It’s been two weeks since Disney debuted the first trailer for their highly-anticipated reimagining of The Little Mermaid. While the trailer broke numerous analytical records and blew everyone away during Disney’s D23 Expo, there is a group of crazy people who cried out because of star Halle Bailey’s casting. Well, we aren’t here to support the trolls and neither is composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“I’m not interested in giving them any oxygen because I know the lives that are going to be changed. Halle is perfect for the part,” says Miranda, who wrote four new songs with Disney Legend Alan Menken. “She is going to blow them away. If that’s the thing that makes you mad, then stay mad. But examine your choices.”
It has always baffled me how a group of people could hate on the casting of a character based on the color of their skin. Merriam-Webster defines a “mermaid” as “a fabled marine creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish.” They define “fabled” as “a fictitious narrative.” As you can see and I am stating the obvious here, mermaids aren’t real, to make any argument suggesting they are is child’s play.
Now, these wacky trolls will try their best to make illogical arguments, for example, they say well then “Princess Tiana can be played by a white woman.” This is completely different as Tiana is not only a human character but based on real-life African American, chef Leah Chase. It is time people learn myth from fact and mythical creatures from stories where culture is a pivotal role in the characters and storytelling ala Mulan.
As always these trolls will disappear and find something else to complain about in the future. In conclusion, if anyone has gripes against this new incarnation of Ariel or the movie it’s simple, do watch it, you can watch Disney’s animated original on Disney+ now, it doesn’t disappear because a new one is being made, you know.
In the meantime, The Little Mermaid is on the way and is expected at the studio to be their next blockbuster in the same way Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King remakes all made over a billion dollars at the box office.
The Little Mermaid also stars Jonah Hauer-King as Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkafina as Scuttle, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Javier Bardem as Triton. The Little Mermaid swims onto the big screen May 26, 2023.
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