As it turns out, Benj Pasek of EGOT-winning songwriting duo Pasek & Paul couldn’t take the musical advice to “Whistle While You Work” during the making of the Snow White live-action remake… because he can’t whistle.
“I would like to make a public service announcement that I cannot whistle,” Pasek says in a bonus feature premiering exclusively on Billboard from the film’s upcoming May 13 digital release, as his songwriting partner Justin Paul laughs beside him. When the video shows the scene where the Seven Dwarves’ Dopey also can’t whistle, despite the best efforts of Rachel Zegler’s Snow White, Paul admits: “I think I’m Dopey in more ways than one.”
Also in the bonus feature, producer Jared LeBoff highlights the collaborative nature of the musical elements, saying, “When you do a musical like this, the lyricists and the composer are authors right alongside the screenwriter.” Fellow producer Marc Platt emphasized the film’s high standards, adding, “And so I went for the best.”
That high bar was met by Pasek & Paul, best known for La La Land and The Greatest Showman. The duo crafted five original “contemporary kingdom” songs for the film while also reimagining classic Disney numbers.
Regarding their approach to legacy songs like “Whistle While You Work” and “Heigh Ho,” Paul shared, “We were expanding both of them to be big production numbers. How do we stay true to those and not feel like we’re being irreverent at all?”
Snow White will be available digitally on May 13 via Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home. For fans of physical media and collectors, the film will also be released on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD beginning June 24.
