In a new article by The Guardian, Disney’s live-action “Snow White” created massive greenhouse gas emissions that were over 60% higher than what is considered an average amount for a major film production.
‘Snow White’ Created Large Greenhouse Gas Emissions
“Snow White,” which is a live-action remake of the classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” film by Disney, was released in theaters on March 21. The film, which stars Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, follows Snow as she partners with the seven dwarfs to free her kingdom from her cruel stepmother. After only making a reported $3.5 million in previews, the film went on to fall short of its expected $50 million box office revenue during its opening weekend.
The new post by The Guardian analyzes the reported greenhouse gas emissions produced by Disney’s live-action “Snow White.” Since the movie was largely filmed in the United Kingdom, a 2019 environmental reporting requirement makes companies disclose all emissions generated inside the UK. It is important to note that the rule only applies to filming within the United Kingdom, so filming that takes place in other countries is not reported.
The emissions are divided into categories known as scopes, with the first scope covering fuel used for cameras, heaters, or other fuel directly used to produce the film. The second scope includes emissions generated by the creation of electricity. There is also a third scope that covers indirect emissions, but these are rarely required to be individually reported.
According to The Guardian, “Snow White” generated a total of 3,153 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Since the reporting is completed in the UK, the measurement is put into tonnes. As a quick measurement, an American ton is 2000 lbs, while a UK tonne is 2204 lbs. Converted into American measurements, then, “Snow White” generated roughly 6,949,000 lbs of carbon dioxide equivalent.
This large carbon footprint is cited as likely being due to “Snow White” often filming on location. Despite the filmmakers’ efforts to use battery-powered generators when possible, filming outside a studio increases the need for portable power generators. As a benchmark, a total emissions average of 2,600 tonnes is considered “right in line for what the emissions for a tentpole production should be,” making “Snow White” 62% higher than this average estimate (when including all three scopes).
This large amount of reported carbon emissions places “Snow White” second to Disney’s other live-action remake largely filmed in the UK, “The Little Mermaid.”
In scope one and two “Snow White” generated 3,153 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. “The Little Mermaid” generated 5,127 tonnes, to give a combined total of 8,279.6 tonnes.
The Guardian
While it is possible other films produced in the UK prior to 2019 produced more carbon emissions, the article confirms, “Analysis of more than 250 sets of filings from the Walt Disney Company reveals that the live action remakes of ‘Snow White’ and another animated classic, ‘The Little Mermaid,’ created more pollution than any of its other movies made in the UK since 2019.” This amount is also higher than the greenhouse gas emissions produced in the UK for filming the latest “Fast & Furious” film.
While Disney has not confirmed the decision was related to the results of “Snow White,” it was later announced that Disney’s planned live-action remake of “Tangled” has been put on hold.
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