The Little Mermaid was, once upon a time, the little movie that could. When Disney was on the brink of closing its animation studio for good, it released a film that would instead kickstart what is now known as the Disney Renaissance era. Disney is now returning to that beloved story, and it is with the blessing of Jodi Benson via her Instagram stories. The actress had plenty of love to give to Halle Bailey, who is taking up the mantle for Ariel.
Bailey would share the story on her own Instagram.
“So thrilled!!! So excited!!! Halle, you were absolutely amazing! I’m SO proud of you & your beautiful performance as ariel! It was so wonderful to celebrate with your family here at #d23expo! And to the brilliant director, Rob Marshall… I’m so thankful for our friendship of over 35 years. Thank you for creating such a stunning film!”
We’re All Part Of That World
Walt Disney
Over the weekend, Disney premiered the teaser for the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. The teaser, which can be viewed below, features Bailey as Ariel swimming to the grotto where she keeps her collection of human artifacts. The trailer ends with a tease of Bailey’s performance of “Part Of That World” before fading to black.
“Thank you so much @Jodi.Benson! This means the world to me coming from you! You made Ariel magical for us!”
While many fans jumped in excitement for returning under the sea, others were not so excited. Many took to social media to cry out about the audacity of casting a black actress to play the part of Ariel. Some of these individuals reportedly tried to use Benson’s good name as an excuse, crying out that the actress is irreplaceable as Ariel. Benson has been quick to shut down those claims. When the casting was announced in 2019, #NotMyAriel started to trend on social media. Benson spoke up at the Florida Supercon convention about her thoughts on Bailey’s casting.
Benson would continue, making it clear that the race of the character isn’t as important as telling a good story.
