Diversity and Representation in The Little Mermaid

Y’all, I saw the new live-action The Little Mermaid and enjoyed the movie. The remake, with the addition of melanin, gave the film some spice and made me reconsider my opinion of Princess Ariel.

Let me start with Halle Bailey is a real siren, and her voice is angelic! She made the perfect Ariel, and watching her in this role brought me to tears. I have been a fan of her and her sister’s music since they made Youtube cover videos! So, I had high expectations of the music for the remake, and happy to report that they did not disappoint! I was excited about the cast and seeing how they would bring their characters to life and their twist on the classic. Everyone played their role and left no crumbs in the theatre!

The Little Mermaid live-action made necessary changes to the classic tale by adding diversity and representation from worldwide in ways that went over the kids’ heads. King Triton must have had seven different baby mamas, and he can say he has genuinely tasted the rainbow! But one thing is for sure; he is not a fan of the humans that walk the surface. Rightfully so, and I still do not understand why Ariel is.

The movie kept to the plot of Ariel trading her voice for legs. And again, the way my loyalty is set up, I would never entertain a human after they killed my mother! Also, all of the “cool” gadgets she finds are just evidence of pollution! Humans are ghetto, and she will have to learn the hard way. But in the remake, we witness her realizing it was a mistake to give up her voice and see her growth. We also witness many character development from the cast throughout the movie. The part I loved the most was the film showed how deep the father-daughter bond is, and that’s when all the tears poured down. As a result, she is no longer my least favorite Disney Princess.

But my girl Ursula is still one of my favorites, and Mellisa McCarthy was perfection in the role!

Overall, The Little Mermaid was a great movie and one of the best live actions. I’ll spare y’all the historical accuracies of the time and setting of the film and enjoy the kids’ movie.