According to multiple reports, Halle Bailey recently scored the role as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming adaption of the classic animated movie, The Little Mermaid, however, many people on social media weren’t happy about it.
Reportedly, petitions, hash-tags, and vitriolic tweets started to trend on social media, with many individuals appearing to be upset that a black actress was being cast as Little Mermaid. Interestingly, some people online believe much of the controversy was created by Russian bots.
Halle Bailey on her new #LittleMermaid role: “I don’t pay attention to the negativity; I just feel like this role is something bigger than me” https://t.co/pidgYYQ0lw pic.twitter.com/rmUxbFSuYY
— Variety (@Variety) August 7, 2019
The issue for some, allegedly, was the way in which classic movies are being re-written instead of just making new movies with entirely new characters. Recently, Bailey dished on the controversy for the first time and fans might be surprised to hear her mature attitude toward the whole thing.
Halle Bailey, 19, was at Variety’s 2019 Power Of Young Hollywood this past weekend and spoke with reporters about the social media murmurs. Bailey is completely “unbothered.” The star said to reporters, “I don’t pay attention to the negativity.”
The Grown-ish alum said to the outlet that she’s just excited to play a part of a larger social movement. Disney’s cable subsidiary, Freeform, addressed some of the controversies as well, stating that yes, Ariel, was classically a Danish mermaid, however, the new Ariel can be Danish as well.
The letter stated that “Danish mermaids can be black because Danish people can be black” as well. The Little Mermaid, created by Disney in the late 1980s, was actually based on a Danish fairytale from the 1830s written by Hans Christian Andersen.
Produced on a budget of $40 million, 1989’s The Little Mermaid went on to generate approximately $233 million at the box office. The Little Mermaid is just one of many reboots kicked off by Disney, following this year’s Aladdin, The Lion King, as well as Dumbo, and from prior years: The Beauty And The Beast.
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While most of the aforementioned films have been successful commercially, Dumbo didn’t perform up to expectations. According to Deadline Hollywood, much of the blame for the film’s poor reception commercially was due to insufficient marketing as well as the fact the original film is nearly 80-years-old.
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