The Little Mermaid (2023)
The 21st live-action Disney remake to the 1989 title by the same name, it was clear as day that many people were ready to dismiss the film out of hand due to a growing fatigue with the live-action craze; then Halle Bailey's casting as Ariel was revealed in 2019. Polarized conversation spurred regarding the race swapping of Ariel, audiences either lauded the choice as an inclusive representation of diversity or as completely unnecessary and taking away from the original character's depiction. Accusations of racism would soon fly towards those critiquing the casting decision which intended the shut down the dissent, though that was hardly the argument being made. The opposition's larger point was that the kind of representation offered by race swapping a previously existing character was rooted in insincerity, laziness, and was nothing more than an attempt to pander to audience's wallets. In response to the accusations of racism, the dissenters did acknowledge that some fringe members were using racism as their justification but affirmed that wasn't the majority; as they pointed out the many successful original stories Disney had made in the past which centered around people of color. Ultimately, many thought the race swap and the movie as a whole to be a profitable afterthought given that they already had a perfectly good rendition of "The Little Mermaid" story and Disney had the capability of writing more successful original titles staring people of color. Come the day of the movie release, Halle Bailey's performance was praised, especially her singing, while the CGI was lambasted. In the end, given that the movie reached large swaths of audiences from children to lovers of all things Disney, the film was given a decent rating. Commercially, however, the title did not meet the high expectations which Disney films normally make. As for the discourse, the contentious conversation moved on from "The Little Mermaid" and continued with the reveal of Disney's "Snow White" Live-action remake. The same arguments were present and would have many concluding that Disney had no appreciation for the themes in the classic Disney princess tales and were purposely misappropriating them for the worst. Debates will likely rage on as Disney continues the live-action remake trend.
Baculi, Spencer. “Disney’s Live-Action ‘the Little Mermaid’ Star Halle Bailey Responds to Race-Swap Criticisms: ‘the Reassurance That Little Girls Just like Me Should Be Princesses Was Something I Needed as a Kid.’” Bounding into Comics, 11 Aug. 2022, boundingintocomics.com/movies/disneys-live-action-the-little-mermaid-star-halle-bailey-responds-to-race-swap-criticisms-the-reassurance-that-little-girls-just-like-me-should-be-princesses-was-something-i-needed/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Ferguson, Christopher. “The Little Mermaid and the Question of Racially-Conscious Casting.” News.fairforall.org, 26 June 2023, news.fairforall.org/p/the-little-mermaid-and-the-question. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Harris, Aisha. “‘The Little Mermaid’ Is the Latest of Disney’s Poor Unfortunate Remakes.” Capradio.org, 22 May 2023, www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=1177439851. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
“The Little Mermaid - Rotten Tomatoes.” Www.rottentomatoes.com, 26 May 2023, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_little_mermaid_2023. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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