Last week, Locus Animation's RED SHOES & THE 7 DWARFS came under fire when a questionable tag line for the film appeared on an over-sized marketing display that read "What if Snow White was no longer beautiful and the 7 Dwarfs not so short?" Positioned next to the blurb, with a look of what can only be described as bewilderment on her face, is a plus-sized Snow-White-style princess. Shortly after a photo of the display hit the internet, actress Chloe Moretz, who voices the fairy tale's lead character, publicly stated that she was "appalled and angry" as a result of the marketing and was unaware of the angle at which the studio planned to frame the forthcoming film. Grace quickly took to her personal Twitter account to voice her disapproval:
Following up on Ms. Moretzes tweet was Locus Animation themselves with a statement of their own which read, “… 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…" To be honest, the marketing kerfuffle kicked up very little dust, thanks in-part to the swift actions of Moretz and the studio itself. For a few days, it appeared as if all was well for RED SHOES & THE 7 DWARFS … until today. I submit to you the new trailer for the film, which is um, well … why don't you just watch it and have a look for yourself?
So … yeah. Is it just me or is this quite the salacious trailer for an animated family film? For a moment, I thought I was watching a trailer for RED SHOE DIARIES, not RED SHOES & THE 7 DWARFS! Granted, the steamy presentation is then followed up with the hilarious vision of Red Shoes throwing back a cold one, but still, you know those dwarfs were getting tall in their pants, if you know what I mean.
For clarification, RED SHOES & THE 7 DWARFS is about a normal girl born into extraordinary circumstances, she's a Princess who doesn't fit into the celebrity world of Princesses—or their dress size. She wants to stay true to herself, but Fairy Tale Island is all about the looks, so it makes it hard not to want to be like the others. In her quest to find her lost father, she learns to not only accept herself, but to celebrate who she is inside and out. And to let the beauty within—the beauty that Prince Merlin falls in love with—shine brighter than anyone else's.
Okay, that's a little more like it, Locus. Seriously though, you've got to admit that, for an animated film built upon a message of body positivity, you might want to step a tad more gingerly with the marketing materials. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally down for a little sauce in my animation, but for the concerned parents out there, you might want to re-position yourselves before your project is misinterpreted to the point of your film being a box office failure.
RED SHOES & THE 7 DWARFS, as directed by Sung Ho Hong and starring Chloe Moretz, Gina Gershon, and Jim Rash has no confirmed release date at this time. Be sure to catch Ms. Moretz when she stars in NOVEMBER CRIMINALS, a teen-driven murder investigation film, which is set to open in theaters on December 12, 2017.