Hey, I know you don't like Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, but have you heard of Mirror Mirror and Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre episode about Snow White and The Seven Dwarves? I've heard from Aubrey Smalls, who is also a little person, that these adaptations actually have good little people representation. Shelley Duvall's version has the dwarves portrayed as human beings and gives them actual names and doesn't make their personalities rough. Mirror Mirror has them take on a sort of fairy godmother/mentor role, gives them character development, and has them make jokes (including firing shots at the prince.) And of course they all cast actual actors with dwarfism, no CGI or anything!
Hello! Yes, I've mentioned it before, but I will say again that Mirror Mirror (2012) is easily the best rendition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that I've seen.
The film calls out the Ugly Laws of the time, explicitly stating that the evil queen "banished all the uglies", forcing the seven dwarfs to live together outside the village. Despite this always being the case, this is the first version I've seen that made it clear that the seven dwarfs were outcasts.
In this version, the seven dwarfs are called Grimm, Napoleon, Butcher, Wolf, Half Pint, Chuck and Grub. Unlike in the original disney where the dwarfs are named after their one-note personalities, here their names reference the roles they once held in the community. (Butcher being the town butcher, Half Pint ran the pub, Grub liked to cook, etc.)
The dwarfs were humanized in the story not just by having their individual pasts and identities, but also having wants and desires outside of helping Snow White. They wanted to fall in love, return to work, make art, etc. And they achieved these goals and returned to their village when the story resolved.
The cast of dwarfs are played by actors with dwarfism, and their appearances aren't edited to be gnome or goblin like such as in other versions of the story. Here they are real little people with real lives, their own individual identities, and complex personalities.
Overall the film was beautiful to watch, with lavish costumes and vibrant colours. It was a very creative take, and one that I appreciated.
This all being said, we do not need to keep recreating this story. We've had countless versions and this one is the best of the bunch. Write new stories!! Stop retelling Snow White!!!
