The Little Mermaid (Live-Action)

[Sotiris]

Marshall spilled a bit more about the character’s coif, which incorporates Bailey’s trademark locs with some looser tresses. “She looks stunning in red hair; not everybody does,” he teases.

Why does the character need to have the same hairstyle as the actress portraying her? That's ridiculous. They made a big mistake by not retaining Ariel's iconic hairdo.

THE ANIMALS ARE NOT REALISTIC LIKE LION KING, THEY ARE MORE ANIMATED, SIMILAR TO THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST OBJECTS. NOT SUPER REALISTIC NOT SUPER CARTOONISH. THEY HAVE EMOTION AND LOOK GOOD.

They will look atrocious. We should take that as a given.

SEBASTIAN HAS A REALLY FUNNY RAP MOMENT.

HALLE'S VOICE AND SONGS SOUND INCREDIBLE AND VERY SIMILAR TO JODI BENSON'S VERSION OF ARIEL.

There's no way that's true. We've heard her singing voice. She sounds nothing like Benson.

New Daughters of Triton names:
Mala
Karina
India
Caspia
Perla
Tameka

These new names are horrible, not to mention inconsistent with one another. Don't tell me, Perla is named after pearls, Caspia after the Caspian sea and India after the Indian ocean, right? How clever.

I don't believe Bailey has haters though, this is just a fluff piece by Disney using their own self-created controversy to advertise the movie.

In order to have haters, people need to know you exist first. When her casting was announced, no one knew who she was. People even thought it was Halle Berry who got the part. Her "haters" didn't really hate on her. They were upset at Disney's casting choice, but weren't blaming the actress herself, from what I observed.

So she sings POYW (Reprise) an octave higher than the original... If she's really that talented, she could have done it the way it's supposed to be instead of having it changed to suit her--Benson had the vocal chops to sing it higher if that's what Ashman had wanted.

That's true. Personally, I'm not impressed by Bailey's voice. She doesn't have classical training and it shows. She's not musical theater material.

Reminds me of those conflicting statements in the Hercules thread a year or two back when there was some Broadway actor medley on GMA during the COVID lockdowns, about how some actor who played Hercules on stage said he had the right voice for Hercules but that the song had to be changed because he couldn't hit certain notes or something?

I hate it when Disney and other studios do that. When it comes to stage and screen adaptations that feature pre-existing music, you need to find talent that can do the songs justice as they are. Not alter the songs to accommodate the performers.

Here's some more info shared by the same person: https://imgur.com/a/T1vIEnG (Source: liveactionariel)

FastFins reminded me of Disney's FastPlay. Please tell me such a ludicrous concept is exclusive to the novel and won't be featured in the the film itself. Also, Ariel's sisters have superpowers now? What?

[Disney's Divinity]

She is fairly unknown. I actually really like her voice, but she sounds like what she is--a radio artist--which has me skeptical about her delivery for now. POYW is a very intimate song, it's very theatrical talk-singing in a way. I'm just expecting her to belt it full-stop like, say, Jessica Simpson on Disneymania or something. If they had better people directing this project, she would be fine, since she has the voice. I actually think I might come out of this experience a fan of Bailey even if I don't enjoy the film itself.

Yes, the new names are awful, that goes without saying. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave them (and Ariel) superpowers... This seems a trend to copy what WDAS is doing these days, much like how the awful Mulan remake gave Mulan The Force. I'm just grateful neither Raya nor Mirabel had powers to give us a break from the repetition. Maybe Snow White's magic power will be making people's eardrums bleed or brains burst at the sound of her voice?

[Disney Duster]

I actually wonder if Halle changed her voice to sound like Benson for this...

But I am very, very glad she will have red hair after all!!!

[Disney's Divinity]

Thinking more about the change of the sisters' names--aside from the fact that I hate they changed them--the names they replaced with them are eyeroll-inducing. For one, I liked that all the names began with "A." For another, if they're making the sisters have some stupid powers related to the seven seas as if Triton and the daughters are actually Greek gods at this point--wouldn't it have made more sense to name them all after the seven seas instead of doing that with two of them (India, Caspia), then giving up partway and gifting the other five some stupid re-names like Mala and Perla instead? Because the king of the sea would definitely use the root word for "evil" to name his daughter.

[Sotiris]

But I am very, very glad she will have red hair after all!!!

If you can call slightly orange hair, red.

For another, if they're making the sisters have some stupid powers related to the seven seas as if Triton and the daughters are actually Greek gods at this point--wouldn't it have made more sense to name them all after the seven seas instead of doing that with two of them (India, Caspia), then giving up partway and gifting the other five some stupid re-names like Mala and Perla instead? Because the king of the sea would definitely use the root word for "evil" to name his daughter.

I believe they did that in order for the sisters of color to have racially/ethnically "authentic" names. Mala is played by an Asian actress, so they had to give her an Asian name. The same goes for Tameka who's played by a Black actress and Perla who's played by a Latina. What's hilarious is that they named the character played by an Indian actress, India. Isn't that like super offensive?

[Disney Duster]

But I am very, very glad she will have red hair after all!!!

If you can call slightly orange hair, red.

Well, some people have speculated she will be given computer-generated red color in her hair when she is a mermaid.

I believe they did that in order for the sisters of color to have racially/ethnically "authentic" names. Mala is played by an Asian actress, so they had to give her an Asian name. The same goes for Tanika who's played by a Black actress and Perla who's played by a Latina. What's hilarious is that they named the character played by an Indian actress, India. Isn't that like super offensive?

I didn't catch that's why they renamed them. I agree, they should have kept their original names, it's not like calling an Asian "Arista" would be offensive or something!

[Disney's Divinity]

I believe they did that in order for the sisters of color to have racially/ethnically "authentic" names. Mala is played by an Asian actress, so they had to give her an Asian name. The same goes for Tanika who's played by a Black actress and Perla who's played by a Latina. What's hilarious is that they named the character played by an Indian actress, India. Isn't that like super offensive?

I thought it was Tameka? Anyway, I only read the names in a list and didn't know which was called which, so didn't realize it was supposed to be an Asian name? It just makes the idea of the sisters being every race to one parent more stupid, that they felt that their father would name them "according to their own culture" instead of his own (and theirs really, since they're his offspring and being raised by him...???). Totally bizarre.

[Sotiris]

I thought it was Tameka?

It is. I misspelled it.

It just makes the idea of the sisters being every race to one parent more stupid, that they felt that their father would name them "according to their own culture" instead of his own (and theirs really, since they're his offspring and being raised by him...???). Totally bizarre.

I agree. It's so strange they are ignoring real-world genetics, but preserving real-world ethnicities and cultures. Like, pick a lane...

[Patricier21]

Maybe the reason why there are different Ethnicities is that each daughter has a different mother, and there could very well be a plot reason for that…… Ariel truing to discover who her own mother is……

After all, Triton is supposed to be the king of the seas, So maybe it is intentional for him to mate with different Wives from all across the different oceans

[robster16]

Maybe the reason why there are different Ethnicities is that each daughter has a different mother, and there could very well be a plot reason for that…… Ariel truing to discover who her own mother is……

After all, Triton is supposed to be the king of the seas, So maybe it is intentional for him to mate with different Wives from all across the different oceans

Yeah Disney promoting polyamorous relationships... that'll happen hehehe

[Sotiris]

Maybe each wife died before he married the next...Bluebeard-style.

[Farerb]

Yeah Disney promoting polyamorous relationships... that'll happen hehehe

I never thought they'd make birth mothers evil but then they made Cruella. With Disney nowadays you can never know.

[Disney's Divinity]

Maybe each wife died before he married the next...Bluebeard-style.

He could be the mermaid equivalent of Henry VIII. That's if the dipsticks in charge aren't simply adding "King Triton has a harem" to the list of contributions they've made to the TLM story.

[D82]

According to the person who has access to the prequel novel and shared all this info, all the sisters have the same mother:

Ariel's mother is mentioned a lot but no name for her!

And YES all the daughters have the same mother!

Source: https://twitter.com/LiveAAriel/status/1 ... 6555545601
https://twitter.com/LiveAAriel/status/1 ... 4565609478


I agree that it doesn't make much sense to ignore the characters' ethnicities in some respects and not in others. Also, if they wanted to have names from different cultures, couldn't they still have found names that started with "a"? And what culture is the name "Ariel" from then?

Here are some more anwers to questions from the same account (I also saved some that were posted as Instagram stories as screencaps, but I forgot those at home. Here I only had these ones I had copied in a Word document I brought with me).

in the book they make a description of the appearance of ariel?
Brown skin, wide brown eyes and auburn locs! She dawn's a bracelet in remembrance of her mom!

Source:
https://twitter.com/LiveAAriel/status/1 ... 3707072513

what does she wear? do they mention whether or not they keep the seashell bra and stuff?
It hasn't mentioned anything about her clothes or tail except the Fast fins

Source: https://twitter.com/LiveAAriel/status/1 ... 1689408515

It mentions the music box that Triton gave to Ariel's mom

Source: https://twitter.com/LiveAAriel/status/1 ... 1261445120

bright red hair: OUT
Well, there was a scene where it said her hair was as red as her mother's!

Source: https://twitter.com/LiveAAriel/status/1 ... 0202224641


And more info has been shared about Ariel's sisters' powers: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChYOVGZrLid ... _copy_link



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P.S. Posting using a tablet isn't turning out to be much easier for me than doing it with a phone.

[Sotiris]

Ariel's mother is mentioned a lot but no name for her!

I really hope she is given a name in the film, even if it's not Athena.

Also, if they wanted to have names from different cultures, couldn't they still have found names that started with "a"?

I guess having all the sisters' names begin with an 'A' is too tacky or silly for the remake's filmmakers. I wonder what this means for Daughters of Triton. Will it be cut or will they just change the lyrics? It'll be hard to match the new names to the melody, so my money is on it getting cut.

And what culture is the name "Ariel" from then?

Jewish, of course. Didn't know? Ariel is a red-headed, Black Jewish mermaid!

in the book they make a description of the appearance of ariel?
Brown skin, wide brown eyes and auburn locs!

There goes the rumor she would have bright red hair in the underwater scenes. It will be washed out "auburn" after all.

It mentions the music box that Triton gave to Ariel's mom

Since they are lifting this element straight from Ariel's Beginning, is it safe to assume her mom will be killed by humans here too?

And more info has been shared about Ariel's sisters' powers: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChYOVGZrLid/

This confirms Ariel will have a power too. Is this a new remake trend? Instead of making every female lead an inventor, they'll just give them superpowers from now on?

P.S. Posting using a tablet isn't turning out to be much easier for me than doing it with a phone.

You'll get used to it. You just need more practice!

[Disney's Divinity]

Well, I've been right to compare this to Mulan this whole time then. Giving her magical powers was the stupidest thing about that movie, and they did it with this one, too. They really screwed this one up all the way around. Not quite as bad as Mulan, but enough it's easy to know it'll be near the bottom of the barrel of their remakes. I'm not really surprised it turned out that way, I had a feeling it would the moment Miranda's involvement was announced.

A shame. This film and Mulan both could've had strong box office intakes if they'd actually been the "remakes" they called themselves. This will probably still do decently at the box office because of the TLM property alone powering it, although I have no doubt it would have done better if it had been a proper remake.

[D82]

I wonder what this means for Daughters of Triton. Will it be cut or will they just change the lyrics? It'll be hard to match the new names to the melody, so my money is on it getting cut.

That reminds me of something I forgot to post. The DisInsider made a video back in June summarizing what they knew about the movie so far, and among other things, they mentioned there'll be a "new opening musical dance number". I guess it could be an extended version of "Fathoms Below". Here are the link to the video and some highlights from it I wrote back then, but I'm not sure if all of it is insider info or if some is just their predictions.

‘The Little Mermaid’ and What We Know so Far
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boMcfujELac

- Ariel's mother will be in the remake.
- New sequences: a new opening musical dance number and a ballroom dance scene.
- They're still hearing Noma Dumezweni is playing Carlota and Jude Akuwudike playing Grimsby.
- Emily Coates is playing a new character.
- Lorena Andrea and Kajsa Mohammar are playing Karina and Perla respectively, both new characters for the film.
- They believe Simone Ashley is playing a relative to Ariel, either her mother in flashbacks or one of her sisters.
- Halle Bailey will wear multiple gowns in the movie.

Jewish, of course. Didn't know? Ariel is a red-headed, Black Jewish mermaid!

I forgot Ariel was a Jewish name. Well, I think there actually are Black Jewish people, like the ones that come from Ethiopia, right? But I doubt the filmmakers put much thought into it and took that detail into account.

Since they are lifting this element straight from Ariel's Beginning, is it safe to assume her mom will be killed by humans here too?

I think that's very likely.

You'll get used to it. You just need more practice!

I guess you're right. If other people can do it without problems, I probably could too if I practiced more, but right now it's driving me crazy.

[Disney Duster]

in the book they make a description of the appearance of ariel?
Brown skin, wide brown eyes and auburn locs!

There goes the rumor she would have bright red hair in the underwater scenes. It will be washed out "auburn" after all.

But...

bright red hair: OUT
Well, there was a scene where it said her hair was as red as her mother's!

That makes it sound like it will be redder than just orangey brown, don't you think?

[Thumper_93]

Well, some people have speculated she will be given computer-generated red color in her hair when she is a mermaid.

She should have the same hair color in all the movie. I think that a hair with a computer-generated color is not going to look great. She should have worn a red wig as the one that Mera wears in Aquaman. A wig with a bright red color.

[D82]

Some dolls based on the movie have been listed on Amazon:

https://mobile.twitter.com/LiveAAriel/s ... Ppxa4rAAAA
https://mobile.twitter.com/LiveAAriel/s ... aa-64rAAAA