Halle Bailey will play Ariel in The Little Mermaid

[Little Fighter 1,222]

On 7/3/2019 at 4:05 PM, GypsyBabe said:

Not happy. Ariel is an iconic ginger. It would be like casting a Weasley without red hair. 

Girl did you not girl black people can have naturally red hair and that wigs and hair dye exist? 

[GypsyBabe 22,836]

2 hours ago, ***Piercing said:

Girl did you not girl black people can have naturally red hair and that wigs and hair dye exist? 

 

[StrawberryBlond 14,101]

On 7/5/2019 at 11:51 PM, TheShameMonster said:

So many things we can talk about with Ariel’s casting: her voice, her acting, but no! GGD wants to focus on something as trivial as the colour of her skin. 

We have spoken about other elements, though. At this stage, when casting has been announced, all we normally have to go on is looks anyway, so it's no different to focusing on the looks of any other actress from any other film. If it was a trailer released, there would be a lot more to talk about but as it is, we only have her looks and a 50 second singing snippet to go on. I've never seen her acting and this will be her first big break, so I can't comment on that. Everyone's praising her voice. We're also interested in who else will be cast and have been considering where the location will be as it's very ambiguous in the movie. Of course the conversation will develop when there's more to talk about than there is now.

15 hours ago, illySpencer said:

And rumor as it, Beyonce was a big part of this decision. Some said that Haile (who is Beyonce's protege) to be Ariel was a part of her contract when Disney asked her to be Nala's voice. So like I said it's far from being a simple question of color change. They didn't plan to do that first. 

WOW. Really?! I didn't know she was her protege. That would make a lot of sense if true as what are the chances of mentor and protege getting a substantial singing role in two different Disney films? I'm all for helping your protege but not in a simple instance of nepotism. Could it be suggested in this case that Beyonce didn't want to see another white girl given a role because she's so pro black these days? If it was for no reason other than that, that's really bad. I just looked up their history and yes, she and Chloe are signed to Beyonce's label, they appeared in her Lemonade videos, they opened for her Formation tour and they opened on The Carters tour last year. Way back in 2003, Chloe even played the the young version of Beyonce's role in The Fighting Temptations!  I did wonder why such an unknown got such a big opportunity. If this is the case, now we know. And knowing their connection, how she got this role is now super obvious. At least she can sing to give her casting credibility, but other than that, it doesn't reflect well on Disney that they can be bought that easily.

4 hours ago, derpmonster said:

"I don't see color, you SJWs shouldn't focus on skin color," say all the haters until a black woman gets cast in a role for a fish that was originally depicted as having light skin.

You see, this is the argument that people like me have actually been throwing back at the inconsistent SJW thinking. Can't you not see that? They're always telling us that skin colour is hugely important, a defining feature of someone because of the history it carries and is something that can't be denied...until it comes to movie adaptions, in which case, white skin becomes ambiguous, a matter of interpretation, never mentioned in the original story, not integral to the plot and can be changed. Non-white skin, on the other hand, is never open to interpretation, it is what it is, case closed and anyone who says otherwise is racist. Non-white skin should never be changed, white skin can and should be changed. Can you not see the double standards? I wish there would be a set standard people would just stick to and not change it when they feel like it. And I never said I don't see skin colour. I see it when I have no choice but to notice biological reality, like most people do. And I certainly feel the need to comment on it when it seems to be used for political/monetary gain, controversy and attention. And if she got the role because she's Beyonce's protege, well, that adds another layer to it.

And notice how you and several others have used the word "fish" instead of "mermaid" in attempts to undermine the argument of opponents? It doesn't work on me. Mermaids are human from the waist up, so they're not fish. By calling them fish, you're just trying to make my argument look stupid to work in your favour. If I said everyone was pressed over the race of a cartoon fish changing who was originally a black mermaid, I'm sure the same accusation would be ruled at me.

[EnigmaNecrotic1 175]

On 7/6/2019 at 11:18 AM, StrawberryBlond said:

But this mermaid is the same colour as other white Disney human princessess, so therefore, she must be white. She's always this colour and when she changes into a human, her skin colour doesn't change. Hardly open to interpretation. And while I'd naturally want a Chinese Mulan, how is her race integral to the story? It's set in China and everyone's Chinese but their race is never mentioned. The crucial part about Mulan is that she's female, nothing to do with her race. Just saying that maybe people only think her race is crucial because she's not white. Apparently, your race is always a crucial factor when you're not white, no matter what the reality might be. And what do you mean European culture is multi-faceted? Are you saying we're all the same?

I just also remembered that there was a cartoon series after the movie came out as I had one of them on video at the time. In one of the episodes, Ariel helps to rescue an explorer in a failing submarine and when he's back on land, we see him writing a book. Two kids run up to him and ask him if he's the famous Hans Christian Andersen. He says he is and tells them to gather round as he reads to them from the start of his new book and the episode ends with him starting off the story about a land he discovered under the sea. So, clearly, Disney was referencing the official story. Hans and the children looked and dressed like how Danish people did back then, as did the port look very Danish.

If you'd read the part in the article that explained about this very thing happening in the last 20 years, you'd maybe think differently. I'm very glad I've never been subject to this but being a redhead can be particularly bad at times, especially in the UK, where almost all of these attacks happened.

What's racist, bigoted and ignorant about simply wanting a character to be as you remembered them, just like any POC wants (and deserves) the same for their POC characters? Most people are saying that they wish Disney would show diversity by creating new POC princesses. You can't get more diverse than that. That's even more powerful than making remakes. It's very ironic that those actually fighting for diversity are actually getting accused of not believing in it.

How? It's never explained that her hair is magically that colour. Plenty of red hair depicted in cartoons is an unnatural shade of red for some reason, doesn't mean in that character's case, it wasn't meant to be natural. And most of us aren't supportive of whitewashing either. I don't know anyone here who actually does. We're at a point now where its looked upon as completely unacceptable so any studio who still does it is lambasted and the movie that results from it never does well. No one's actually saying they'd respond positively to a whitewash. I want minority roles to stay minority roles just as much as you do. I just think the origins of any story should be respected. That's not racism, that's consistency.

Mulan has to defeat the Huns.....

They practice tea ceremonies....

There's a whole crisis about keeping the family's honor....

Just because they don't say "Hey look, we're Chinese!" doesn't mean they don't have to be Chinese. Yes, their setting and culture and race is integral to the story. 

[hoebitch11 3,924]

If they give her red hair it will hardly make a difference what her skin tone is. All people have slightly different skin tones and facial features. Nobody was going to look exact anyways.

BUTT.

Disney's power is nostalgia and they are dumb to constantly re-write and **** with these movies. The reason people wanna see it is for the accuracy. The excitement of seeing their favorite movie rendered in realism with new angles and bits of story that were otherwise "missed" so to speak. But that's hollywood for you.

[StrawberryBlond 14,101]

24 minutes ago, EnigmaNecrotic1 said:

Mulan has to defeat the Huns.....

They practice tea ceremonies....

There's a whole crisis about keeping the family's honor....

Just because they don't say "Hey look, we're Chinese!" doesn't mean they don't have to be Chinese. Yes, their setting and culture and race is integral to the story. 

I'm not arguing that but I'm just talking from a technical standpoint, if that's how some people want to be. Race is never mentioned or is a barrier. It's gender that's the big defining feature. I'm just being as technical as everyone else is being towards Ariel when they say that she's a mythical creature, therefore, she has no race, which I think is a bit much when you consider she's the same colour as the white humans and remains so when she becomes fully human herself.

[EnigmaNecrotic1 175]

5 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

I'm not arguing that but I'm just talking from a technical standpoint, if that's how some people want to be. Race is never mentioned or is a barrier. It's gender that's the big defining feature. I'm just being as technical as everyone else is being towards Ariel when they say that she's a mythical creature, therefore, she has no race, which I think is a bit much when you consider she's the same colour as the white humans and remains so when she becomes fully human herself.

[Zander 14,857]

I think people have gotta remember a lot of the well known Disney films pre 90’s that they’re making into live action has barely any diversity at all. It’s really not a big deal to reimagine the cast to reflect our modern society now, not what it was back then. Snow White, Rose Red, Peter Pan, Sword in the Stone, Pinnochino. They’re all upcoming films and in the animated version feature all white leads and mostly the cast to, why not have more diversity?

[illySpencer 1,434]

1 hour ago, Zander said:

I think people have gotta remember a lot of the well known Disney films pre 90’s that they’re making into live action has barely any diversity at all. It’s really not a big deal to reimagine the cast to reflect our modern society now, not what it was back then. Snow White, Rose Red, Peter Pan, Sword in the Stone, Pinnochino. They’re all upcoming films and in the animated version feature all white leads and mostly the cast to, why not have more diversity?

Let me explain you differently. What if someone paint the Joconde with black skin ? Or what if they create a ballon cat to replace the ballon dog of Jeff Koons ? I think it will be a non sense and very outrageous and shocking to everyone to touch pieces of art. Well here it’s the same.

Ariel is more than just a cartoon, she is more than a white girl. This is a piece of art too, a chef d’oeuvre, she is iconic and known by everyone to be like she is. She is a part of the pop culture. Ariel is history. 

If we agree to change anything in pop culture where are we gonna stop ? What will be the next move ? It will be the open door to anything. If we don’t protect our culture, who will be ? When Disney change the color of Ariel hey made it political when a Disney movie shouldn’t be. 

[Zander 14,857]

 

1 hour ago, illySpencer said:

Let me explain you differently. What if someone paint the Joconde with black skin ? Or what if they create a ballon cat to replace the ballon dog of Jeff Koons ? I think it will be a non sense and very outrageous and shocking to everyone to touch pieces of art. Well here it’s the same.

Ariel is more than just a cartoon, she is more than a white girl. This is a piece of art too, a chef d’oeuvre, she is iconic and known by everyone to be like she is. She is a part of the pop culture. Ariel is history. 

If we agree to change anything in pop culture where are we gonna stop ? What will be the next move ? It will be the open door to anything. If we don’t protect our culture, who will be ? When Disney change the color of Ariel hey made it political when a Disney movie shouldn’t be. 

 

Art is also interpreted differently by everyone. If you asked a group of people to paint an object most likely everyone will paint something stylistically different from the original. It’s an interpretation and adaptation. Nobodies erasing Ariel out of “culture”... The original will always exist just like everything else does.

It’s a fantasy story, after all, but even simply in terms of its brand power for Disney, there is no good enough reason why a new generation of kids can’t have an Ariel who looks different from the cartoon.

Theres nothing political about this or casting a black person into a role of a fictional mermaid who previously was once portrayed as white in a cartoon. It’s a fictional story where race and heritage are completely irrelevant to the characters and play no vital role in the story telling. Perhaps Disney didn’t even specify they wanted someone black for a casting call, maybe she just stood out and who so happened to be black? If things always stay the same then society won’t move forward. 

 

[illySpencer 1,434]

9 minutes ago, Zander said:

 

 

Art is also interpreted differently by everyone. If you asked a group of people to paint an object most likely everyone will paint something stylistically different from the original. It’s an interpretation and adaptation. Nobodies erasing Ariel out of “culture”... The original will always exist just like everything else does.

It’s a fantasy story, after all, but even simply in terms of its brand power for Disney, there is no good enough reason why a new generation of kids can’t have an Ariel who looks different from the cartoon.

Theres nothing political about this or casting a black person into a role of a fictional mermaid who previously was once portrayed as white in a cartoon. It’s a fictional story where race and heritage are completely irrelevant to the characters and play no vital role in the story telling. Perhaps Disney didn’t even specify they wanted someone black for a casting call, maybe she just stood out and who so happened to be black? If things always stay the same then society won’t move forward. 

 

Because you thing it was not political ? Please... So why they didn't do it for the other princesses ?  

 

If you think the society will moves forward  with a black Ariel, you are actually very naive, cause it won't. They will just create frustration, nothing more.  

[StrawberryBlond 14,101]

18 hours ago, Zander said:

I think people have gotta remember a lot of the well known Disney films pre 90’s that they’re making into live action has barely any diversity at all. It’s really not a big deal to reimagine the cast to reflect our modern society now, not what it was back then. Snow White, Rose Red, Peter Pan, Sword in the Stone, Pinnochino. They’re all upcoming films and in the animated version feature all white leads and mostly the cast to, why not have more diversity?

But these movies were based on stories that are decades and centuries old. They're not set in modern society, so why should they reflect modern society? They can make their new productions set in the current age as diverse as they like, for that's accurate and realistic, but not the old stuff. There's no obligation to make the old stuff modern, it goes against the whole point of making live action of anything old.

15 hours ago, Zander said:

Perhaps Disney didn’t even specify they wanted someone black for a casting call, maybe she just stood out and who so happened to be black? If things always stay the same then society won’t move forward.

It's being suggested that Beyonce was the reason she got this role. Halle and her sister are signed to Beyonce's label, they appeared in her Lemonade visuals and opened on 2 of her tours. Now that Beyonce's playing Nala, its been speculated that she maybe wrote into her contract that to be cast, her protege had to get a lead role in another Disney film or she wouldn't sign on. I could totally see that happening because this girl is pretty much a complete unknown, so how did she get such an amazing opportunity that is really only given to big names? Now, if this is indeed the case, this angers me even more than the race change. People should get roles on their own merits alone, not nepotism.

[giskardsb 12,565]

3 minutes ago, StrawberryBlond said:

But these movies were based on stories that are decades and centuries old. They're not set in modern society, so why should they reflect modern society? They can make their new productions set in the current age as diverse as they like, for that's accurate and realistic, but not the old stuff. There's no obligation to make the old stuff modern, it goes against the whole point of making live action of anything old.

most of the entire point of doing any new version of an old story, whether written  stories or remakes of movies, is to bring a story to a modern audience that may not be familiar with it.   

[StrawberryBlond 14,101]

1 minute ago, giskardsb said:

most of the entire point of doing any new version of an old story, whether written  stories or remakes of movies, is to bring a story to a modern audience.  

I'm a big believer in "if you've got a story to tell, write one, don't remake one." It's one thing updating it if the first one got things wrong (like Pocahontas, maybe) but nothing was wrong with the original. People watch these remakes for nostalgia, not to see huge changes. That's why these remakes have suffered frequent criticism because they've been changing things that no one asked for or gave them a change that wasn't welcome.

[DC 25,164]

She better at least pull off a red wig