“This was the best Disney movie ever made”: Halle Bailey’s Breathtaking Performance Could Not Save Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’
One of the highly anticipated Disney projects The Little Mermaid has proven to be one of the biggest movies released so far this year. The film has made around 400 million dollars at the box office as of now. Although that seems to be the case, in the two countries, the film has not been received the same way. The first week only racked up around 3 million dollars in China where reportedly the casting of another race as Ariel did not quite sit right with the fans of the Disney classic. And similarly, even South Korea seems to agree. The situation was described as having a racist outlook by news outlets. Several fans have since come to defend the two countries.
Fans Respond To Claims of Racism Regarding The Little Mermaid‘s Poor Reception in South Korea and China
After the first week since Disney’s The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey came out, it has been smashing at the box office. But after looking at South Korea and China’s reception of the film, a report by CNN suggested that racism had a part to play in it.
According to the reports which used the information available from Chinese and South Korean movie review sites, the people were seemingly disappointed at the change in the race of Disney’s Ariel. Since many grew up watching the original Ariel who was white, the sudden change was not a welcome sight seemingly.
However, just like in many cases, the situation is not one-sided as many Korean viewers expressed their appreciation for the movie. And some even questioned the criticisms the movie had received. One responded,
“I heard that this was the best Disney movie ever made”
While another complimented Bailey saying,
“Halle Bailey’s acting, her innocent portrayal of Ariel,
As far as it is concerned despite the poor reception in the two countries, viewers were divided and therefore racism might not be the reason behind it.
A Look at Disney’s The Little Mermaid Reboot
Disney’s live-action remake The Little Mermaid was one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. And since its release in the theatres on May 31st, the film has proven its worth by raking in around 400 million dollars worldwide. The film stars Halle Bailey as Ariel.
There was a lot of discussion around the casting of a black actor for the role considering that originally Ariel has been white. But taking on the racial issues existing in the United States, the decision was well-received. Particularly among the black children who felt represented after watching Bailey as one of Disney’s most-loved characters.
Source: The News International
