Disneyland's 'Snow White' Ride Under Fire For Non-Consensual Kiss Scene

Disney has come under fire once again for a problematic ride.

This time, the controversy centers on the revamped Snow White ride for showing the "true love's kiss" scene. Since the scene has been criticized for lacking proper consent in the past, backlash has since sparked.

Will the ride be the next target of cancel culture? Keep reading to find out.

Disneyland may be known as the Happiest Place on Earth, but it's also been a source of controversy.

Unsplash | Travis Gergen

Two rides — Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain — have been criticized for being racially insensitive.

Splash Mountain was criticized for its ties to the infamously offensive 1946 film, Song of the South.

The film told the story of a young boy who goes to live on his family's plantation.

Disney

While the film centered around a Black character named Uncle Remus, critics still believed that it glorified slavery.

They also believed that Uncle Remus's character exemplified stereotypes of Black Southern vernacular.

As for Jungle Cruise, the 10-minute ride, which takes passengers on a boat tour, was criticized for negative depictions of Indigenous people.

A Change.org petition even reached over 20,000 signatures to change Splash Mountain's theme.

In an effort to move closer towards their goal of inclusion, Disney has since announced plans to give both these rides a facelift.

Disney announced that Splash Mountain will get a new theme based on The Princess and the Frog film. Visitors will go on a musical journey with Princess Tiana and Louis.

But not every ride Disney has overhauled has been met with positive reactions.

When the theme park in California reopened on Friday after being closed from the COVID-19 pandemic, people were upset with the revamped Snow White ride at Disneyland.

It shows the Prince giving Snow White "true love's kiss."

Since Snow White's character was in a cursed trance and unable to give consent, many believe that the kiss is problematic.

There have been many arguments on this subject in the past, including heated stances from celebs.

Keira Knightly, for example, banned the movie from her young daughter.

Kristen Bell, who stars in Disney's *Frozen and Frozen 2*, told *Parenting* magazine that *Snow White* shows children a troubling message about consent.

Because of this, she takes the time to educate her children, Delta and Lincoln, about consent every time they watch the film together.

The reviews for the revamped ride echo a lot of the same concerns.

“Haven’t we already agreed that consent in early Disney movies is a major issue?" one reviewer wrote for SFgate.

"A kiss he gives to her without her consent, while she's asleep, which cannot possibly be true love if only one person knows it's happening."

“That teaching kids that kissing, when it hasn’t been established if both parties are willing to engage, is not OK?" they continued.

Meanwhile, some users on Twitter have actually defended the classic fairytale, saying that the kiss is essential to the story.

"OMG please, when will this stop," wrote this user.

Some are wary that the revamped Snow White ride is the next target of cancel culture.

"If she did not approve upon waking up, she would’ve slapped him and not jump into his arms," wrote this user.

"Well then she’d be asleep forever, because she would never be able to give consent," added another.

Others agreed that showing the unconsented kiss is problematic.

"Are you ok with a man you’ve never met before kissing you when you’re asleep?" questioned this Twitter user. "Apparently raising questions about sexual assault makes someone a moron. Hopefully you don’t have any daughters."

So far, Disney hasn't released a statement. What do you think about Disneyland showing "true love's kiss" during the revamped Snow White ride. Let us know in the comments!

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