‘Red Shoes & The 7 Dwarfs’ In Hot Water For Body-Shaming Poster, Might Have A Hard Time With Distribution

Chloe Grace Moretz expressed her disappointment for the marketing of her animated film Red Shoes & the 7 Dwarfs, where she lends her voice to Snow White. Promotional ads for the film drew criticism for its body-shaming tone, where a poster featured two versions of Snow White: one tall and thin, and the other short and plump.

Its tagline reads, “What if Snow White was no longer beautiful and the 7 dwarfs not so short?”

Tess Holiday, a plus-size model, was one of those who slammed the ad, tweeting, “How did this get approved by an entire marketing team? Why is it okay to tell young kids being fat=Ugly?”

Moretz, a staunch advocate of feminism and body positivity, expressed her anger over the promotional ad. Known for having a strong voice when it comes to issues of feminism, Moretz didn’t stop herself from expressing her thoughts over the body-shaming ad, even if it is for her own project. She lends her voice to Snow White, the animated film’s lead.

“I have now fully reviewed the marketing for Red Shoes, I am just as appalled and angry as everyone else, this wasn’t approved by me or my team,” the outspoken actress said in a tweet.

“Please know I have let the producers of the film know. I lent my voice to a beautiful script that I hope you will all see in its entirety. The actual story is powerful for young women and resonated with me. I am sorry for the offense that was beyond my creative control.”

The South Korean animated film centers on seven princes who were placed under a curse transforming them into dwarfs. They go on a quest to find a pair of enchanted shoes that will turn them back into princes. The shoes, however, belong to a princess, who wears it to transform herself. According to Locus Creative Studios’ website, the story is about a “princess who doesn’t fit into the celebrity world of princesses—or their dress size.”

Although the animated film has no confirmed release date yet, a trailer was released during the 2017 Cannes Film Festival last month. The now-deleted trailer featured two dwarfs hiding in Snow White’s room as they watch her undress. Soon, they discover that the tall, doe-eyed beauty transforms into a heavier girl once she removes her red shoes. As they witness the transformation of the plump girl, who slumps down on the couch and burps, the dwarfs — who are actually princes trapped in a goblin-like form — look at her in disgust.

Red Shoes producer Sujin Hwang apologized for the poster and the trailer and confirmed that the campaign has been terminated.

“As the producer of the theatrical animated film Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs, now in production, Locus Corporation wishes to apologize regarding the first elements of our marketing campaign (in the form of a Cannes billboard and a trailer) which we realize has had the opposite effect from that which was intended,” Hwang said in a statement. “Our film, a family comedy, carries a message designed to challenge social prejudices related to standards of physical beauty in society by emphasizing the importance of inner beauty.”

“We appreciate and are grateful for the constructive criticism of those who brought this to our attention. We sincerely regret any embarrassment or dissatisfaction this mistaken advertising has caused to any of the individual artists or companies involved with the production or future distribution of our film, none of whom had any involvement with creating or approving the now discontinued advertising campaign.”

Red Shoes & the 7 Dwarfs is currently seeking distribution, but with this backlash, it is hard to say if it will get the right support. Although the story looks promising, its success in the box office remains to be seen. Locus currently says that the film will be released in 2018.

[Featured Image by Locus]