Opinion | Why Children Are The Toughest Cinema Audiences
Unlike adults, children cannot be swayed by ‘trendiness’; they just want a good story, well told
Oral narratives have a way of changing with the times. Like many timeless Indian epics, the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has many versions. So the latest cinematic telling of the tale of a beautiful princess and an evil queen is par for the course, especially since the latest, supposedly ‘woke’, version reflects the current sentiment of the American film industry if not that country’s moviegoers. In short, this re-telling had to happen – and the adverse reaction to it too.
But as the new ‘live action’ Snow White minus any little people in the title although they are in the film, is heading apparently to a disastrous box office run in its home market and around the world, it would not be farfetched to speculate it could be because the ‘new’ version ignores the core viewership—children—and the fact that the enduring popularity of folk tales lies in their focus on timeless universal virtues rather than ever-changing political predilections and fads.
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The film’s makers and supporters evidently also forgot that children are not inherently racist or woke and therefore do not decide what they like or do not like based on those two grounds. Millions of children across generations around the world who have watched the original movie and hummed the songs—including this writer—did not feel that “snow-white" Snow White was any different from themselves, unless a concerned parent, teacher or other adult pointed it out.
It is indeed grown-ups who transpose their own adult biases and preferences onto children in the vain belief that they know best and must tailor content accordingly. On the other hand, all children really want is an engrossing story, well told and visualised in an appealing manner. All successful children’s films so far have adhered to that sacred mantra and today’s adults would be well advised to understand and accept it. Clearly Snow White’s makers chose to ignore this.
It would be interesting to know whether the filmmakers considered why, of all the many versions of the Snow White story that have been written and recounted since 1812, the 1937 film version has remained the most popular. Even the German Brothers Grimm, who collated this story among many others from the folklore popular in 19th century Europe watered down the more gory aspects and settled for a version that was close to what was finally animated in 1937.
Folktales of yore in Europe were clearly meant for more resilient young minds than today’s given that many of the characters were more creepy than cuddly—like the witch in Hansel & Gretel—and there are instances of violence like the wolf being killed and cut open by the hunter to rescue Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. What kids made of these acts of violence, especially towards wild animals, and whether it affected their attitudes towards it as adults is moot.
The original stories collated by European folklorists over 200 years ago did not conform to modern norms of squeamishness, so they needed to be watered down in order to be passed on further. But the messages these stories communicate remained powerful, universal and timeless. That is presumably why particular stories have been passed down the ages. All the more reason that the original messages should not be lost or altered at will, however noble the intention.
The message of Snow White is not about becoming a ‘people’s princess’ and launching into political activism for a more just society. It is about the dangers of vanity and the importance of kindness, both of which have huge relevance in today’s world. Why Snow White’s beauty was greater than her stepmother’s is because she had a good heart too. Diluting that premise with other concerns, woke or otherwise, is doing a disservice to the importance of those simple virtues.
But that is precisely what is happening. The film has not been released in India yet, but people here are already primed on the main issues it has raised—none of which relate to vanity or kindness. Does it really matter to children anywhere whether the actress playing Snow White is ‘Latina’ not Caucasian? Would children think a Robin Hood type character is more appropriate than a prince? Most of all, do girls have to become firebrand crusaders for people’s rights, for validation?
The most unnecessary ‘controversy’, of course, is the opposing political views of Rachel Zegler (Snow White) and Gal Gadot (her Evil Queen stepmother). The polarised discourse on Israel, Palestine, Hamas and Gaza should have no bearing on success—or not—of Snow White’s timeless story, surely? Why should any film be impacted by the personal political views of the actors anyway, even if they insist on being vocal about whom or what they support everywhere?
It would be facile to attribute the imminent failure of Snow White to anything other than the makers forgetting their prime objective: to make a good children’s film, particularly since it would be compared to the ‘original’ which has remained popular for 88 years. A little bit of research would have revealed that it still does not really matter if the protagonists are black, white or polka-dotted, they simply have to enchant a child. Unlike adults they cannot be swayed by ‘trendiness’.
Besides, there are many other stories that expand upon other qualities of head and heart that children should imbibe; Snow White need not be every kind of heroine rolled into one. The entire canon of folk and fairy tales are on hand for that. And if children’s film makers feel the need for a ‘people’s princess’ kind of character for our times, perhaps they should go ahead and create a new one instead of distorting an existing persona in the interests of ‘modernising’ or updating.
A word here about happy endings too. That every children’s story—whatever its medium—needs to end that way is a norm of our times. It presents a skewed picture of life to a cohort just beginning their journey. That there is sweetness in sorrow, that all wishes cannot be fulfilled, that gratification is neither instant nor guaranteed in real life are also lessons children have to learn. A gradual realisation via stories is surely better than dumping it on them all at once later on.
The author is a freelance writer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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