The release of The Little Mermaid live-action teaser has silenced critics and sparked a heartwarming trend among young Black girls.
Over the weekend, Disney dropped a first look at the highly anticipated live-action remake that stars American singer and actor Halle Bailey, who plays the love-struck Disney princess Ariel.
According to Variety, the trailer amassed more than 104 million global views – excluding views from Britain, Ireland and Australia, which were not accounted for due to the Queen’s death.
But it isn’t the mammoth viewer numbers alone that have made headlines; it is also the moving TikTok videos coming outof the release.
The viral videos feature young black girls marvelling at the representation of a black Ariel, as their parents record their reactions to the trailer.
The children are seen gazing in adoration as Bailey emerges on the screen and they see an Ariel that looks like them.
“She’s black? Yay!” one young girl is seen saying.
@thedfwdad Never thought a movie trailer could make me cry but then I saw @halle and knew how it would make my kids feel. Thanks @disney for making my kids feel seen. Can’t wait to be at Disney World in 12 days! #disney #interacialadoption #representationmatters #littlemermaid #thelittlemermaidtrailer #partofyourworld #blackgirlmagic #girldad #d23 #disneyadult ♬ The Little Mermaid (Marimba Remix) – Harry Goes Boom!
“They made a black Ariel!” another exclaimed.
The videos have been shared numerous times, with some getting more than four million views, posted alongside the hashtags #blackgirljoy and #representationmatters.
In the teaser Bailey, 22, is seen singing the Disney classic Part of Your World.
Backlash over diverse casting
Bailey is best known as one half of the Grammy-nominated singing duo Chloe x Halle alongside her sister Chloe Bailey, and for her work on American sitcom Grown-ish.
Despite support from Jodie Benson, who voiced Ariel in the 1989 animated original, and from Hollywood heavyweights like Halle Berry, the 2019 decision to cast Bailey as Ariel met with heavy criticism online.
Social media users took issue with a black actress playing the Disney mermaid they knew to have Caucasian features.
Some users protested against the casting decision with the hashtag #NotMyAriel.
In an interview with Variety, Bailey reflected on the initial backlash she received and stated that she leaned on her family for support as she undertook this barrier-breaking role.
“I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special, and that they should be a princess in every single way,” she told Variety.
Not alone
The issues surrounding diverse casting are not unique to the upcoming Disney flick.
Earlier this month the release of The Rings of Power caused a stir among some die-hard Tolkien fans who faulted the makers of the Lord of The Rings prequel for its supposed inaccuracy in casting non-white actors.
Following the backlash, stars Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan from the original Lord of The Rings films came to the defence of the diverse casting decision in the Amazon spin-off.
Wood shared an image featuring the famed trio wearing shirts that read “you are all welcome here” in Sindarian Elvish.
As the heartfelt reaction videos for The Little Mermaid teaser continue to circulate, Bailey has taken to Twitter to share her gratitude.
“People have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and i’m in truly in awe … this means the world to me,” she tweeted.
The Little Mermaid hits big screens on May 26, 2023.
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