Context
Although two travel writers for the San Francisco Chronicle s online publication SFGate criticized the fact that the kiss was included in a revamped Snow White ride at Disneyland, we found no evidence of a serious effort underway to cancel the classic animated film.
Origin
On May 1, 2021, SFGate, a digital publication run by the San Francisco Chronicle, published a brief, mostly positive review of Disneyland’s revamped Snow White attraction.
Now called Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, the ride replaced Snow White’s Scary Adventures in Fantasyland when the park reopened at the end of April 2021. SFGate writers Julie Tremaine and Katie Dowd wrote, for the most part, in glowing terms about the reopened ride.
Jim Shull, Disney Imagineer, defends spectacular Snow White ride amid backlash Follow Us
Question of the Day The Sleeping Beauty Castle is seen at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 30, 2021. The iconic theme park in Southern California that was closed under the state’s strict virus rules swung open its gates Friday and some visitors came . more > By Jessica Chasmar - The Washington Times - Monday, May 10, 2021
Longtime Disney Imagineer Jim Shull defended the updated Snow White ride at Disneyland that has faced backlash for including the famed “true love’s kiss” that critics deemed problematic.
Disneyland reopened in Anaheim last month after being closed for more than a year due to the coronavirus lockdowns, and “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish,” which had been renovated during the closure, gained some attention for including the kiss that
Disneyland Imagineer Weighs In On The Calls To Cancel Snow White
Disneyland reopened last week and parkgoers have discovered a number of changes and updates since their last visit. One of them is a revamp of the Snow White ride, which is among the few attractions that have remained there since opening day in 1955. Now named
Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, it retells the story of the classic movie using state-of-the-art audiovisual technology, new music, laser projections and a fresh animation system.
But a bizarre controversy has spun up around it as of late. This centers on the final moments of the film, where the Prince gives “true love’s kiss” to the poisoned Snow White and awakens her from eternal sleep. The story appears to arise from an article in SF Gate, in which the writer praises the ride as “gorgeous” and “beautifully executed,” but takes issue with the Prince kissing Snow White without her consent.
CinemaBlend
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Disneyland has only been open for a week and already the theme park has been the center of a controversy, albeit a strange one. The update to the Snow White dark ride, Snow White s Enchanted Wish, included a number of improvements to the attraction, but one change was seen as unnecessary by at least one writer, who was critical of the inclusion of the true love s kiss moment, as it was technically a non-consensual kiss. What followed was a cascade of overreactions. The initial criticism was blown up by some to be bigger than it actually was, resulting in a backlash to the backlash that was already blown out of proportion.
7 May 2021
Disney Executive Creative Director Jim Shull took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend Disneyland’s Snow White Enchanted Wish ride, which has been under attack over a scene that critics say includes a “non-consensual kiss” between Prince Charming and Snow White.
“Allowing for the fact that cultural changes occur over decades it must be acknowledged that in the context of the tale on which the film is based that the ride is accurate,” Shull tweeted. “People are of course allowed to dislike the story but the Imagineering team did a spectacular job!”
Allowing for the fact that cultural changes occur over decades it must be acknowledged that in the context of the tale on which the film is based that the ride is accurate. People are of course allowed to dislike the story but the Imagineering team did a spectacular job! #Disneypic.twitter.com/3aXFkNvHv4