In theory, it must have sounded like a good idea. At least to Hollywood movie studio executives keen to make big bucks by playing it safe with themes and stories that might be familiar to a mass audience.

A modern remake of Snow White: cashing in on the beloved Disney original with fresh stars, A-list names and a fairytale with a happy ending that everyone could enjoy.

It has not turned out that way.

Disney’s $300m-plus reboot of Snow White has generated a slew of headlines for all the wrong reasons. First, given the original relied on the outdated social mores of the 1930s, it rapidly became engulfed in a row over sexism, a debate over whether or not to keep the original seven dwarves and was plunged into the center of America’s bitter culture wars over race.