A trailer for Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid has racked up more than 1.5 million dislikes on YouTube after its star Halle Bailey faced racist backlash from trolls on Twitter after being cast in the leading role.
The official teaser has surprisingly received over one million dislikes on YouTube and even caused the video sharing platform to disable the dislike counter so people are unable to see how many dislikes the film’s trailer has garnered.
The highly anticipated trailer for the live-action version of The Little Mermaid captured the hearts of many devoted Disney fans when it premiered, but within two days the hype surrounding the trailer deflated due to trolls who have used Twitter for online racial attacks
The Little Mermaid is the live-action adaptation of the popular Disney princess film starring Grown-ish actress Halle Bailey, 22, from Los Angeles, California, in the iconic role of Ariel.
The Little Mermaid has garnered over 1.5 million dislikes on YouTube after star actress Halle Bailey faced racist backlash over her casting from trolls on Twitter
The Little Mermaid is the live-action adaptation of the popular animated Disney princess film starring Grown-ish actress Halle Bailey, 22
The official teaser has surprisingly received 1.5 million dislikes on YouTube and even caused the video sharing platform to disable the dislike counter (dislike count from September 11)
And despite the hundreds of thousands of fans who have been awaiting the teaser for the film, the clip has been flooded with very mixed reviews.
Although YouTube has disabled the dislike counter, many social media geniuses have installed a popular extension that shows them just how many people didn’t like a video.
Many critics have been slamming Disney for their visuals and noting that it doesn’t appear as the princess is under water, while others have taken a swing at Halle and the director Rob Marshall for casting the star.
In the wake of Disney’s announcement that Halle would be playing the mermaid Ariel in the adaptation, there has been no shortage of backlash.
Much of the online attacks have been tinged with racism, with trolls taking aim at Disney and its new leading lady over the decision to cast a black woman as the fictional character, who has largely been portrayed as white in previous pop culture offerings, including Disney’s popular 1989 cartoon.
Trolls have taken to Twitter to spread racial attacks with the hashtag #NotmyAriel and have called Disney’s choice to cast a black woman in the film #woke.
One Twitter user said: ‘If Disney wants more diversity, they should have create another character… Before respecting all the other ethnicities and cultures， shouldn’t they at least be respectful to the origin ??? #notmyariel.’
While others said ‘race swapping is not okay’ and claimed the movie was ‘a waste of money.’
In response to the online criticism, Halle told PEOPLE that she has been focusing on the significance of her playing the character, rather than the hate.
Since Disney announced Halle would be playing the Disney princess in the adaptation, there has been no shortage of backlash
Much of the online attacks have been tinged with racism, as Halle Bailey is a black woman and Ariel, a fictional, animated character, appears to be white in the original 1989 film
Despite the backlash from trolls, Halle is focusing on the children whose parents have been sharing their happiness to seeing a Disney princess who looks like them online
She said: ‘The fact that now it’s getting to be played by me, a person who looks like me, woman of color, I’m just like, wow, I’m so grateful for what it will do for all the other little black and brown boys and girls who will see themselves in me.’
‘Because I know if I had seen myself when I was younger, I think my whole perspective would’ve changed.’
She added that she put her own stamp on the princess and said: ‘Well, I can only be myself when it comes to taking on something this grand and great.
‘Sometimes it can be overwhelming to take the character that everybody has loved and known for years and make it your own.
‘But I just listened to the little girl that’s in me, and I listen to her and make her happy and then I know if I put my all and my passion and everything into it that I’ll give it my best. And I feel like I did.’
She also opened up to Variety and revealed her grandparents offered her support amidst the trolling by reflecting on their own experiences of racism and discrimination.
‘It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ”You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you”,’ she said.
The trailer opened with waves crashing in the sea as soft music played while the cameras followed the mermaid throughout the
The trailer then showed an old ship wreckage resting on the ocean floor, paying homage to a scene from the 1989 animation where Ariel explored an abandoned shipwreck.
Trolls have taken to Twitter to spread racial attacks with the hashtag #NotmyAriel and have called Disney’s choice to cast a black woman in the film #woke
Halle, or Ariel, appeared on screen sporting her long, flowy locks as her colorful mermaid tail reflected in the light.
Halle is heard beautifully singing the iconic song Part of Your World as she swiftly swam closer to the shoreline.
‘Out of the sea, wish I could be, part of that world,’ she sings.
The trailer concluded with a release date for next year in May 2023.
The upcoming live-action remake stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, along with other cast members such as Jonah Hauer-King as Principe Eric, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
The plot will remain the same as the original, following Ariel’s deal with sea witch Ursula to have human legs in exchange for her voice.
Despite the backlash, the teaser previously went viral for a more wholesome reason as a number of parents began posting their children’s reaction to seeing a Disney princess who looked like them.
In one video shared on TikTok, a little girl with wide eyes and a huge grin can be seen watching the trailer, barley able to contain her excitement.
When Ariel is finally revealed, the young child kid asks in a heartwarming moment: ‘That is her? That is Ariel?’
Other children sat in front of TV and locked in on the Disney princess who looked just like them and cheerfully smiled.
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