Zendaya as Ariel!?!?

MegaSoulhero In case you don’t know, Disney is making a live action Little Mermaid movie which will feature songs by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Seems very pointless, but it’s happening. Nothing has been officially confirmed as to who will be in the movie. However, very recently, it was rumored that the main character Ariel might be played by Zendaya. This gained some mixed reactions. What do I think of this? Well, personally I would’ve gone with an unknown actress. I’m not saying Zendaya is bad for the role, but I wish we could’ve gotten someone we haven’t seen before. However, there are a lot of people out there who are just straight up against the idea of Zendaya being Ariel. What’s the reason? Because she’s black.

I’m just gonna point this out right now. Anyone who thinks Zendaya should NOT be Ariel specifically because she’s black is racist. There’s literally no reason why this would be a bad thing. The whole point of a remake is to try to stand out from the original. Besides, changing Ariel’s skin color would NOT have any affect on the story at all. It’s not like the character is supposed to be a specific race. She’s white in the original, but she didn’t HAVE to be white in order for the movie to work. If they were to whitewash Mulan in the Mulan remake, that would be a problem because the movie takes place in China. People also try to prove their point by saying people would be upset if they made Tiana a white female if they were to remake the Princess and the Frog. Well, considering Tiana was the first black Disney princess and currently the only one, of course people would be mad. But to be honest, I’d be okay either way. For a long time, I assumed people only liked Ariel because of the way she looks and not because of her personality because she has such a terrible personality. But this kind of proves my point. People only like Ariel because of how she looks. I’m sure she’s gonna be written as kind of the same character she was before, but people are only complaining about her look. That’s kind of shallow.

Color blind casting is a thing that many movies, television shows, and stage productions have done in the past. As an example, I point to you the popular Broadway musical, Hamilton. History isn’t my strongest subject, but I’m pretty sure George Washington wasn’t black. In fact, I’m pretty sure most of those people aren’t supposed to be black. Yet they are in the musical. It doesn’t matter what they look like. All that matters is that they are talent. That’s what productions should mainly focus on. However, unlike the Little Mermaid, the characters being portrayed in Hamilton were REAL people from many years ago. Ariel is a fictional character! It’s not like mermaids actually exist. They’re not changing history. Even if they were, Disney has done that before. We should be used to it by now. The fact that people want Ariel to look the same as she did in the original pretty much proves that even the smallest change will get them angry. People are also composing about the Mulan remake not having any songs. Honestly, who cares? As long as the story’s good, then that’s all that matters.

While I’m not a fan of the live action Disney remakes, I think people are overreacting with this change. Keep in mind, the original still exists. If you don’t want anything to change, just watch the original. The movie will probably still be bad, but I respect them for trying to make changes. Also, this wouldn’t be first time Zendaya played a character who was originally white with red hair. I’m looking at you, Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Comments

Does this movie even deserve a remake? Actually, Disney should stop making live-action remake and make something new for once. - TristGamer (8/30/2018)

This is just a guess, but I think people are overreacting because of childhood memories. Many people who grew up watching The Little Mermaid, including me, were used to seeing Ariel as a redheaded Caucasian woman. So that's why they overreact.

Anyway, this trend of blackwashing in films really needs to stop. Blackwashing is as bad as whitewashing. - visitor (9/2/2018)

Personally, I would not mind Disney remaking unknown properties. Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Black Cauldron I would love to see remakes off. I would like to see movies like Tarzan, and even Mulan (I am so happy they are going in the direction I wanted it to go in). Heck, I would not mind seeing a Meet the Robinsons remake or a Robin Hood remake. However, I would not like a remake of the Great Mouse Detective as I would love to see a sequel, not a remake. (CGI). Robin Hood I feel like could get some sharper animation and a new villain, it would be very welcome. Even Alice In Wonderland I would not mind getting an animated sequel to. I would not like a Hunchback remake, as it is one of my favourite Walt Disney animated movies. At the minute, other than Jungle Book and Christopher Robin these remakes I really don't like. Especially Maleficent, The Live Action Alice in Wonderland Movies, and the dreadful Beauty and the Beast remake. And for god's sake Disney,do not remake Pinocchio. - iliekpiez (10/23/2018)

My issue is she is a terrible actress - iliekpiez (11/20/2018)

They finally released the trailer. And it's Ariana Grande who's playing Ariel - TwilightKitsune (12/13/2018)

Not true - MegaSoulhero (12/13/2018)