Disney’s D23 Release of The Little Mermaid Teaser Stirring Strong Reactions
I’m super excited to see Halle Bailey wow everyone as Ariel with her underwater singing! Sis didn’t come to play and I am here for it.
The Little Mermaid has always been one of my favorite Disney animated movies and I’m super excited for the live version.
The internet was ablaze with racist haters, of course. Because, you know the world will stop spinning if we dare cast Black people in fairytale roles.
However, there was also tons of love shown for the beautiful and talented Halle Bailey. I especially loved seeing the reactions from all the little girls of color.
Disney is a franchise that has a special importance in our lives. It’s a part of the fabric of America. Disney Princesses for better or worse are an indelible part of the childhood experience for the vast majority of American girls, regardless of race.
For Black girls, all we had was Tiana. Tiana is great but very much real world, not so much rooted in fairytale fantasy like a traditional Disney Princess.
Plus you have to admit, there’s no soundtrack that’s jamming like the Caribbean beats in the original The Little Mermaid. Black folks love that music! LOL
Having Ariel played by a Black actress is HUGE!!! I’m an adult and I’m geeking out. This particular tweet summed up the significance of this type of representation nicely. I’ll just drop it here.
