Disney’s The Little Mermaid Movie Disaster Is Worse Than You Think

The Little Mermaid movie will be released on 26 May 2023 and stars Hella Bailey. Unfortunately, this classic remake is the latest movie on the receiving end of internet backlash. Since the launch of the first trailer, fans immediately started pushing back. The reason for the backlash is more complicated than many think. Although it is easy to dismiss all criticism simply as fans do not like the lead actress, fan outrage runs deeper.

Live-action Disney remakes have always been a sore subject for many. Although live-action movies are nothing new for Disney, turning old classic animations into CGI-filled films with real actors is. It is hard to say what the jump-off point was for this trend, but for me, it was the 2016 Jungle Book movie. The hope for Disney Live action remakes was still very high.

The Jungle Book managed to score quite well amongst both fans and critics. It was also a big box office draw, almost 1 Billion dollars. If you adjust that for inflation, you can understand why Disney decided to double down and do even more of these films.

The Disney Live-Action Problem

Beauty and The Beast followed Jungle Book into the theaters, and although it was not received as well, it was still a massive Box office success. It made well over 1 Billion dollars, and with that, Disney most likely felt even more emboldened to continue. With that, the revenue for these movies might have increased year over year, but the audience review scores declined.

The Lion King was the turning point for many fans. This is an absolute classic and, for many, the best movie they ever produced. With this much love for the film, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Disney tried to cash in. Cash In is an understatement because they did way more than that. This movie was the most successful in terms of box office numbers, even if you adjust for inflation.

They made over 1.6 Billion dollars, and almost everything has been deemed a success. There was one problem, though. This remake scored by far the lowest amongst fans and critics. Many did not seem to enjoy the lifeless CGI. Although live-action remakes with people are much better, looking the other way with animals is more challenging. CGI cannot capture emotion within animals the way animation can. Thus, many of the most emotional scenes within The Lion King Remake just felt flat. This is especially true for musical numbers.

For the 2019 Remake of Aladdin, things were more divided. Although critics scored it relatively low, fans were more split. It might not have scored as high as some other movies, but it was still a box office success, once again cracking that 1 Billion mark. With these movies making so much money, Disney was bound to announce their next project.

The Little Mermaid Movie Problem

All of this brings us to the Little Mermaid. First and foremost, we have to address the elephant in the room. Whether or not we would like to admit this, the race of the actress playing Ariel was a massive point of contention. Many people do not like race-swapping. Race Swapping and Sex Swapping is something that has been happening in Hollywood for years now. It would be easy to dismiss critics of this practice as simply being racist and sexist, but that would ignore some of the fundamental arguments.

Many who push back against race-swapping and Sex Swapping do not have a problem with Black people or women. What they have a problem with is pandering. Everyone knows that Disney does not care about any social issues. Studios will make a movie about a gay person and sensor it in certain places. They will make a stormtrooper Black and then shrink him down in China. None of these large Corporations pretending to care about representation cares about these causes. They will flip around tomorrow if it means that they could make more money.

Many would still agree that representation is essential. If it takes Large Corporations like Disney pandering to get more diversity, most will take that deal. Unfortunately, when this happens, a more significant problem comes into play. Before we address that, it is also essential to acknowledge that some race-swapping issues run a lot more shallow than that.

Valid Criticism Or Hate

Some do not like any character that is not white or straight. Pretending that these people do not exist would be highly dishonest. These people would always say that they do not have an issue with race or sex. What they have a problem with is swapping characters around. They would say, If you want representation, create a new IP. Then, when unique films with Gay and black leads get created, these same people label it a woke disaster. It is worth pointing out that this is a small problem, though. As much as the media would like to turn every criticism into toxic fandoms not liking certain groups, it is not always true.

This brings me to the more significant problem I referred to a while ago. Hollywood does like to pander. They claim to be all about inclusion and would build a cast that represents every marginalized person you can think of. However, this is where they stop. The entire focus of the film or movie revolves around how diverse the cast is, but in the process of doing that, they need to remember to write a good script that would do their actors justice.

This is a severe problem we see happen constantly, even amongst very well-intensity directors and studios. They advertise their movies around inclusion, forget actually to write a good script, and when everything eventually bombs, they blame toxic fans. In that process, they also hurt the groups they claim to represent. A recent perfect example of this method would be Velma on HBO Max.

The Importance Of Inclusion

It is a regrettable and complicated problem, and sadly, there is no easy solution. I have always been a big advocate for diversity and inclusion. Representation in all forms is essential. I have never had any issues with race or sex swapping. It is vital to include people, and my criteria for a good movie extend well above the skin color or sexual orientation of a person.

I do not care what color Superman is. I consider a long list of things when thinking about what makes a good man of steel, and his skin color does not even appear on that list. That, however, is my own opinion. You are allowed to disagree with that. And if you do, it does not make you a racist. No matter what the media tries to tell you.

Regarding the little Mermaid, we need to look at this problem through a bigger lens. Again, first and foremost, we need to be honest. Some were upset over a black actress. Pretending that it is not true is dishonest. However, pretending it is a massive problem would also be dishonest.

The Little Mermaid Movie CGI Problem

Another significant criticism of this movie is the CGI. Little Mermaid is finding itself with the same problem as Lion King. CGI animals cannot capture emotions in the same way as animation. Disney has always had a CGI problem, as seen in this movie. It simply does not look good.

In the middle of all of this is Hella Bailey, who I do feel bad for. She had been the subject of massive debate and criticism, and that could not be easy. On the one side, people are attacking her for not being white. Although this criticism might come from a tiny group of losers, it does still suck to hear it. On the other hand, you have the pandering media, which always makes everything about race. Whenever they interview this actress about the movie, no one ever asks her about the actual film. They do not ask about the story. They do not ask about the experience. All they focus on is her skin color.

As such, it can be straightforward for these actors to think that the more extensive fan base has a problem with them. We see this all the time. Ten people make a tweet. Fifty articles get written about it, and now we have an issue. The issue might need to be more accurate since there is a world outside the internet, but it can be challenging for people caught up in this.

Hella Bailey Addresses The Hate

As such, Hella Bailey decided to interview to discuss the backlash she received. She pushed back against racist comments, stating that it was to be expected. Usually, the worst thing you can do in these situations is label all fans wrong. Sometimes, you get emotional and tell fans that if you do not like it, do not watch it. Usually, fans comply. The best way to address this is to say, hey, we have a great movie. You will enjoy it if you give it a try. Hope to see you in the movie theater.

This is the best way to avoid alienating the fanbase. However, I will admit that I have never been the subject of a racist attack. As such, I have no idea how it feels, so it would not be fair for me to tell others how to act. I am not giving these thoughts as a person of color. I am giving it as a fan. There is nothing more off-putting than an actor going after the fanbase. I still do not like Brie Larson after everything she said. Doing this just never ends well.

Be that as it may, though, only time will tell how this will turn out. The Little Mermaid movie is set to release later this year. Only then will we know how good or bad it truly is?