After the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was met with one of the biggest fan responses negatively, it has hit headlines once more …
The 1989 classic, which tells the story of a mermaid princess, called Ariel, who falls in love with a human prince on land, is officially getting the live-action treatment.
With Halle Bailey taking on the role of Ariel.
Halle Bailey is best known in the R&B singing duo with her older sister, Chloe.
Similarly to the likes of Justin Bieber, the pair started off by covering well-known songs online.
And one very famous singer became a fan…
In 2013, the siblings posted a cover of the Beyoncé hit ‘Pretty Hurts’, and the clip caught the eye of Queen B herself.
Their A-list support from Beyonce earnt the pair a record deal and, as you can imagine, skyrocketed the pair to fame.
Their debut EP, Sugar Symphony, was released in April 2016 and, that year, they opened for Beyoncé on the European leg of her Formation World Tour. Now, that’s a pretty impressive resume.
Chloe and Halle worked with the star again on 2018, opening on the US portion of her and Jay Z’s On The Run II tour.
The duo has picked up 2 Grammy nominations as well as impressively performing at both the Super Bowl — which is deemed to be one of the most sought-after gigs to take the stage at — and the 61st annual Grammy Awards. Wow.
And that’s not all…
They both star in the US coming-of-age sitcom, Grown-ish (2018), which centers around the Johnson family’s eldest daughter, as she takes her first steps into the real world and heads off to college.
The younger half of the singing has also added Disney to her resume.
She’ll be riding solo to star in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
After “extensive” searching, it seems like they finally found their perfect Ariel, with Halle Bailey set to take on the role of everyone’s favorite mermaid princess.
Director, Rob Marshall, seems very smitten with his choice of Ariel and, according to the BBC, said that Halle “Possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance – plus a glorious singing voice.”
And that singing voice really will be put to good use…
The live-action remake is said to include everyone’s favorite songs from the 1989 original, including the likes of ‘Under The Sea’ and ‘Kiss The Girl’ as well as new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. We don’t know about you, but we’re so happy right now.
Messages of congratulations poured in for the teenage star.
“Halle Bailey, a Black teens who wears locs, being cast as a Disney princess is what dreams are made of. Imagine what just seeing her onscreen will do for this generation of Black girls,” wrote one person.
Although certain people were skeptical about a Black Ariel.
Nonetheless, her message in response to being cast as Ariel was very short and sweet, but we think that it’s perfect. We’re so happy for Halle!
This weekend, the first official trailer for the movie dropped.
And it’s safe to say it took over the internet!
While many were thrilled to see Halle’s first scenes in the famous role…
Others were upset that the new movie wasn’t a total frame for frame remake of the original…
With many rather silly complaints surfacing.
“The amount of racism she is receiving by white people makes me feel so sad for her. This is supposed to be a joyous monumental moment for her but all the racists are ruining it, I hope she is receiving mental and emotional help, racism on this scale is traumatizing. Still showing out for her tho,” one person wrote.
“Excited to hear about this newest version of The Little Mermaid story. I understand they are going back to the original source material and the ending will be more faithful to the book,” another added.
“This is why representation matters! You ‘colorblind’ folks who in the same breath will complain about a FICTIONAL character not being white think there’s only one black actress out there,” offered a third.
Because, believe it or not…
Some people have managed to confuse Halle Bailey for Halle Berry.
One Twitter user posted a rather angry tweet which has since been deleted…
“Halle Berry is nearly 60 playing the role of a 16-year-old girl. This is what happens when you upset a fandom,” they wrote.
And, hilariously Halle Berry herself responded…
With a tweet that has taken the internet by storm.
In fact, the 2 have been mistaken for one another before.
Though it appears they are on good terms about it.
Now, since the trailer dropped for the new live-action movie, we can see it has already gotten a lot of stick online.
But the extent to which Disney fans are upset with Disney’s casting is immense.
Although YouTube has changed the dislike button so the number of dislikes is hidden, a plug-in revealed that over 2 million users disliked the trailer.
After watching the trailer at the D23 Expo fan convention on September 10, the original actress who voiced Ariel has spoken out.
Sixty-year-old Jodi Benson wrote on her Instagram story: “So thrilled! So excited! Halle, you were absolutely amazing!”
Benson continued: “I’m SO proud of you and your beautiful performance as Ariel. It was so wonderful to share with your family here at D23 Expo. And to the brilliant director Rob Marshall…I’m so thankful for our friendship of over 35 years. Thank you for creating such a stunning film!!!”
Since receiving backlash over being cast as Ariel because of the color of her skin…
Halle addressed those trolls with an epic reply.
According to UNILAD, Halle also spoke about the pressures she faced stepping into the iconic character’s shoes.
“I’m so excited about this film. You know being here today is so surreal. I’m just a fan of all of the other projects and the fact that I get to be a part of something like this. It’s amazing,” she revealed.
“I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I’ve treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself. Just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl.
“Knowing that gave it my all and gave 110 percent into everything of this film, I am really proud of myself,” Halle added.
“With all of the commentary and people’s opinions going on, it just reminds me to be grounded and grateful that I have this opportunity.
“I know what it would’ve meant to me as a little girl to have been able to see a Black Ariel. If I would’ve seen that, it would have changed my whole outlook on life,” she continued.
“The fact that now it’s getting to be played by me, a person who looks like me, woman of colour, I’m just like, wow, I’m so grateful for what it will do for all the other little Black and brown boys and girls who will see themselves in me.
“Because I know if I had seen myself when I was younger, I think my whole perspective would’ve changed,” Halle said.
And a TikTok beauty expert has spoken out about the live-action remake too.
Ellie-Jean, aka @bodyandstyle, has broken down exactly why Halle is a perfect fit for the role of Ariel.
“Unlike the other Disney princesses, Ariel is actually a fantasy creature. Even though some of the other Disney princesses have other magical powers, they are at the end of the day still human.
“Halle has an ethereal essence. Ethereal essence is a type of face that looks slightly uncanny. There’s something otherworldly about them,” she said in the video that has gained over 800,000 views.
“Another word we use is angelic. So their facial features are very similar to those we find on statues of angels. So, they have elongated facial features that also have a softness to them.
“Ingenue is sweet, youthful-looking features. So that’s a short face, lips, a short nose. Which helps her to convey Ariel’s innocence and naivety,” she added.
You can watch the video here.
Soon after, The Little Mermaid was hit with a brand new controversy.
And it’s all to do with the food served at the movie premier!
Which went viral on TikTok, after one attendee showed what they were given to eat.
And you’ll never guess what they were served to eat… Sushi! That’s right – AKA, raw fish.
“To whoever planned this. You’re sick. But also brilliant.” one fan wrote.
Another added: “Who on earth was in charge of the menu and WHY.”
“They made it an immersive experience for all the senses,” another joked.
Watch the controversial video here.
And now, the movie is in the headlines once more.
As Serena Williams adorably filmed her daughter getting the brand new doll!
“Momma and poppa wanted to get this for you,” dad Alexis Ohanian said.
“Yay! ‘Little Mermaid!'” Olympia yelled. “Thank you!”
Watch the adorable video here …