Black Woman, Halle Bailey Plays Ariel in Disney’s Upcoming ‘The Little Mermaid’

Black Woman, Halle Bailey Plays Ariel in Disney’s Upcoming ‘The Little Mermaid’

Black Woman, Halle Bailey Plays Ariel in Disney’s Upcoming ‘The Little Mermaid’: Disney will debut the live-action version of its 1989 animation movie The Little Mermaid in theaters on May 26th, 2023. This is indeed good news for all Disney toon lovers worldwide, especially myself. But what gives me much joy about the news of this upcoming movie is the fact that the lead character Ariel will be played by a black woman.

Originally in the 1989 animation, Ariel is a white mermaid princess, but this new version has Halle Bailey, an African-American singer, and actress, playing the lead. She is best known for being one half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chlöe, together earning five Grammy Award nominations since 2018.

The film is directed by Rob Marshall and also stars Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jonah Hauer-King, and more. The cast has been the subject of racist backlash online from users who are upset with the film starring a Black actress.

That one concern them sha…

The 22 years old Halle Bailey recently spoke about the “pressure” she put on herself starring in such a big role. Speaking with E! News at the D23 Expo, Bailey said that she put her all into the performance.

“I’m so excited about this film,” Bailey told the outlet. “You know being here today is so surreal.”

She continued;

“I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I’ve treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself. Just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl… Knowing that gave it my all and gave 110 percent into everything of this film, I am really proud of myself.”

A trailer for the movie premiered at the aforementioned D23 event.

Watch the teaser trailer below: