What is the controversy again?
Some people have cried foul because Ariel was white in the cartoon, but is played by a black actress in the live-action. Some of them claim itâs a Danish tale and therefore Ariel should be played by a white actress, since the majority of Danish people are white (or something along those lines). There are those who also claim Ariel should be played by a white actress because thatâs how she was portrayed in the cartoon, and hiring a black actress is some sort of pandering to minorities.
Personally I donât care too much about that. Ariel is a mermaid, not a Dutch citizen. As a half-woman, half-fish sea creature her skin doesnât even have to be a human skin tone. If we were going for realism, Ariel would serve as a siren who lures Eric to his untimely demise.
While I do think itâs pandering if someone gets a job specifically because of some attribute outside of their qualifications for the job, thereâs no real indication thatâs what happened with the live-action movie. By all accounts sheâs a talented singer and actress, and Iâm certain sheâll do a good job with the material and direction sheâs given.
If anything, I think the movie will fail becauseâas I stated aboveâDisney seems to neglect or misunderstand the nostalgia of its audiences. If they donât commit to bringing Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle (not to mention Ursula, Flotsam, and Jetsam) to life, the movie isnât going to be good compared to the original.
Iâd like to see Disney focus less on rehashing old stories and create some new ones that are worthwhile. Part of the problem I do see with race-swapping or gender-bending old franchises is it seems to say the creators are afraid of establishing new franchises featuring original characters of different races and genders.
Rather than trying to swap the races or change the genders of established and beloved characters, create original characters. Instead of trying to borrow the nostalgia of a fan base and blaming them for being âtoxicâ because they dislike it, create a new and original franchise that canât be judged on the merits of previous material. Some of those new franchises will fail, but others could result in beloved characters for future generations.
I donât have children, but if I ever do, Iâll be happy to share The Little Mermaid and other stories I grew up on, but it will be the originals, not the remakes. The originals are what captured my attention and inspired me. I am who I am in part because of them, and thatâs what I would want to share with my children, not the remade cash grab I think suffered from a lack of creativity and understanding from the creators.
these live action remakes suck neway.
little mermaid cartoon was nothing like the original story. honestly who cares. ppl so mean.
snow white race swap dumb tho. Different category in my opinion. Sheâs called snow white cause of what in the new ver?
Interesting random thought about these things.
Disney must deal with the controversy of the non-consensual kiss in Snow White to meet the cultural expectations of a twenty-first century western audience.
Disney added the non-consensual kiss to the story of Snow White to meet the cultural expectations of an early twentieth century western audience. It is not in the original story published in 1812 by The Brothers Grimm.
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Storytelling since time immemorial has involved telling your audience what you think they want
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My problem with them making the Little Mermaid black doesnât have to do with race, for me itâs about Disney being lazy. Instead of pandering to a certain group of people, create a new story and make the main character black or whatever. It can even be about a mermaid.
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I seem to recall seeing a black mermaid in the original cartoon. They couldâve even made it about her. Now thereâs a movie idea: give us backstories on side characters. Remember random villager #37 from âRobin Hood?â What about her? Or random reveler #93 from âHunchback of Notre Dame?â That guy.
Seriously though, they could stick to âsame universe, different charactersâ and it would work, but theyâd rather appeal to the very loud of minority of moviegoers, I guess. I donât really care that they made Ariel black except that it is just pandering. Itâs treating black people like a tool.
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Movie about LeFou finding himself and coming out. Would be so wholesome and received well