nothing new to us, but we’ve become accustomed to disability erasure.

This is not an easy task. Prioritizing stories and characters with disabilities is still a challenge for Disney. Even though LP actor Martin Klebba plays Grumpy in “Snow White,” they continue to cast impaired persons in minor roles and don’t always use voice actors in an appropriate manner. Having a character like Quigg around is a good start, but that’s all it is, a start.