By: Selena Quijandria
A live action “The Little Mermaid” will soon be a part of our world! Halle Bailey, actress and member of duo Chloe x Halle, is our new Ariel. Here is the teaser trailer that was released at D23 where we got to hear her amazing singing and see her as the iconic mermaid!
Bailey’s singing in this sneak peek removes any doubt about how well she fits this role. Despite Ariel not having her voice for most of the movie, one of the most important parts of her character is that her singing is amazing and draws you in. I already knew that she could sing since I’ve listened to her music before, but hearing her sing in the teaser trailer gave me chills. You could hear that longing for more in her voice, and she hits the notes perfectly.
In one of her interviews on the red carpet at D23, Bailey spoke about how this was her first time seeing the teaser trailer as well. Getting to watch that and the “Part of Your World” scene was very special to her, leaving her very emotional. She used to pretend to be Ariel whenever she was in the pool, and now she is her! This is obviously a dream come true, and it’s hard to not feel so happy for this young woman who gets to live out a childhood dream while being so inspiring to children everywhere.
Sadly, Bailey has dealt with backlash now that more people are finding out she is playing Ariel. There are several arguments rooted in racism about how she cannot play this character. However, it’s like I said before: what matters is her talent. Bailey can sing so well that if she wasn’t picked for the role of Ariel, I would’ve been shocked. Not only that, but Ariel is a mermaid. Mermaids don’t even exist, so the argument that Ariel can’t be Black doesn’t make sense.
Bailey playing Ariel is something that is so special to all the young Black girls who get to see themselves as the princess. They get to see themselves as the main character. Before Bailey, the only other Black princess was Princess Tiana from “Princess & the Frog.” Children should be able to see themselves as princesses, mermaids, fairies, etc. onscreen. This is a step in the right direction for Disney, who will hopefully include more diverse casting and also create more diverse stories.
Many people talk about how important representation is in the media. Some people might find it easy to dismiss, but it’s hard when you’re growing up and never see yourself as the main character. It’s hard to see yourself as only the supporting character in someone else’s story, if you’re there at all. Ever since the teaser trailer was released, videos were posted online of parents showing their young Black daughters Bailey as the new Little Mermaid. It’s been heartwarming to see the happy reactions. It also goes to show how powerful representation can be. For so long, Hollywood has had a fixed idea of how a main character should look like. That idea is changing.
Halle Bailey is not letting the haters get to her, and she has many supporters who are thrilled to see her take on this iconic character. I can’t wait to see the movie when it comes out in theaters! If the teaser trailer is any indication, it will definitely be a movie worth watching.