TikTok is on fire with reaction videos of little black girls seeing the angelic face of Halle Bailey belting out the lyrics to “Part of Your World” as she portrays Ariel in the Disney live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.
With an onslaught of racist attacks on Disney and Bailey when the 2019 casting announcement was made, it comes as no surprise that the conversations and negativity would persist with the release of the highly anticipated teaser trailer.
The video is now popping up with side by side comparisons to the original animated film and with stills from the upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water. Some critics argue the visuals do not look vibrant or like an underwater experience. Clearly those pushing this narrative forget the opening scene in The Little Mermaid takes place under the cover of night in an underwater cave where Ariel hides her human treasures from the eyes of her father.
Of course there are still threads popping up complaining of Ariel’s depiction by a black woman. Some of these opinions are based on the original character being created by a Danish author. To this I still reference Freeform’s open letter to those “Poor, Unfortunate Souls!”
RELATED: Halle Bailey to Star as Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid will always be my personal favorite of the princess films.
To those who kick and scream at the idea of a black mermaid transforming into a human to chase true love in exchange for her voice; I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THIS SENTENCE TWICE!
SHE’S A MAKE-BELIEVE HALF FISH!
SHE’S A MAKE-BELIEVE HALF FISH!
