What do you think of Disney casting a black actress for Little Mermaid?

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Hollywood already ruined the initial Andersen story which is a great tragedy. So it doesn’t matter who plays the Little Mermaid who was never named Ariel. It is all just irrelevant. The story, even sad, is better than all movie descriptions.
 
The people who say “who cares?” are usually the ones who are the white majority group and have the unearned privilege to never have to think about it. White girls have zero problem being able to see themselves on the big screen and a character that looks like they do.

Which is why it is admirable that Disney is using a more diverse and cosmopolitan cast. I also believe it easily syncs with Catholic teaching to make sure people are represented.
 
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Anyone else thought of South Park when they heard this news?

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For all we know she could be painted green in the movie like she was in the original Andersen story, be covered in sprinkles,have red hair.
I mean the red hair of Ariel in the original is unnatural red hair anyways.
 
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What does it matter if a character merely looks like you? None of the fictional characters I relate to the most or like the best look like me at all. How about instead of focusing on appearances, we experiment with different kinds of characters and personalities, instead of slapping a new coat of paint on old tropes?
 
TK421 said:
The people who say “who cares?” are usually the ones who are the white majority group and have the unearned privilege to never have to think about it.
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Thank you for doing all that research so we don’t have to.
 
This is outdated. There are plenty of black characters - male, female, different ages - on screen nowadays, on TV shows and news, commercials, movies. In fact I’d say they are overrepresented in terms of their percentage of the US population.
 
It seems like LGBT characters are overrepresented in a similar way.
 
I mean, there’s a grown woman defying an evil, abusive step-mother to go to a party. I don’t really see many parallels between that and a teenager, with an attitude somewhere between disrespect and outright contempt, sneaking out to see an known evil witch in order to mutilate her body so she can be acceptable to a man she’s never actually met. Sleeping Beauty was basically a prop in her story, with not much agency at all, so she never really rebelled against anything. Snow White’s stepmother tried to have her murdered, so her “rebellion” was more like survival skills. Belle was somewhat rebellious against the expectations of her neighbors, but her father was more or less supportive. What other princesses are there? Elsa didn’t “rebel” against her parents until they were dead and she was a grown woman and also queen of the kingdom. Pocahontas defied her father in order to save John Smith’s life and prevent a battle that would probably have killed many of the members of her tribe. Mulan was trying to save her father’s life, and her country from invasion. Moana was also trying to save her whole community from starvation and she was in constant inner conflict about going against her father’s wishes. That seems a little more significant than sneaking out to see a guy you’ve never met.
 
She might be in the mermaid scenes, but probably not when she’s turned into a human.
 
I can’t say that I care about the Little Mermaid or who its creators decide to cast for the role. All I know is that this very little thing is causing uncalled for (not that it’s ever called for) racial strife.
 
I agree. I teach music to elementary age girls and it really does matter that girls of color see themselves represented positively in the media. For that reason, when I’m selecting films and video clips to show my class, I always consider whether people of color are represented. It’s not the only thing I consider, by any means. But if, for example, I have the opportunity to show a good recording of a racially diverse orchestra as opposed to an all-white orchestra, I’ll usually take it.
 
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What “racial strife”? A very small number of people are slightly uncomfortable because a black actress (That apparently can’t dye her hair.) is playing a mermaid. The same people are being called out as racist, which they probably are whether they realize it or not. No one is afraid to go to work or school and nothing is on fire as of yet. This is not “strife”. This is people being called upon to reconsider their prejudice and maybe not liking a movie that hasn’t even been released yet, for a stupid reason. And even if this WAS causing legitimate strife, would that be a reason not to make a movie with a black mermaid? I don’t think so.
 
Is that what she looks like? She’s got a very Disney Princess-y face, in my opinion. And her hair looks very mermaidish. I approve. I hope she sings better than the Harry Potter girl.
 
If I have any complaints, it’s that Disney keeps remaking animated classics as live action movies.
Thomasbradley312 said:
Pocahontas… Mulan, Moana
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Pocahontas is based on a historical woman, who was Native American.

Mulan and Moana are characters in very specific, historical cultures.

Ariel is a fictional half-human, half-fish creature that in the animated movie could breathe underwater without any noticeable gills.

The comparison really doesn’t work.
gracepoole said:
The whole history of fairy tales is built on change and cultural adaptation. 🤷‍♀️
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Relevant to Catholicism, we have a long history of allowing cultures to present Jesus and Mary as of their own culture, not just as first-century Jews.
Zach said:
But plenty of people would if a white portrayed, say, an Asian fairy tale character.
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Ghost in the Shell reference?
Brendan_64 said:
What has this got to do with Catholic teachings or living life as a Catholic?
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We’re in the Popular Media subforum. It’s common to have discussions about media here that have little relevance to Catholic teaching.

Also, as mentioned earlier, we can spin this into a discussion about Catholic art. 🙂
redbetta said:
Why don’t they just create more original minority characters instead of giving minorities a hand-me-down?..

And, enough with the remakes!
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You kind of answered you own question.
 
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TK421 said:
The people who say “who cares?” are usually the ones who are the white majority group and have the unearned privilege to never have to think about it.
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Unearned privilege? No and forsooth!

It is an inalienable right that has been endowed upon me by my Creator - that I may now and forever not care about the ethnicity of Ariel the mermaid and how same is portrayed by Disney.

Good Day, Sir or Madam! I said Good Day!!!
 
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