#NotMyAriel: From ‘Unda da sea’ to under siege
Are critics racist? Or is the remake of the award-winning 1989 animated movie, The Little Mermaid, all about lazy ‘woke’ casting?
UNLESS you have been living in the ocean for the last few weeks, you would be aware of the major controversy that has surfaced – yes, my pun was intended – following the release of the official trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of its classic fairy-tale animated movie, The Little Mermaid.
But just in case you have missed the latest drama, as we’ve had more load-shedding in recent weeks than ever before, and not to mention the death of the Queen of England, which has kept the world engrossed…
I won’t blame you for missing the criticism from an overwhelming amount of adults who are salty – sorry, I cannot promise that that will be my last pun – because the entertainment conglomerate had ‘race-swopped’ its iconic red-headed character.
The backlash first started in 2019 when it was announced that African-American singer/actress Halle Bailey would be cast as the aquatic princess, with critics shipping the #NotMyAriel hashtag.
Since then, Disney has stood by and defended its decision to cast the Grammy-nominated songstress, with director Rob Marshall stating that an extensive search had been done, and Bailey had been found to be a perfect fit for the role as she possessed a ‘rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence and substance – plus a glorious singing voice’.
However, social media once again erupted in hatred and anger earlier this month with critics using various arguments to protest the recent remake, which is said to be in post-production.
Some of the arguments, which have been paraphrased, include:
– The mermaid is a European mythical creature – thus cannot be black
– Mermaids live under the sea and would therefore be fair-skinned
– The story is written in Denmark by Hans Christian Andersen, and thus Ariel is Danish/Caucasian
– To remake the movie with a dark-skinned Ariel is untrue to the original story
– The remake ruins people’s childhoods
– This was just a lazy effort from Disney to seem inclusive and woke
Yes, some of the arguments try and use history and science to argue the skin colour of a fictional creature. But they completely forget that there are different versions of the mythical mermaid in every culture. They are not solely European.
Also, we should all be aware that not every creature that lives in our vast oceans is fair-skinned. Think whales, eels and stingrays. Even some dolphins are dark grey.
To the final arguments, I say: While the fairy tale was written in Denmark, the story never reveals where the little mermaid’s ‘underwater kingdom’ is actually located. Also, the original story has a tragic ending, and the mermaid’s name is not actually Ariel. The latter is simply Disney’s interpretation. This means Disney’s 1989 version is also not true to the original story.
Which brings me to my next point: a remake or reimagining of an old story does not erase or negate the old one. It is simply a new way to celebrate and enjoy a tale that has been retold, re-imagined and interpreted in a million ways.
While most of the other arguments felt petty to me, I can slightly get behind the last one. I do not understand why Disney is spending so much time (and money) retelling these classic Western fairy tales when there are hundreds of other fables, myths and fairy tales from non-Western countries waiting to be told, and with them comes so much opportunity for cultural and racial diversity. Think Moana!
But it’s also hard to understand the vitriol that has been splashed all over social media, especially when we consider that only one of the 15 official Disney princesses is black. Not to mention that Bailey is clearly talented. Is it fair to rob her of this achievement?
At the end of the day, the old Ariel is not going anywhere, and should you prefer that version of her, you are welcome to watch it at any point. But for millions of little girls of colour, this is a thrilling time, seeing themselves in Bailey’s version of Ariel. Why can’t the old and new versions of Ariel co-exist?
Disney released the trailer for a new, live-action "The Little Mermaid." Parents shared their Black daughters reacting to Halle Bailey as Ariel, the iconic mermaid. https://t.co/Uw1H72A1nS pic.twitter.com/wTcD2h1wUS
— CNN (@CNN) September 13, 2022
The above viral video of little girls watching the trailer for the first time sums up the importance of the representation perfectly.
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