One artist, Nilah Magruder, visualized a black mermaid like this one. The Little Mermaid was a story that Walt Disney himself considered adapting into a feature film back in the late ‘30s as a part of a feature film that would tell multiple Hans Christian Andersen. More than 30 years later, the film is getting a hotly-anticipated live-action remake. Over 3 Million people read Morning Brew, you should too. The Little Mermaid is the animated film that launched the Disney Renaissance, a 10-year golden era that churned out hit after hit movie for the movie studio in the late 80s and 90s. Visit INSIDERs homepage for more stories. Halle Bailey will star in the live-action remake of the 1989 blockbuster The Little Mermaid.
The art in the Smithsonian collection features brown-skinned mermaids, indicative of how mermaids are viewed in other cultures around the world. Gabriella was a black and deaf mermaid in 'The Little Mermaid' TV series, which aired from 1992 to 1994 on CBS. Disney Cable Channel Defends Casting Black Actress As New Little Mermaid. The Smithsonian Museum of African Art has a nice online platform dedicated to understanding the history of these important water deities, which also were introduced to several countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as humans were involuntarily enslaved and transported during the TransAtlantic Slave Trade. In pre-invasion South and West Africa, there is a deity known as Mami Wata that - to some - is portrayed as a half fish-half woman. Threatening to boycott the new movie directed by Rob Marshall, certain fans of the 1989 animated film have taken to social media to express disappointment in the casting, arguing that Bailey’s appearance does not resemble that of the red-haired, fair-skinned mermaid from the original Disney cartoon. The truth is this: Stories of mermaids cross all continents. Reading the comments under some of the art reveals that some users are unaware that the idea of water sprites, water gods or mermaids can be found in a variety of cultures. Twitter user created a movie poster with his version of Bailey as Ariel. Racists who cant understand how a black girl can be cast to play the live-action version of a fake cartoon mermaid and think this is 'peak 2019' are going to absolutely lose their minds when they find out about the live-action color-blind 1997 Cinderella.