Why’s Everyone So Fired Up About Disney’s New Little Mermaid?
14 Sep 2022
Break out your shell bikinis. There’s going to be a live-action version of The Little Mermaid.
They just came out with live Pinocchio, too.
Of course, they did The Lion King live quite a while ago.
Also, they did Aladdin.
Remakes are all the rage, and there’s usually some race swapping. That’s the case with The Little Mermaid. Disney has cast a black girl to play Ariel.
In the classic cartoon, of course, she was a white girl with red hair.
It’s a fantastical character, so, whatever. It’s not like when they do it with Bridgerton or Jane Austen novels and Hamilton.
Vikings, for instance, had a black actress. That just seemed very forced in context of the story.
In Game of Thrones, there were black actors and actresses cast who were great, and not trying to make a political statement that felt shoehorned into the narrative.
Well, Ariel is a made-up character. Captain America, James Bond, these are fictional characters.
So is Peter Pan, who’s played by a woman on stage, by the way.
That movie was Clay’s chlidhood favorite. Now, for his kids, it’s Cars.
Buck — who loves foxes — loves the Robin Hood where Robin Hood is a fox.
How do you feel about the black Little Mermaid and race casting in Hollywood? Tweet us your take @ClayAndBuck — or, if you’re a 24/7 VIP, send us an email.
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