Controversy surrounds Disneyland ride and kiss with Snow White while she's unconscious

ANAHEIM, Calif. (WFLD/KTTV) - Just days after reopening to the public, Disneyland is getting caught up in controversy and it all has to do with a ride for one of its classic movies.

After being closed for nearly a year, Disneyland in California opened to fanfare and excitement Friday. But once fans got a look at its newly renovated Snow White ride, some people -- including a local newspaper -- were not happy with what they saw.

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People are upset with the kiss between Snow White and Prince Charming. The San Francisco Gate newspaper wants the kiss removed from the attraction. The publication argues the kiss comes while she is unconscious and without her consent and that it "cannot possibly be true love if only one person knows it's happening."

Some of the Disney fans FOX 11 spoke with, however, were quick to dismiss the newspaper's argument.

"It was a fairy tale!" one fan said.

Tuesday's divisive debate comes as Disney had just welcomed back parkgoers for the first time in over a year. With that in mind, some of the fans who waited months to enjoy the park's rides were not having it with the Snow White controversy.

A couple of visitors (one of them a self-described feminist) get into a whole back-and-forth discussion that exemplifies how this is about more than just this kiss. Fairy tales are full of storylines that could be insensitive, to say the least. The Sleeping Beauty couldn’t consent, either. Some insist that Dumbo glorifies Circus animal abuse, Dr. Seuss' books have been changed over the years and it may only be time before a princess kissing a frog could be considered animal abuse. 

At the same time, the issues being brought up are worthy of discussion, while serving as a reminder, as one parent tells us in our story, that it’s parents who can ultimately use the stories they grew up with, and loved so much, to teach present day lessons. 

Disneyland has not responded to the criticism.

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