Disneyland’s revamped Snow White ride has become the latest target of “cancel culture” — because it features the iconic kiss by Prince Charming that happens as she sleeps and “without her consent.”
The theme park in Anaheim, California, opened Friday for the first time in more than 400 days since the pandemic started — showing off its newly revamped “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish” ride.
But it was immediately ripped in a review that said the park should have “re-imagined” the 1938 cartoon classic to avoid ending with the iconic “true love’s kiss” that awakened Snow White.
SFGate reviewers Katie Dowd and Julie Tremaine attacked the ride for including the “kiss he gives to her without her consent, while she’s asleep, which cannot possibly be true love if only one person knows it’s happening.”
“Haven’t we already agreed that consent in early Disney movies is a major issue?” the pair wrote on the site, the digital home of the San Francisco Chronicle.
“That teaching kids that kissing, when it hasn’t been established if both parties are willing to engage, is not OK?
“It’s hard to understand why the Disneyland of 2021 would choose to add a scene with such old fashioned ideas of what a man is allowed to do to a woman,” they wrote, highlighting other changes to questionable themes in rides.
“Why not re-imagine an ending in keeping with the spirit of the movie and Snow White’s place in the Disney canon, but that avoids this problem?” they asked.
The harsh review sparked outrage online, with many accusing “woke liberals” of taking cancel culture too far.
“Did y’all think they would rewrite the freaking story???” a woman named Alison asked, while Matt Martin quipped, “Snow White would still be asleep if it were up to the crazies on the left and woke culture.”
“GIVE ME A BREAK! STOP TAKING the classics that made us all wish for the happy ending, dreams, & possibilities of better!!!!!” someone named Alynn wrote.
“Parents should be able to teach their children about consent as well as the difference between real life and fairy tale,” Natalie Sady said.
“I grew up with fairy tales and very much understood the importance of consent. Allow children to enjoy the magic of fairytales.”
The SFGate review reawakened previous attacks on the iconic movie — with Japanese gender studies and sociology professor Kazue Muta in 2018 insisting it showed “sexual assault on an unconscious person.”
Even Disney star Kristen Bell — who voiced Anna in “Frozen” — says she had a serious chat with her kids about “Snow White.”
“Don’t you think that it’s weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission? Because you cannot kiss someone if they’re sleeping!” she told People magazine in 2018.
Disneyland did not immediately respond to messages about the criticism. However, before opening day, the park said it expected visitors to be “absolutely blown away by this dazzling attraction and such a sweet storyline.”
Changes include new audio and visual technology, laser projections, new music and a new animation system.
