Disney Releases Trailer for Live-Action "The Little Mermaid" Starring Halle Bailey
Disney Releases Trailer for Live-Action "The Little Mermaid" Starring Halle Bailey
The live-action remake of Disney's The Little Mermaid has had very controversial responses since the casting of singer Halle Bailey, a black woman, was announced to play Arielle. While many aren't fans of the Disney remake culture, the backlash from this film seems race-related as the Ariel in the original movie was white. Twitter hashtags like #NotMyAriel and tainted racial comments of disapproval of the casting circulated. In contrast, others believe that the mermaid is a fictional character and race does not affect the character's story.
All I can say is wow... These racist mfs are really triggered over Little Mermaid... Make it make sense #LittleMermaid pic.twitter.com/UKvAtzexZW
— Witty 💯 (@Joseph_Witty) September 16, 2022
Disney released the official trailer Friday, September 9th, and the controversy continued. The trailer received over 8 million views in two days, but what stood out most was the 1.2 million dislikes that it received. The number of dislikes resulted in YouTube completely disabling the dislike button; however, Halle Bailey's posture is a pure example that love always wins!
Since the casting announcement, Halle Bailey has remained graceful and focused on the positive. In an interview with Variety, Halle Said, "I don't pay attention to the negativity. I just feel like this role is something bigger than me, and greater, and it's going to be beautiful. I'm just so excited to be a part of it."
Despite the number of dislikes and backlash, since the trailer's release, several heart-warming reaction videos from little black girls have gone viral on TikTok. The video's caption read, "when your favorite Disney Princess looks like you," and shows a 3-year-old girl with her hand over her heart declaring, "I think she's brown. Brown Ariel is cute." The video spread like wildfire and gained over 5 million views and thousands of comments, including one from Halle herself. "Oh my goodness my heart," the new Disney princess replied.
Bailey shared an emotional message on Twitter, stating, "People have been sending me these reactions to me all weekend and I'm truly in awe this means the world to me." These reactions prove that when black women are cast as characters that white women traditionally depict, it is a significant step in minority representation in film and media. Halle's stance on focusing on the positive and thinking of the bigger picture makes her the epitome of the perfect person to portray this vibrant, optimistic princess in The Little Mermaid.
The film will hit theaters in May of 2023. More information to come soon. If you haven't already, check out the trailer below. What are your thoughts?
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