Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty
Disney is really going for the live-action reboot crown with Aladdin, Dumbo, and The Lion King all getting the treatment. When news that Chloe X Halle‘s Halle Bailey was cast to play Ariel in the new The Little Mermaid redux, Black Twitter turned up and they’re now ready to join Sebastian in singing “Under The Sea.”
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Bailey, 19, was informed of the landing the role on Wednesday, and with the film in its very early stages of development, the cast may include Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina. Rob Marshall is set to direct and Alen Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda will handle the music duties.
An expected reaction to all of this was white fans of The Little Mermaid getting into their alabaster feelings over the casting, but that noise was deaded real quick as you’ll see below.
Check out the reactions from Twitter to The Little Mermaid news.
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Photo: Getty
1.
In case you needed a reminder... Halles get it DONE. Congratulations @chloexhalle on this amazing opportunity, we can’t wait to see what you do! #TheLittleMermaid #HalleBailey pic.twitter.com/z0Rik2nxRe
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) July 3, 2019
2.
This is amazing. Also, I’m not looking forward to the racists who are going to argue why Ariel, a mermaid/imaginary creature that doesn’t exist in real life, can’t be black. https://t.co/ZPy95QGqTw
— X (@XLNB) July 3, 2019
3.
4.
Y’all wanted a black Ursula and got a black Ariel instead. pic.twitter.com/kdg6DohSvK
— estradoll (@BasicBitching) July 3, 2019
5.
the racists are going to try to come for halle bailey but they’re not about to play with our miss under the sea, OKAY. we will ride! pic.twitter.com/r4rxgNofK6
— planet qui. (@quiarathedon) July 3, 2019
6.
I always thought she would have locs 🧜🏽♀️ #ariel #thelittlemermaid @chloexhalle pic.twitter.com/lHsIeMyNBO
— Vashti Harrison (@VashtiHarrison) July 4, 2019
7.
It’s just dumb to change a character we all know and love to something totally different. That’s not #Ariel anymore, that’s a new character.
— Nicole Arbour (@NicoleArbour) July 3, 2019
8.
Disney: #Ariel is Black.
— Hi_Saditty (@HSaditty) July 3, 2019
Me: pic.twitter.com/9o7kzOajes
9.
Me watching people having a cow about Halle Bailey being cast as #Ariel in #TheLittleMermaid 😂
— Ṣeyi Dénọ́lá 🇳🇬 (@seyidenola) July 4, 2019
She's talented; she'll do a great job & if you don't like it, go rewatch the old one/any of the other million Disney movies with white leads 💅🏾 #RepresentationMatters #BlackGirlMagic pic.twitter.com/XufNtnmhzG
10.
So many Aryan Princesses are upset on Halle being cast as #Ariel. I was that real life Black Girl with red hair. And all the Aryan Princesses would ask if my Mom dyed my hair. When I was 6. And insist she was lying when she said no. Y’all were trash then. Y’all are trash now.
— Michelle “WEAR YOUR DAMN MASK” Jones. (@maej43) July 4, 2019
11.
People are about to lose there shit finding out a black girl was hired to play the role of Ariel Halle Bailey 💓 and Eric could possible be Asian #ariel #littlemermaid fuck racist people pic.twitter.com/UR2TbXc6yA
— ✨akumatized by chat noir✨ (@princesspucker) July 3, 2019
12.
I mean...Cinderella had her moment. Why can’t Ariel ?? #Ariel pic.twitter.com/Y68YUf99X3
— Linds (@atwood_lindsey) July 4, 2019
13.
Halle being Ariel is everything for a number of reasons but the fact that a Disney princess could be the catalyst for a ton of black kids, especially girls, learning how to swim is PERFECTION. #Ariel
— Torri Yates-Orr (@TorriYatesOrr) July 4, 2019
14.
I told Daphné that the new #Ariel would be brown, and she said “oh”, very nonchalantly. An hour later, she told Axel “the new Ariel will have a brown tail”, and I said, “NO, she’ll have brown SKIN!”, and her face LIT UP and she danced around!! THAT’S why #RepresentationMatters! pic.twitter.com/lZB2vCirGc
— Joe Aaron Reid (@joeaaronreid) July 4, 2019
15.
This girl can 100% be Ariel, and if y’all are mad about it....
— Big Chillin (@DCisChillin) July 3, 2019
Complain to your granny, because the rest of us don’t wanna hear it.#ariel #littlemermaid pic.twitter.com/9R437ZAkHg