10 Examples Of How Progressive Disney Has Become
3. Ariel’s Casting
Disney’s casting of black actress Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid live adaptation has upset a predictable minority. Yes, in the 1989 cartoon, Ariel is a white woman with bright red hair, but the fact is we aren’t short on white princesses in the Disney canon.
There’s only five Princesses of colour, and only one who’s black. Even then, Tiana’s a frog most of her movie. Meanwhile, Jasmine plays second fiddle to Aladdin, and Pocahontas and Mulan feeling like also rans. There’s only really Polynesian Moana who can really kick it with the big guns.
The Little Mermaid is possibly the most popular Princess around, and casting a white, ginger actress would’ve been an open goal. The fact that Disney have gone in this direction means two things. First, Bailey must have knocked her audition out of the park, and secondly that Disney are actively trying to be more inclusive, even when it comes to their biggest characters.
Readdressing the balance with colourblind casting isn’t a bad thing.