TV

Young Girls Are Absolutely Lighting Up After Seeing Halle Bailey In ‘The Little Mermaid’

"She’s got dreads as well!"

by Millie Roberts  14 September 2022
halle bailey

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Reaction videos to The Little Mermaid trailer have gone viral for showing the sheer excitement of little Black children seeing themselves reflected in a Disney princess.

The upcoming live-action film features Halle Bailey as Ariel, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Chef Louis (rumoured), Awkwafina as Scuttle, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Room‘s Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in a star-studded lineup.

Since the announcement of Bailey’s casting in 2019, the production has been hit was an onslaught of racist backlash that has unfortunately been reignited by the trailer’s release from man-babies who can’t handle that a mythical creature in a fictional movie is no longer a white ranga.

The short teaser shows Ariel swimming around a ship wreckage, drawn to the light of dry land above, and a snippet of Bailey singing fan favourite track ‘Part Of Your World’.

However, the silver lining has been the reactions from the demographic the movie is literally intended for — the children, of course! A thread has captured ample examples of pride, joy, and connection from young black girls seeing themselves on screen.

“This is real, what the heck?!” a pair of siblings excitedly shared while watching the trailer for the first time. “She’s pretty. And she’s black!” they said. “She’s got dreads as well!”

Bailey also got in on the action, sharing TikTok videos on Twitter and saying they made her sob. Representation matters, y’all!

Peep more of the wholesome reactions if you feel like violently sobbing on this fine Wednesday. The Little Mermaid is set for cinematic release in 2023.