It's an interesting read, especially given that I've always had a weird love-hate relationship with Snow White. On the one hand, the story really resonates with me. On the other hand, Disney's Snow White is so incredibly annoying. (And fairy-tale Snow White isn't much better: she's so dumb. But also 8, so there's that.)
Anyway, the article seems to be inspired by the fact that Neil Gaiman has a new book, The Sleeper and the Spindle, which is described as "weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic." And apparently Snow White is the one who kisses Sleeping Beauty awake.
Which, okay. But the point of this article -- written by someone who "always hated Disney's Snow White, and is happy to see so many new incarnations pop up to change her mind" -- seems to be that Snow White is a "blank slate" -- that "you can project anything you want onto her." (Which is also the same criticism many people launch at Bella Swan, but that's irrelevant.)
And...no. Just no. I mean, if you're taking Disney's Snow White as your prime example, then maybe. BUT. First, Disney didn't invent Snow White--the Grimm Brothers didn't even invent Snow White. She existed before 1937, she existed before the 1830s, and she'll continue to exist. But that doesn't mean she has no personality -- it just means that she is, in true fairy-tale fashion, a timeless flat character that can be adapted to the times.
And even Disney's Snow White has some personality -- especially when you compare her to her literary predecessor. She may be super saccharine, she may have an annoying voice, and she may talk to forest animals a lot but you can describe her in other ways: she's a dreamer, she's optimistic, she works hard and earns her keep and she's maternal and nurturing. All qualities Disney added -- qualities which reflect the 1930s and the Depression-era, sure -- but also qualities which are unique to her personality.
Reductive, simplistic readings annoy me.
Also, I would really contest the fact that Snow White is "the most reimagined of them all." She's enjoyed some recent popularity -- with Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012 and Snow White on Once Upon a Time -- but I'd argue that "Cinderella" is probably retold more often. Not only is there the new Disney version directed by Kenneth Branagh coming out in 2015, but it's been continuously retold in popular culture for decades. Not even taking into account all the literary versions, there have been the various versions of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, Ever After in the late 1990s, and those Cinderella Story movies that started with Hilary Duff and spun-off to include the Selena Gomez and Lucy Hale ones. (I'm not saying they're good adaptations -- one of them has the girl lose an iPod instead of a shoe -- but still. The story seems to persist.)
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