THE LITTLE MERMAID Star Halle Bailey Clarifies Recent Ariel Comments Following Backlash From Fans

THE LITTLE MERMAID Star Halle Bailey Clarifies Recent Ariel Comments Following Backlash From Fans

After promising a more "nuanced" take on Ariel in Disney's upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid movie, star Halle Bailey has been forced to clarify her comments after creating waves on social media...

By JoshWilding - Mar 21, 2023 01:03 PM EST
Filed Under: Movies

The Little Mermaid might be the only 2023 movie guaranteed to earn $1 billion at the box office as the excitement levels surrounding this live-action remake appear to be even higher than they once were for 2017's Beauty and the Beast

While the movie will clearly remain faithful to the 1989 animated classic, some changes are being made, and not all of those have sat well with fans (some gripes are understandable, while others are downright abhorrent). Lead star Halle Bailey, however, recently found herself in the midst of a social media storm after promising a more "nuanced" take on Ariel. 

You can see her original quote in the Tweet below, but this led to the assumption on social media that the "woke" movie will forego the romance between Ariel and Prince Eric. 

Now, Bailey has refuted that by pointing out that the themes she was talking about were always part of this story. Adding that we just get to see more of those in this take, the singer and actress concluded by making it clear romance will still be a big focal point of the story being told.

The original movie hasn't aged badly, but giving Ariel's desire to be human a little more urgency beyond liking the look of a man she saves from drowning will surely be no bad thing for this interpretation of The Little Mermaid

In the movie, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart.

She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy. 

The Little Mermaid stars singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel, Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, with Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

Helmed by visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall, the movie opens exclusively in theaters on May 26, 2023.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM's Rotten Tomatoes Score Has Been Revealed
Related:

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM's Rotten Tomatoes Score Has Been Revealed

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM Gets Mixed First Reviews
Recommended For You:

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM Gets Mixed First Reviews

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, Toonado.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. Toonado.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that Toonado.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Be the first to comment and get the conversation going!

View Recorder