Well, I guess to me, I think that's why it's more important Disney should be making *original* animated films with Black casts. But it doesn't look like they want to do that. They must interpret Black casts as box office poison internally just like they did with hand-drawn animation, considering there hasn't been a film of either kind at WDAS since TP&TF. I think it's very possible that's the reason BTS, because they were going to nix fairy tales and musicals because of how TP&TF fared, too, only Tangled was too far along to just cancel like The Snow Queen was and it received a positive response. No, instead they want to go the cheap and easy route with very little risk on their part of racebending a very popular character like Ariel in a remake that's going to have a very short shelf-life anyway. They can pat themselves on the back for representation without ever having put in any real work for it. I expect this remake of TLM will be remembered about as well as Brandy's Cinderella--less than that, tbh, because that was a unique TV event whereas this is just one remake in a long line of remakes Disney has pumped out. How much more powerful it would be to have a Black male protagonist or more Black princesses in animated films that will have relevance lasting 20+ years or more. The latter especially would be promoted via the Disney Princess line forever, whereas the live-action remake characters are never promoted that way.The fact that this is really the first instance of race-bending a character like this in one of these remakes shows how rare it actually is. Are we just supposed to keep casting only white people in every fantasy movie forever because it so happens to be set before the 1900s?
I guess I can understand why seeing someone stuck on the “reality” of things like the hair color or how Black people would’ve really been treated in those times makes you think of racism. The reality excuse is often one I see brought up in cases where I interpret something as sexism, too. Like why aren’t we seeing a thirty minute montage of Raya learning how to fight (when we don’t have to see a film explanation of offscreen work in the case of Aladdin’s street wise behavior, Quasimodo’s ability to climb the cathedral to and fro easily, etc., it’s simply assumed by the audience to have happened offscreen before the events of the film), or how a woman like Jasmine wanting to be Sultana would’ve never happened in those times, or how princesses shouldn’t be active or take care of themselves because back then it wasn’t appropriate for a woman to act that way. Or, in TLM's case, Ariel couldn't possibly save herself in the climax because she doesn't have legs like Eric does when he swerves the ship into Ursula; never mind that the scene can be written differently for her to save herself if they tried. Perhaps Ursula throws the trident at her while she's in the whirlpool, Ariel dives just barely out of harm's way, then touches the trident (which then shrinks to Ariel's size because she's the one holding it now), and she shoots Ursula in the face (a giant target is easier to hit that a small one)? I've actually seen alternate takes on Ursula's defeat where Eric shoots Ursula in the face with the trident or throws the trident through her gut, and even one where Sebastian shoots her with the trident (then there's the sequel where Ursula lite, Morgana, is shot by Triton at the end). Why is it so easy to imagine all those male characters--including a crab--doing that, but Ariel can't do the same thing? Supposed historical accuracy and cold reality is often what pops up as a barrier to change or different takes in film, I guess. So I understand why it’s seen that way. I suppose for me I always saw my focus on the red hair in the past as no different from wanting Ursula not to be played by a young and skinny woman like with Gaga/Sherie Scott. McCarthy’s not quite old enough, but at least she’s not a twenty/thirty something. IDK, I think I understand.
It's not like a Black Ariel was some kind of enraging dealbreaker for me though, lol, otherwise I would've swore off ever paying to see this like I did with the Mulan remake when Disney started cozying up to China (including filming where a genocide was taking place). I'll most likely see this film in theaters and buy it on Blu-ray, too, before it's over with.
