Disney Casts Halle Bailey As Ariel In ‘The Little Mermaid’ Reboot — And Guess Who’s Mad About It!
Disney just unveiled some of the cast for its hotly-anticipated live-action The Little Mermaid reboot, and the news is making big waves on social media.
Why? Because the studio tapped Halle Bailey, a talented actress and singer of color, to play Ariel!
While the role marks the performer’s feature film debut, she’s definitely proven her chops in both acting and singing.
For those who don’t know, the 19-year-old first got noticed in 2015 by posting YouTube covers of Beyoncé songs with her sister, Chloe. The two went on to be discovered by Queen Bey herself, and have since signed a record deal with Parkwood Entertainment under their stage name Chloe x Halle.
Related: Billie Eilish Fans SLAM Twitter User For Sexualizing Underage Singer!
Halle’s also been exercising her acting skillz in recent years, most notably with her recurring role on the hit Freeform series Grown-ish.
The starlet is joining a cast that includes Jacob Tremblay and Akwafina, while Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play Ursula. Following the announcement, director Rob Marshall gushed over how perfect Halle was for the role of the lovesick mermaid.
He said in a statement:
“After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role.”
But, of course, not everyone agrees.
While countless fans were more than happy to accept Halle as their new Ariel, quite a few salty critics objected to the casting because — gasp! — Ariel was white in the 1989 animated film.
Some of these critics argued Halle’s casting was “inaccurate” to the original film’s setting, which was based in Denmark:
Others, meanwhile, dubbed the casting as “blackwashing,” citing that there would be outrage if, say, a white actress was ever cast as Tiana in a live-action Princess and the Frog remake:
But those blowfish were quickly schooled by others who explained that, unlike Princess and the Frog or even Mulan, The Little Mermaid doesn’t revolve around its protagonist being a certain race.
One user noted:
One more time for those in the back: Ariel is a mermaid. An alluring siren that exists only in tragic nautical fairytales. If you’re mad at the prospect of this mythical creature having darker skin, you’re probably…
What’s the word? Oh, right…
Racist.
Just like this Twitter user with a Pepe the Frog-themed profile picture:
Ick. Go comb you hair with a fork and get over it.
What do U think about our new Ariel, Perezious readers?
[Image via FayesVision/WENN/Disney]
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