On the significance of casting a Black actress as Ariel Sherri Hope Culver: To have a Disney character who is not just a princess but a live-action, real flesh and blood person that children can be inspired by is important. This is because people of color are less likely to see themselves reflected in the media.
Since the animated feature film had a white mermaid as Ariel, some people are angry that Disney has gone with a black actress in the live-action. Some people also believe that Hans Christian Andersen described the Little mermaid as a white mermaid in his book.
' Halle Bailey stars as Ariel in the live-action remake of the classic Disney animated film. Casting a Black actress in the role caused quite a splash — which inspired us to look back at two of Disney's forays into Black princess movies.
Disney's live-action version of the 1989 animated classic 'The Little Mermaid' hits theaters on Friday. This highly-anticipated film is also marking a moment in Disney history with Halle Bailey as the first Black Ariel.
In Disney's nearly 100-year history, there has been only one Black Disney princess — Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 animated feature starring Anika Noni Rose.
Young Black girls react to Halle Bailey as Disney’s new Ariel l GMA
How much did Halle Bailey get paid for Little Mermaid?
It's believed that Bailey made about $1.5 million for her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, but that number could increase depending on how well the film performs opening weekend and beyond.
“I had done a photoshoot for Disney a few years back where Annie Leibowitz shot me as Ursula,” Queen Latifah told “GMA” in an exclusive interview. “So when this popped up, it was like, OK, a TV production. Alright … Once they explained to me the way that they wanted to do it, I thought it was interesting.”
Are there any black characters in The Little Mermaid?
A new "Little Mermaid" is now part of our world, with a fresh take on the old-school Disney classic, a live-action remake starring 23-year-old Halle Bailey, a Black singer and actress, in the lead role of Ariel.
Did Queen Latifah play Ursula in The Little Mermaid?
Queen Latifah portrayed the singing sea witch, voiced by Pat Carroll in the animated film and previously played onstage by Rebel Wilson, Harvey Fierstein and Sherie Rene Scott.
As Ariel is half fish, she cannot be categorized by our ethnicities and races. The animated “Little Mermaid” movie only portrayed her with light skin and red hair because that was the American interpretation at the time.
In July of 2019, the live action remake of the classic Disney movie Little Mermaid was announced, with young Black actress and singer Halle Bailey cast as the lead Ariel. After Covid delays, the official premiere date for the Little Mermaid is now May 26, 2023.
The reported box office result of The Little Mermaid 2023 remake is about $560 million. On paper, these numbers look good. The film grossed over $298 million domestically and more than $263 million internationally.
Ariel, is a fictional character, with no defined skin color in her original material. She was originally written by a Danish author in the 1800s. She has been portrayed in ballet and movies by Asian, Russian, and mixed-race individuals, her cartoon depictions are typically pale.
There are several instances when Eric's mother Queen Salina (Noma Dumezweni), who is Black and adopted him as a child when he washed up from the ocean, chastises him for his obvious love for beings that are considered other.
The casting is beautifully “colour blind”, with the prince being white and his mother being Black (he is adopted). At the same time, the Little Mermaid's father is white, while her mermaid sisters are of various different races and ethnicities.
All of king Triton's daughters represent their own seas all over the world and as such they are all different ethnicities in the movie. It is not specified where the movie takes place, i.e. where Ariel lives but it's obvious it's not in Denmark.
Diversity. Ariel had 3 male animal friends, so they needed to make one a girl. Same reason they made Jock a girl (Jacqueline aka Jacque) in the Lady & The Tramp live-action remake.
The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale of Danish origin and was originally conceived by writer Hans Christian Andersen, who was best known for his riveting fairy tales. Andersen lived from 1805 to 1875. He published The Little Mermaid in 1837 as a part of a larger collection titled Fairy Tales Told for Children.
When it was announced that Halle Bailey would be taking on the role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, there were some people a little confused and instead were under the impression that it was actually Oscar-winning actress Halle Berrywho had been cast.
How much did Melissa McCarthy get paid for The Little Mermaid?
Melissa McCarthy, who played the devious Ursula in the live-action, made $500,000 for her work in the film. Other cast members received more modest salaries for their supporting roles.
