Current Events > Which option best describes how you feel about Ariel being black?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Monolith1676 posted...

It's whatever, just sucks that redhead characters are seemingly being removed from movies and tv.

I blame Morgan Freeman.

This is just Shawshank all over again.

Scintillant posted...

ITP: white skin is an iconic look

I figure those arguing against having a non-white actress would use the fact that it's based on a Danish fairytale - and last time I checked - Danish people are white.

Temporal posted...

I figure those arguing against having a non-white actress would use the fact that it's based on a Danish fairytale - and last time I checked - Danish people are white.

But those people would be stupid because the mermaid wasn't white when an actual Danish person wrote it and Ariel isn't Danish.

She doesn't look like Ariel from the animated movie

It's gonna be shit like the other Disney remakes regardless of who plays her

I think the positive effect it has on minority kids is more important than keeping the aesthetic of the original

TheOnionKnight posted...

I was largely indifferent at first, but after seeing all the bigoted backlash about "agendas" and other bullshit, my feelings have grown more positive. Disney obviously struck a nerve. Hopefully they strike more.

Yeah same here. Especially after seeing those videos of black kids being so excited about the little mermaid looking like them.

RaulJenkins posted...

100% OK with it, not seeing the movie anyway

This lol. The movie will likely be crap, but outside the reason of ariel being black. It will be crap because it will be just a lazy cashgrab like all the others

Dragon56 posted...

Ariel is an iconic character with an iconic look. It's not racist to want that look to be brought to real life in a life action remake. We are missing out on that for the sake of forced diversity. Perhaps a better idea would to create another princess for their agenda.

Great bait for a topic about fish people.

It's whatever, but I'm happy for people who are happy about it. I've noticed a lot of people who claim to be neutral tend to get really upset that anyone is positive. Which means they're not really neutral at all.

GranolaPanic posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/9/2/AAHOYhAAA47o.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/3/0/AAEv3mAADrNm.jpg

Temporal posted...

I figure those arguing against having a non-white actress would use the fact that it's based on a Danish fairytale - and last time I checked - Danish people are white.

And what color are mermaids in real life?

Oh, yeah. Mermaids aren't real, so they can be any color.

Used to be that when white actors were stealing roles meant to be fulfilled by minorites the excuse was the role went to the best actor. Now the best actor is a minority so the role went to her and now racists are complaining about there being no token white girl in the movie.

I don't know why these people even care, it's not like they were going to watch the movie regardless of Ariel's skin or hair color. The target demographic is elated and parent's with daughters are going to be lining city blocks to watch this movie. Racists are still holding their Ls and waiting for Disney to go broke after being so woke.

Dragon56 posted...

Changing the race of a well established character is forced diversity

You're right. How dare they not hire a half-fish actress?

GranolaPanic posted...

How to tell me that you havent watched the trailer without telling me you havent watched it.

I mean actual redhead characters played by actual people with red hair.

McMarbles posted...

It's whatever, but I'm happy for people who are happy about it. I've noticed a lot of people who claim to be neutral tend to get really upset that anyone is positive. Which means they're not really neutral at all.

I'd say I'm neutral, and that black people deserve to see themselves represented in media more than they currently are.

I'm neutral because I feel like Disney makes these choices specifically to market the outrage they know will come from the right, and does the bare minimum when it comes to actual equity and inclusivity in their productions.

Like, being right for the wrong reasons, I guess.

Not that I want to reverse the decision, but that they should be doing more than just casting people of color.

As a general concept I don't have an issue with mermaids, elves, or any fantasy race being white, black, asian, whatever. To be honest in rings of power I wanted MORE black elves.

One thing I've noticed is that people tend to make disingenuous arguments like "oh its fantasy so nothing matters". Well that's only partially true. Things still have to make sense in universe.
My only issue with the casting is the origin of the story. Disney has tried (even though I have some issues with Aladdin) to respect the cultures these stories are from. TLM is Danish, so maybe they should have gotten someone from that region (ethnically) like they do from the other movies (which is part of my issue with Aladdin)

Her race doesn't matter to me as long as she has red hair (which I haven't seen the trailer or seen any good shots her hair as Ariel).

Literally don't care

Monolith1676 posted...

I mean actual redhead characters played by actual people with red hair.

When has that ever been thing? You don't believe those white red-heads in movies are all naturals, do you?

hitokoriX posted...

Disney has tried (even though I have some issues with Aladdin) to respect the cultures these stories are from.

No. No they haven't. If anything they are the literal worst company in the history of America as far as not respecting the culture of the media that they make.

Literally could not care less.

ellis123 posted...

No. No they haven't. If anything they are the literal worst company in the history of America as far as not respecting the culture of the media that they make.

I'm speaking on the recent movies they've done.

hitokoriX posted...

I'm speaking on the recent movies they've done.

Mulan was from 2020. That is recent enough that the fact that they were embarrassingly wrong with absolutely everything, and do mean literally everything, as far as culture depicted in the movie was concerned. This all culminating in a movie where the literal point of the poem was completely ruined.

No, recent Disney is not any better about absolutely dissecting what they want out of the stories that they steal. At most they just throw in people of different races because they have found out that it gets them more money. Anything that isn't heinous is sheerly not so because of pure greed on their parts, not because they actually do anything right on their own volition.

ellis123 posted...

No. No they haven't. If anything they are the literal worst company in the history of America as far as not respecting the culture of the media that they make.

They're making remakes of their own movies. It's a cultural element that they're free to manipulate as they please because it's literally theirs.

If you didn't care about the cultural appropriation of the original Little Mermaid and the subsequent depictions that she's had over the years then it's kinda weird that you'd only wait until now to call it into question.

I dont care about it at all and I wasnt planning on watching it anyway

Dragon56 posted...

forced diversity

Dragon56 posted...

agenda

y i k e s

ellis123 posted...

Mulan was from 2020. That is recent enough that the fact that they were embarrassingly wrong with absolutely everything, and do mean literally everything, as far as culture depicted in the movie was concerned. This all culminating in a movie where the literal point of the poem was completely ruined.

No, recent Disney is not any better about absolutely dissecting what they want out of the stories that they steal. At most they just throw in people of different races because they have found out that it gets them more money. Anything that isn't heinous is sheerly not so because of pure greed on their parts, not because they actually do anything right on their own volition.

TBH we probably agree on a lot about Disney (i boycotted Mulan due to where they filmed), but let's not get it twisted. Disney has been trying to cast racially appropriate actors fitting the origins of these stories.

Pretty indifferent, but it seems it makes a lot of black people happy and Ariel was not even a real person in the first place. The disney movie is also not even her real story...

A_Good_Boy posted...

They're making remakes of their own movies. It's a cultural element that they're free to manipulate as they please because it's literally theirs.

If you didn't care about the cultural appropriation of the original Little Mermaid and the subsequent depictions that she's had over the years then it's kinda weird that you'd only wait until now to call it into question.

Imagine being so dense as to thinking that people haven't been complaining about the debauchery that Disney has been doing to their stories is somehow recent.

And, frankly the entire concept of "cultural appropriation" is just a fool's view of the situation. Using another culture's stories and the like isn't a problem, the problem is when you just take a dump on the original for the sake of a quick cash grab or so you can make little more than propaganda about whatever you want to have it say. Mulan doesn't get crap because it's a Chinese story told by an American studio, it gets crap because it's a Chinese story about gender equality that Disney actively subverts whenever it can.

hitokoriX posted...

TBH we probably agree on a lot about Disney (i boycotted Mulan due to where they filmed), but let's not get it twisted. Disney has been trying to cast racially appropriate actors fitting the origins of these stories.

Probably. I, however, do not feel like the idea of "appropriate actors" means a whole lot. Let people make their new stories with whomever they feel will add stuff. People don't complain about Ghost in the Shell having Japanese/Asian actors despite being based on an American film, why should it matter here? Is it really the fact that they don't change the name of the media that really matters when it's clear that the actual story has nothing in common with the older version?

Couldnt care less, although its pretty funny watching people pretend to care about something solely due to the views of people they dont like.

ellis123 posted...

Imagine being so dense as to thinking that people haven't been complaining about the debauchery that Disney has been doing to their stories is somehow recent.

And, frankly the entire concept of "cultural appropriation" is just a fool's view of the situation. Using another culture's stories and the like isn't a problem, the problem is when you just take a dump on the original for the sake of a quick cash grab or so you can make little more than propaganda about whatever you want to have it say. Mulan doesn't get crap because it's a Chinese story told by an American studio, it gets crap because it's a Chinese story about gender equality that Disney actively subverts whenever it can.

We're not talking about Mulan though, that's just you deflecting to a different story to justify your outrage at the Little Mermaid. What umbrage do you have with Disney's depiction of the story that everyone else in the topic is talking about, that she doesn't cut off her tongue and die?

ellis123 posted...

Probably. I, however, do not feel like the idea of "appropriate actors" means a whole lot. Let people make their new stories with whomever they feel will add stuff. People don't complain about Ghost in the Shell having Japanese/Asian actors despite being based on an American film, why should it matter here? Is it really the fact that they don't change the name of the media that really matters when it's clear that the actual story has nothing in common with the older version?

1. I did not know that about ghost in the shell, what's it based on? I thought it was always a manga then anime.

2. We're speaking on different things now. I'm solely speaking on casting racially appropriate actors. I agree with you that the choices can be hollow, and the actual stories may be reductive or have little to do with the original story.

3. I do fully support making diverse new stories, and I always financially support.

A_Good_Boy posted...

We're not talking about Mulan though, that's just you deflecting to a different story to justify your outrage at the Little Mermaid. What umbrage do you have with Disney's depiction of the story that everyone else in the topic is talking about, that she doesn't cut off her tongue and die?

Everyone in this topic is talking about the newer Little Mermaid, while I was talking about the original Disney cartoon. At no point was my conversation about the same stuff as the rest of the topic.

hitokoriX posted...

My only issue with the casting is the origin of the story. Disney has tried (even though I have some issues with Aladdin) to respect the cultures these stories are from. TLM is Danish, so maybe they should have gotten someone from that region (ethnically) like they do from the other movies (which is part of my issue with Aladdin)

One of the main characters in the original cartoon is a Jamaican crab. The villain is based on a drag queen from Baltimore. The "authentic Danish culture" ship sailed long ago as far as Disney is concerned.

It actually probably would be cool to get a Danish Little Mermaid that sticks to the fairy tale. Especially if it's like a weird arthouse movie aimed at adults, that really digs into the gloomy clammy atmosphere and the sacrificial magic and all that. But that's a totally different conversation.

I dont watch Disney movies so I really dont care lmfao

I was never going to watch a live action LM, so I do not care at all. Good for her

Neutral. Not conplaining about the change or calling everyone who doesn't like it a racist; people complain about major changes to any main character's appearance.

gatorsPENSbucs posted...

Couldnt care less, although its pretty funny watching people pretend to care about something solely due to the views of people they dont like.

You mean racism? Ok

hitokoriX posted...

1. I did not know that about ghost in the shell, what's it based on? I thought it was always a manga then anime.

2. We're speaking on different things now. I'm solely speaking on casting racially appropriate actors. I agree with you that the choices can be hollow, and the actual stories may be reductive or have little to do with the original story.

3. I do fully support making diverse new stories, and I always financially support.

It has two major influences: Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, and The Ghost in the Machine by Arthur Koestler. Both have the same sort of look at "what makes a human" but Blade Runner is where it got more of its aesthetic from.

And yeah, having racially appropriate actors matters. That said Ariel sits in a spot where I don't know if her actor's race would make it any more accurate than any other, while the non-merfolk characters would be actually more accurately done with a Danish cast (*insert Thumb Wars joke here*).

ellis123 posted...

Everyone in this topic is talking about the newer Little Mermaid, while I was talking about the original Disney cartoon. At no point was my conversation about the same stuff as the rest of the topic.

The question still applies then. What specifically about Disney's depiction of the Little Mermaid do you find particularly irksome? Forgive me if I've missed it earlier in the topic if you've already mentioned it, but all I see you talking about is Mulan. So like, do you not like that Ariel doesn't toss herself off a cliff at the end of the film?

Questionmarktarius posted...

Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi

This is good example and the one I was thinking of, though I didn't remember the name of the character or show and couldn't remember if it was Mickey Rooney or someone else that looked like him >_> (I'm only familiar with it at all because of some youtube countdown video I watched a while ago about racist portrayals)

Dont care about manufactured outrage between trolls and feedwatchers.

TheOnionKnight posted...

One of the main characters in the original cartoon is a Jamaican crab. The villain is based on a drag queen from Baltimore. The "authentic Danish culture" ship sailed long ago as far as Disney is concerned.

It actually probably would be cool to get a Danish Little Mermaid that sticks to the fairy tale. Especially if it's like a weird arthouse movie aimed at adults, that really digs into the gloomy clammy atmosphere and the sacrificial magic and all that. But that's a totally different conversation.

I mean I'm specifically speaking on the remakes where they've tried to be better and cast appropriate actors. This is all about casting, nothing else.

Also this is a big pet peeve of mine but the crab is meant to be Trinidadian but they couldn't get that right.

Indifferent.

I see the marketing ploy Disney tries to pull by manufacturing a controversy around products and I tap out.
It's literally another rehash of old content. Typical boring Disney.

No hate on the actress in the middle of this; she's clearly got talent. The company just sucks at trying to make me care about their latest rebooted cash grab. The latest Pinocchio looked half-assed too. They're not winning over consumers like they used to and it's showing...

A_Good_Boy posted...

The question still applies then. What specifically about Disney's depiction of the Little Mermaid do you find particularly irksome? Forgive me if I've missed it earlier in the topic if you've already mentioned it, but all I see you talking about is Mulan. So like, do you not like that Ariel doesn't toss herself off a cliff at the end of the film?

The Little Mermaid is a tragedy about the folly of trading yourself away for what you believe would be what others want. By trading away her singing voice Ariel loses everything that the love of her life knew her for, causing her to no longer be herself and at the same time no longer being the one that he loved. It has a strong message for having confidence in oneself, something especially pertinant for younger girls due to how our society works.

Disney's, unsurprisingly, has no such messages and is just a vapid love story in which you could make the argument that the villain was actually the tragic hero the whole time. Acting like "lololol, you just hate it due to no suicide" is disengenuous at best as literally the only carry over is that there is a mermaid and said mermaid gets a love interest. You can easily have it not end in suicide and still have a relevant message, heck even a different one would still be fine, but Disney went out of their way to scrub anything "unclean" out of it to the point of having nothing worth talking about beyond the music and the animation (which are both jaw-droppingly good).