This a theory-not theory. I'm very weary of hearing about this "issue," but I gave it a bit of thought and it may not be just a case of textbook racism going on here.
First off, I remember seeing the news and waving it off because I'm not interested in Disney remakes except Aladdin and maybe Mulan and I'm not swayed by ethnic pandering anymore. There was a time where you could flash a black actor or a black character in my face and I would dive in head first, but I see now that it's just a marketing trick. A Facebook friend did not understand me when I posted that Halle Bailey was hired for her skin and not her acting talent. The friend said that my phrase was contradictory. What I meant is that it's not like Halle came in and did her best Ariel impression and they said there was no one else they could hire. The thought process was, "Let's make Ariel black." So they lined up some of their best black women and picked out the lightest one. She can probably act just fine but she's not there to make the movie, she's there to market it and until now that was my only problem with the casting.
Now, it's all over my Facebook feed and there are people saying, "They just want the Ariel they grew up with," which made me come up with this theory, that perhaps it's not racism (or just racism.)
I saw a post stating that there are other characters that were originally written to be white that were portrayed by black actors, the examples being Dead Shot, Nick Fury, Heimdall and Iron Patriot and "no one" complained. (I guess Johnny Storm is chopped liver), but anyway, when I saw the comment about wanting the original Ariel, this list of characters appeared in my head and I noticed something: Every character in that list of men were altered to match the ethnicity. (except maybe Heimdall, I'm not really sure) Changing a white character specifically so they can be portrayed by black men and women is a consistent practice in the film industry, even in cartoons.
In Nickelodeon's "new" show, Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the iconic character who is the loyal human companion of the turtles, April O' Neil, was needlessly changed into a black girl and along with her skin changed her entire personality. Sure, she can still do things like build gadgets and be the love interest of Donatello but overall, April had completely transformed.
A similar thing happens when black voice actors are behind creatures who were written with different personalities than how they are portrayed in film. (Again, just because they're being played by a black male or female.)
There are also dramatic changes in wardrobe, such as the infamous change to Teen Titans' Starfire in the television adaption. A sweet and innocent adolescent had been turned into a trashy and cheap hooker after the decision had been made to have her be represented by a black woman.
Even original works can be controversially stereotypical such as Disney's Princess And The Frog. Tiana doesn't have magic, she has voodoo, friends who are also bosses, a snappy attitude instead of naivety, bugs and crocodiles instead of birds and bunnies, a swamp not a wedding venue, and lastly a restaurant on the poverty side of New Orleans instead of a castle.
So overall, what I'm trying to say is that the fear of Ariel's casting in The Little Mermaid remake may not just be that she's black but that her entire personality is likely to change due to the actor they're using. Perhaps that's why no one is willing to accept a "black" Ariel because if Hollywood keeps being Hollywood, Ariel will not be Ariel. Thoughts?
First off, I remember seeing the news and waving it off because I'm not interested in Disney remakes except Aladdin and maybe Mulan and I'm not swayed by ethnic pandering anymore. There was a time where you could flash a black actor or a black character in my face and I would dive in head first, but I see now that it's just a marketing trick. A Facebook friend did not understand me when I posted that Halle Bailey was hired for her skin and not her acting talent. The friend said that my phrase was contradictory. What I meant is that it's not like Halle came in and did her best Ariel impression and they said there was no one else they could hire. The thought process was, "Let's make Ariel black." So they lined up some of their best black women and picked out the lightest one. She can probably act just fine but she's not there to make the movie, she's there to market it and until now that was my only problem with the casting.
Now, it's all over my Facebook feed and there are people saying, "They just want the Ariel they grew up with," which made me come up with this theory, that perhaps it's not racism (or just racism.)
I saw a post stating that there are other characters that were originally written to be white that were portrayed by black actors, the examples being Dead Shot, Nick Fury, Heimdall and Iron Patriot and "no one" complained. (I guess Johnny Storm is chopped liver), but anyway, when I saw the comment about wanting the original Ariel, this list of characters appeared in my head and I noticed something: Every character in that list of men were altered to match the ethnicity. (except maybe Heimdall, I'm not really sure) Changing a white character specifically so they can be portrayed by black men and women is a consistent practice in the film industry, even in cartoons.
In Nickelodeon's "new" show, Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the iconic character who is the loyal human companion of the turtles, April O' Neil, was needlessly changed into a black girl and along with her skin changed her entire personality. Sure, she can still do things like build gadgets and be the love interest of Donatello but overall, April had completely transformed.
A similar thing happens when black voice actors are behind creatures who were written with different personalities than how they are portrayed in film. (Again, just because they're being played by a black male or female.)
There are also dramatic changes in wardrobe, such as the infamous change to Teen Titans' Starfire in the television adaption. A sweet and innocent adolescent had been turned into a trashy and cheap hooker after the decision had been made to have her be represented by a black woman.
Even original works can be controversially stereotypical such as Disney's Princess And The Frog. Tiana doesn't have magic, she has voodoo, friends who are also bosses, a snappy attitude instead of naivety, bugs and crocodiles instead of birds and bunnies, a swamp not a wedding venue, and lastly a restaurant on the poverty side of New Orleans instead of a castle.
So overall, what I'm trying to say is that the fear of Ariel's casting in The Little Mermaid remake may not just be that she's black but that her entire personality is likely to change due to the actor they're using. Perhaps that's why no one is willing to accept a "black" Ariel because if Hollywood keeps being Hollywood, Ariel will not be Ariel. Thoughts?
Last edited by Ami-Scythe; 07-10-19 at 11:34 AM.