Screenshot: The Little Mermaid/Disney+
The usual suspects have been deeply traumatized by the latest trailer for a Disney movie (as though we have nothing better to worry about). In the forthcoming remake of The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey, a Black woman, will play Ariel, who was, in the cartoon, white (Disney would need another two decades to create a Black princess).
These purists are, presumably, upset that the titular mer-creature is portrayed as a beautiful young woman with a gorgeous singing voice, and not as a horrifying siren of the deep intent on luring sailers to their doom. (That must be it, because there’s no reason to get mad about the race of a fairytale character whose skin color has no bearing on the story.)
The Little Mermaid - Official Teaser Trailer
It’s hard to judge from a single trailer, but the remake at least looks good. The studios string of live-action remakes have been a mixed bag, but hope remains that one might be a masterpiece on par with its original, even as it tweaks elements of the original that seem out of date. It’s probably going too far at this point to imagine an updated Little Mermaid will improve upon the original, but anyone who’s watched those viral videos of young Black girls reacting to the trailer can tell you this version already has Halle Bailey to recommend it.
And The Little Mermaid will hardly be the first film or TV show to deviate and/or make improvements to their respective source materials. This doesn’t mean you have to throw out your copy of the original books or DVDs—only that there are elements that work better the second (or third) time around.
