Disney polluted the air «Snow White» — the movie caused more emissions than some major airports

The latest version of «Snow White» from Disney failed miserably at the box office and has also become a significant source of air pollution.

According to The Guardian, the remake of the 1937 cult film in the UK caused more greenhouse gas emissions than the next installment of «Fast and Furious» (although it involved a large number of cars in the filming). Meanwhile, the total emissions from the production of the Disney films «Snow White» and «The Little Mermaid» exceeded the annual emissions of Birmingham and Luton airports.

The production of each of the films resulted in more carbon emissions than the combined annual emissions of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and London O₂ Arena, where the presentation of «Snow White» took place. The latest adaptation of the popular fairy tale became a resounding failure for Disney. The film, which cost about $260 million, earned only $145 million at the box office and was unprofitable by about $115 million.

The filming of «Snow White» and «The Little Mermaid» took place at Pinewood Studios near London. As part of the government program, film companies that shoot their films in the UK receive up to 25.5% of their costs back. To do so, they must submit a report showing the cost of making the film and the emissions it caused in the UK.

According to these calculations, by the end of 2023, Disney received $57.3 million for creation «Snow White» and 63.4 million — for «Mermaid». Emissions are measured in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-eq)CO₂-eq, or carbon dioxide equivalent, is the standard unit for measuring carbon footprint. The idea is to express the impact of each individual greenhouse gas in terms of the amount of CO2 that would result in the same level of warming. In this way, the carbon footprint of many different greenhouse gases can be expressed in a single number. These emissions are divided into three categories: fuel emissions directly generated by transportation and other equipment during filming, generators or heaters, emissions generated by the production of electricity used in the creation of the film, and indirect emissions generated by suppliers of goods and services.

«Snow White» caused 3 thousand 153 tons of CO₂-eq. «The Little Mermaid» resulted in 5,127 tons of CO₂-eq , which in total resulted in 8 thousand 279.6 tons of CO₂-eq. This compares to 7,829 tons of emissions for Birmingham Airport in 2023-24, 6,243 tons for Luton in 2023, and 3,351 tons for the East Midlands in 2023-24.

The filming of «Snow White» was mostly carried out at one location, which necessitated the use of a significant number of generators. The fuel for these generators accounted for the majority of emissions.

Source: The Guardian