It is such a peculiar thing to see that the trailer to a children’s movie like the Little Mermaid, is getting over 1 million dislikes due to the lead actress being Black. For generations, the actress and animations of Ariel is typically a White woman with red hair. However, Walt Disney chose a different path in casting the main character.
Breitbart states that a Google Chrome extension displays the “dislikes” count. Recently, the Little Mermaid trailer on YouTube has received 1.1 million “dislikes” and only 196,000 “likes”. The live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid has a cast that includes Halle Bailey, a black actress, in the lead role.
Next, we have Melissa McCarthy, a white actress, as Ursula. The movie is coming out in theatres on May 26. Now, during the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, the two actresses presented the trailer, which felt like a promotional event for Disney.
Netizens react to the Little Mermaid being lead by Halle Bailey
https://twitter.com/GAILPET18592951/status/1635276469655199745?s=20
There are a number of tweets showing positive remarks about the actress and many are excited to see her in theatres. Halle Bailey is perfect to play Ariel as she has talent, the looks and an amazing voice, said a netizen.
I wont lie this trailer was really poweful and as a father to minority children, i applaud Disney for being more inclusive of everyone. Thank you @Disney
— Rich from CA (@TheRichFromCali) March 16, 2023
In addition to this, Disney is receiving a lot of praises for their efforts to be more diverse in their movies. This would help children who are minorities to have someone new to look up to. Furthermore, there are a number of people calling out those coming with prejudice and abhorrent remarks about the actress.
Like, that’s what I was wondering/confused about? Why would they think imaginary mermaids can only have 1 ethnicity?! These people are blatantly racist.
— Debbie Sayre (@DebbieSayre) March 18, 2023
A netizen states that his acquaintance is a MAGA supporter and is shouting that there are no Black mermaids. This is despite the fact that there are no actual mermaids in general. Others respond that the fact that people are stating that imaginary beings should only be of one race is racist.
Or maybe they auditioned a bunch of people and chose the one they thought best suited to the role?🤷♂️
— SCOinCO (@graeme2103) March 17, 2023
There are some that defend the statements of these alleged MAGA supporters. This netizen cites that people can get upset if a character they know and love for decades changes for whatever reason.
Another netizen responds that it is a strong possibility that Halle Bailey is the most qualified actress for the role and is not selected solely based on her race. This further solidifies that Hollywood is more inclusive than it was even 10 years ago as minority women are the leads in mainstream movies.