Source: Xavier Collin / Splash News On Wednesday, it was announced that the lands and the seas will be blessed thanks to Halle Bailey getting cast in The Little Mermaid remake. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Halle — who is one half of the singing sister duo Chloe x Halle — will play the lead role of Ariel, the rebellious mermaid daughter of King Triton who yearns to live on dry land. Halle will join a movie that’s already loading up on star talent, with Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina in talks to star in or lend their voices to the live action and CG parts. Production will start in early 2020 and the director of Mary Poppins Returns, Rob Marshall, will also direct this project. He said in a statement: “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role.” Chloe x Halle are definitely thrilled with the announcement, writing on their social media platforms, “dreams come true.” But of course, the haters (and racists) had to pop their heads above water to voice their outrage. Not too soon after Halle was announced as Ariel, a #NotMyAriel hashtag started gaining steam, with folks hoping and wishing for a White Ariel. One redheaded Twitter user even had the nerve to post lackluster pics of herself by the sea, writing “Ariel is a white redhead. I would be a better choice.” https://twitter.com/MKentuckey/status/1147104339095359489 Um… GIRL. Some folks might not realize that Black girls have been OWNING Disney princesses since the beginning of time (well…maybe not the beginning of time but at least since “once upon a time.”) Hit the flip for some showstopping clips of Black girls taking on Disney characters with grace, talent and melanated brilliance.
