She’s a BLACK girl — The Little Mermaid🧜🏿♀️
I am not a big Disney fan, but The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie. I watched it over ten times when I was a child. Therefore, when I heard Disney decided to turn this classic fairytale into a live-action remake, I was so excited and looked forward to watching.
However, this movie has been controversial ever since the casting of singer Halle Bailey was announced. The backlash is transparently racist, with all the negativity aimed at the casting of a non-white actress to play the mermaid.
My first reaction to the teaser was also shocked, but I had no negative thoughts. Now it is 2023, and there are countless movies with ridiculous plots.
But it’s not like that peace on social media.
Not only thousands of malicious comments but the film’s trailer has also been flooded with 1.5 million dislikes from angry “fans” on YouTube.
So, how did Disney react to this horrible thing on social media?
The answer is…there is no official announcement from Disney. (According to my research) Most of the direct responses came from the interview with Halle Bailey.
In a new interview with The Face, Halle said, “People don’t understand that when you’re Black, there’s this whole other community.” She refused to bow down to the haters. Instead, she focuses on being an inspiration.
Besides, she also mentioned that Disney filmmakers allowed her to bring her identity to the role, down to her beautiful, natural hairstyle.
To some extent, this may represent Disney’s response. This kind of live-action remake doesn’t have any inappropriate.
Was this movie the fault Disney?
I don’t think so. Although many negative comments exist, we can still see more inspiring and positive responses on social media.
Here is the video where parents shared their children’s heartwarming reaction to seeing Ariel is Black in the trailer. It’s touchy and makes me believe we’re one step closer to equality.
From my prospective, Disney didn’t make any official and direct response to this topic is the right decision.
Racial issues are always sensitive in public, and because this is a live-action remake but not” wholly reproduced,” there is a space for creativity and change.
The movie will be released next month, and there must be more comments on social media for this movie. I will go theater for it! Not only because it’s my favorite fairytale but also because it’s an excellent way to support equality!