Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Backlash Was Brutal— And Its Next Idea Might Be Worse

Disney has made some bold decisions over the past few years, and not all of them have worked out.

One of the riskiest moves still looming?

The idea of continuing the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise without Johnny Depp. It’s been floating around for a while—new casts, new characters, even rumors of Margot Robbie leading the charge—but fans haven’t warmed up to the idea. In fact, they’ve flat-out rejected it.

If Disney’s paying attention, they already have a very public example of what happens when they ignore fan sentiment: Disney’s Snow White (2025). The live-action remake starring Rachel Zegler was meant to be a big win, with a massive budget, major marketing push, and a well-known cast. Instead, it flopped. Hard. Its IMDb score is one of the lowest for any Disney film ever, and the backlash didn’t come out of nowhere.

Zegler made waves before the film’s release by throwing shade at the original movie and criticizing its central themes. That alienated a huge part of Disney’s core audience. And the result? Fans didn’t show up.

Here’s the thing—this wasn’t just a bad film. It was a warning. A sign that fan trust is fragile, and ignoring it can cost a studio hundreds of millions. Disney’s tentpole strategy of going big on budget, cast, and spectacle doesn’t work when the heart of the story is missing. In the case of Snow White, it was the charm and nostalgia. For Pirates, it’s Captain Jack Sparrow.

Johnny Depp is that character. His performance carried the franchise through five films and turned it into a global phenomenon. Take him out, and you don’t just lose a cast member—you lose the magic. Fans know it, and they’ve said it loud and clear.

Petitions, hashtags, and fan campaigns have shown overwhelming support for Depp’s return. Disney should know by now that ignoring those voices is a recipe for disaster.

Bottom line: Snow White bombed because Disney didn’t listen. If they push forward with a Pirates movie without Johnny Depp, they might be setting themselves up for the same kind of crash—just on an even bigger scale.