'The Little Mermaid' remake: #NoMyMermaid trends as online petitions againt Halle Bailey's casting as Ariel gain momentum
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Some online petitions even call it a “betrayal of Ariel’s original creator”.
Who would have thought that singer and actor Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in the upcoming live action remake of their hugely successful film ‘The Little Mermaid’ would erupt into a controversy? Well, it has and people are now taking to Twitter to trend the hashtag #notmymermaid as they think that Halle does not look like the Ariel they visualise of -- a light-skinned and red-haired nymph.
Some online petitions even call it a “betrayal of Ariel’s original creator”.
Now, releasing a statement, the actress has responded saying, “I am beginning to understand this film is something so much bigger than me.”
The remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’ was to go into production next month but because of a coronavirus outbreak all over the world, all shoots and production stands postponed as of now.
Read some of the tweets here:
To all the people saying #NotMyMermaid, I might be wrong here, but I don’t think Disney really wants you to come see their movies, much less be inside of their parks. Just a guess! 🤷🏻♂️Disney is a company of acceptance, celebration, and inclusion. And you don’t seem like you are..
— host of TMZ’s “Sammy on the Street” (@sammyjengle) July 13, 2019
#NotMyAriel #notmylittlemermaid #NotMyMermaid wtf? @Disney shes not ariel!!! #NotMyAriel #notmylittlemermaid #NotMyMermaid pic.twitter.com/ouUaZKk8c7
— Josss Garcia Ramirez (@J0seMontero) July 4, 2019
Sorry but this is SO WRONG is SO MANY ways!!! Ariel's my favorite take and Disney princess she's Danish she's got redhair Don't change the classics!!! #NotMyAriel #notmylittlemermaid #NotMyMermaid
— Mich Xmucane (@MichkatKat) July 4, 2019
#HalleBailey doesn't look like Ariel! She can be her friend! #TheLittleMermaid #thelittlemermaidmovie #NotMyAriel #notmylittlemermaid #NotMyMermaid pic.twitter.com/eVpU4mhn4W
— LOLA🤟👑 (@InsurgentNow) July 4, 2019
Earlier too, when critics had opposed Halle's casting as Ariel, Disney's cable network Freeform issued an open letter writing to those who feel a black woman should not play princess Ariel in the live-action remake of 'The Little Mermaid'. It read, "Yes. The original author of The Little Mermaid was Danish. Ariel...is a mermaid. She lives in an underwater kingdom in international waters and can legit swim wherever she wants (even though that often upsets King Triton, absolute zaddy). But for the sake of argument, let's say that Ariel, too, is Danish."
"Danish mermaids can be black because Danish *people* can be black. Ariel can sneak up to the surface at any time with her pals Scuttle and the *ahem* Jamaican crab Sebastian (sorry, Flounder!) and keep that bronze base tight. Black Danish people, and this mer-folk, can also *genetically* (!!!) have red hair," the letter continued.