Opinion: In the face of racist trolls, Bailey created magic on the big screen.
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The hashtag #NotMyAriel began trending on Twitter after Disney revealed that 23-year-old singer Halle Bailey would be playing Ariel in the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”
Bailey was already a well-known figure as she makes up half of the four-time Grammy-nominated sister-singer duo, Chloe x Halle. Despite Bailey’s credentials as a successful artist and her appearance in multiple movies and TV shows, her casting caused an uproar from “die-hard” Disney fans. Some were upset that Disney recast the iconic Ariel as a Black mermaid.
After the release of the official teaser trailer, Bailey’s first appearance as the curious, red-haired sea creature was slammed by racist comments, which prompted YouTube to disable the comment section. On Twitter, a video of Bailey went viral after an Artificial Intelligence scientist used AI to overlay a white woman’s face onto Bailey’s. The user who posted the video thanked the scientist and said, “He fixed ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and turned the woke actor into a ginger white girl.”
Some claimed Bailey’s casting felt like forced diversity and ruined the childhood nostalgia of Ariel. Yet, let’s reiterate that Ariel is a fictional sea creature whose character is not centered around her ethnicity. In the original story written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837, Ariel’s exact origins were never stated. So, this mermaid from “far out in the ocean” can be from anywhere.
People aren’t worried about possible historical inaccuracies or catering to nostalgia; they just don’t want to see a Black actress on the big screen.
Justin Chang from NPR notes that all the backlash “was a sad reminder of how angry some people get when a remake or reboot doesn’t cater perfectly to their childhood memories, and also how easily some can couch their racism as nostalgia.”
I saw Bailey in “The Little Mermaid” live-action on opening weekend, and I can say there couldn’t have been a more perfect actress to play Ariel.
Despite Ariel losing her voice for half of the film, Bailey’s earnest, curious demeanor and wide-eyed facial expressions brought the character to life. Her interactions with her animal friends, Flounder and Scuttle, were pure and heart-warming. And when Ariel did have her voice … just wow.
The real test for Bailey was her cover of the iconic song “Part of Your World.” I mean, to play Ariel this is the make-or-break moment. And Bailey killed it. Her powerful, clear tone was akin to a true Disney princess, which gave me all the nostalgia I needed.
Bailey recorded the cover three years ago, and the entire movie was five years in the making. The now 23-year-old was 18 when she auditioned for the role of Ariel.
In the face of all the doubt and racism, Bailey triumphed as Ariel. Her presence ignited a spark of hope and confidence in young girls who rarely see themselves on the big screen. In an interview with Variety, Bailey thinks about what her younger self would feel if the original Ariel was a person of color. She said, “What that would have done for me, how that would have changed my confidence, my belief in myself, everything. Things that seem so small to everyone else, it’s so big to us.”
Watching Bailey bounce on a bed of jellyfish and sing “Under the Sea” while her copper red locs float around her was inspiring for many young Black and Brown viewers. Bailey brought both magic and meaning to her character, the mark of a true Disney princess.
