The Snow White Ad Disney Doesn't Want You to See
Filed under: Animation, Classics, Disney
Advertising company The Foundry is in hot water with Disney over a risque booze ad using Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that shows the princess in bed with her little friends as the obviously nude and rumple-haired "Ho White" blows an after-sex smoke ring. According to the British publication Telegraph, "the loveable dwarfs Sleepy, Happy and Doc are rebranded Filthy, Smarmy and Randy - supposedly to represent different types of drinkers." (I'm wondering why Grumpy is still grumpy, but perhaps it's because he's off at the other end of the bed? I digress.)
Disney was rather displeased with this ad for Australia's Jamieson's Raspberry Ale, which uses an "anything but sweet" tagline. (The official website is down.) The agency claims that it's had "a little bit of contact" with Snow White license-holder Disney, but I have a feeling it's been more than a little. I mean, Disney releases those classic DVDs every, what, five years and then closes the vaults once again?
Generally North American advertisements are more prudish when it comes to sex, so while the general US consumer (like, say, me) might find this ad stupid and sexist, it seems the greater concern is the copyright issue. However, It's highly unlikely that Disney would have licensed the image of Snow White to be used for this ad campaign, anyway.
However, slutty Snow White costumes for Halloween? I guess Disney licensed those! (Ahem, see below ...)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-21-2009 @ 3:01PM
Michael C. Sherrin said...
Disney is the Snow White license holder? Snow White is several centuries old, far pre-dating Disney and is as a result, public domain as a story and character. Disney would only hold the rights to its movie and possibly very specific character designs. This image, while first a spoof and likely fair use, does little to even copy Disney's specific Snow White image. Of course, because Disney sits atop a mountain of money, it can intimidate smaller companies with lawsuits for copyright and trademark infringement. But saying Disney owns a license on Snow White is disingenuous.
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10-21-2009 @ 6:24PM
Herb said...
I agree with you. Disney has no right to claim Snow White exclusively as it also only borrowed it from the public domain, like many of its other most famous incarnations.
I really urge everyone to go and see the documentary "RIP: A REMIX MANIFESTO": http://www.ripremix.com/
It deals with the whole copyright culture and the miss we're in right now. It is really a must-see.
You can download a pay-what-you-want version on the above website. Yes, it is also possible to download it for free because of that. But I think the guys who made this film really deserve some of our hard-earned bucks.
10-21-2009 @ 4:01PM
filmsuki said...
Those aren't slutty outfits, they're empowering for women, since women are choosing to wear them and boldly proclaiming their femininity.
At least that's what today's zeitgeist has been telling me.
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10-21-2009 @ 4:13PM
cough said...
I don't get it. There's worse stuff on the internet.
Why is this ad so special?
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