A Secretive Version of Snow White Starring Puppets Exists, Leaving Us Yearning for a Peek
In an exciting chat on Jimmy Kimmel Live, up-and-coming star Rachel Zegler let slip some juicy details about the highly-anticipated Disney Princess live-action feature film, Snow White. According to Zegler, filming her scenes with the Seven Dwarfs was a hefty endeavor, requiring three different shot versions to layer the necessary effects for the dwarfs' eventual CGI transformation.
"You better believe it, mate," Zegler stated. "Three bloody times for each scene! First, it's with humans, so it's all emotional and passionate. Then we got the puppet crew: Dopey, Grumpy, and the other iconic dwarfs. It was like Julie Taymor's puppetry, straight out of the Lion King on Broadway!"
Now, here's the mind-blowing part - they could have opted for a mix of live-action performers and handmade puppets by artists instead of the contentious casting or suspect CGI. Imagine a Crocodile Tears Henson-style Muppet fairy tale adaptation! We'd much rather have that as an alternative to what appears to be on the horizon. What a waste, eh? They could have made them the Muppets, for goodness' sake! That would have been a winner!
So, our talented triple threat had to put in triple the effort for each scene. Zegler went on to reveal, "That's not all, you have to do a clean pass, which is just singing 'Whistle While You Work' to an empty room and leaving props lying around for the digital team to transform into CGI props for the dwarfs' digital hands."
Or, you know, just drop the puppetry and go all-in on the CGI. Zegler danced and sang her heart out during the shoot, and even dropped props like a boss. One thing for certain, we'd love to see her star in a movie with the Muppets!
Snow White hits theaters this Friday.
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"With Snow White's release date approaching this Friday, it's interesting to ponder about the future of movie-making. Ideally, we could have seen an alternative use of technology, blending live-action performers with handmade puppets, akin to the style of Jim Henson.
In the movie, Rachel Zegler's choreographed scenes with the CG Seven Dwarfs required her to perform multiple times, akin to a theatrical production, just like in Julie Taymor's puppetry from the Lion King on Broadway.
characterization could have been more unique if the dwarfs were actual dwarfs instead of CGI, much like the Muppets. It would have added a fresh dimension to the film.
Zegler's dedication to the project is evident as she even left props for the CGI team to transform, echoing the hard work of actors in movies like the io9's prime example of movie excellence, The Dark Crystal."
