Little Mermaid Casting Sparks Backlash
- Funny
- Offensive
Diss The Girl
July 4, 2019 – Singer-actress Halle Bailey has been set to play the part of Ariel in Disney’s live-action musical of The Little Mermaid. It didn’t take long for certain keyboard warriors to share their anger on social media, complaining that the choice was “bad casting” because “Ariel is a white girl with red hair.”
Of course Ariel is not actually anything other than a cartoon but that didn’t stop the criticism:
“The story takes place in Denmark, so it is justified that Ariel is white and red hair, don’t understand why you need to change her looks.”
Another opined:
“Ariel was white with red hair who captured the hearts of millions of kids across the world. They would expect her to look the same in the live movie. Just don’t understand the casting decision here.”
Conversely, many other defended Disney’s decision:
“The expression of the character in the story is what matters, not matching to an animated interpretation from 30 years ago.”
And…
“Ariel is a f****g fish, her race isn’t specific to white.”
