Over the past couple of weeks, I have been bashing on Disney’s live action Snow White movie which is currently in the works. Every time I hear or learn something new about Disney’s movie, mostly via actress Rachel Zegler, the more it sounds horrible to the point where I would say that they aren’t even making a Snow White movie anymore. So I have decided to challenge myself as to whether or not I can write a better Snow White story than Disney.
However, I am going to give myself some conditions. I am going to take some of the key selling points that Disney and Zegler are throwing out into the wind and incorporate some of them into the story. Specifically, Snow White becoming a leader and, in a way, also incorporating Disney’s new interpretation of “the fairest one of all” which is to be just.
Still weird for me to say, but Disney is the one doing it.
My version of the story will retain the regular elements and themes of the original animated Disney movie and the original Grimm version. There will be a Prince Charming and the Huntsman, while staying true to the themes of good always triumph, true love conquers all, and that evil always loses. There will also be true love’s kiss which Disney hates and Snow White will, I hope, retain her femininity while learning to become a leader. I look to JRR Tolkien’s Galadriel for some inspiration on that score.
How could I not, when I argued so vehemently for Galadriel against Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s atrocious desecration of the character.
During my brainstorming session I have started writing a backstory for the mirror (called the Mirror of Shadows), the seven Dwarves, the Evil Queen, and even the Huntsman with ties between them all in one fashion or another. Which, in my delirious mind, could provide some really great moments for the story. I am also creating some new characters. For example, I am introducing goblins into the story and an Evil Witch, a Good Witch, and an evil Baron.
Right now, my notes and overall synopsis is almost at 3,000 words and I am curious how long the synopsis itself will be.
And I do know how this story will end.
With true love’s kiss.
But I really want to show Disney how to change a story without destroying it completely. Hell, I have already created the story so that it will have…diversity.
*GASP
How? You’ll just have to wait and see when I post it on here.
In the meantime, I am also going to create a prompt for ChatGPT and let it write its own Snow White story to see what it will do. Which I will post first since I still need some time to flesh out my idea.
Also, the story is titled “Snow White and the Mirror of Shadows.”
As a little treat, I quickly wrote a small, rough poem to give you a slight gist for what I am going for. So feel free to let me know what you think about all of this in the comments below or on social media!
There once was a Queen
Who was beloved by the King
And the court and the people of the land
She was kind, she was fair
Always willing to share
With the poor both woman and man
Then time wore on
A pretty girl was born
Red checks, ebony hair, skin snow white
Another girl who was born
To the evil Baron
Would become known as Snow’s Strife
Together they grew
One cheerful and humble
The other vain, ambitious, full of pride
Their paths will cross
Like ships turned and tossed
Yet only one wants the other to die
And through it all
A Mirror hangs on a wall
Being patient and biding its time
To know its will
Down your spine a tingling chill
For it wishes to rule all under the sky
But not all is lost
Though all be touched by evil frost
For there is a way to end all of this
On Snow it falls
To save one and all
With simple thing called true love’s kiss
UPDATE: I created a prompt for ChatGPT to write Snow White as a gothic fantasy and posted it for you to read.
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