Disney’s live-action musical film ‘The Little Mermaid’, which caused controversy for casting a black man as the main character, is about to be released in Korea.
You said that you did not consider the original work and only pursued the value of ‘political correctness’ excessively, but what about the evaluation of the audience?
This is Reporter Hong Sang-hee.
[Reporter]
A mermaid princess with dark skin and long braids sings while dreaming of a world beyond the sea.
Ariel, the first person of color who is not the fairy 안전놀이터tale mermaid with white skin and red hair, has been revealed.
Based on Andersen’s Danish fairy tale, the 1989 Disney animated ‘The Little Mermaid’ returns as a live-action musical film after 34 years.
[Harley Bailey / <The Little Mermaid> Ariel Role: As a black person, I am so proud to participate as a Disney princess, and to be able to see babies and children on screen like this.] In 2019, black singer Halle Bailey was cast as the Little Mermaid
. Since then, fans have protested by launching a hashtag campaign that says, “I am not my Ariel.”
Disney faced criticism for distorting the original work by excessively pursuing so-called ‘PCism ‘, which is political correctness to escape from prejudice or discrimination.
Following the appearance of a black actor as Tinkerbell in the Disney Plus movie ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’, Netflix also drew controversy by portraying Cleopatra VII as a black person in the documentary.
HBO Max is also considering casting people of color for the lead role in the TV series ‘Harry Potter’, and the atmosphere toward cultural diversity is spreading, but some point out that there is a lack of communication with the audience .
[Kim Heon-shik / Popular culture critic: I think these two values are in conflict, whether it’s fandom or social change. It’s a bit disappointing that there are no channels for convergence, as there should be rapport with the fans. Since the one-sided content production of the 20th century is also being carried out in the 21st century, it can be seen that the existing fans are culturally resisting in this respect.] Halle Bailey’s singing
ability and Melissa McCarthy’s performance as the sea witch is receiving critical acclaim.
In the Korean version, New Jin’s Daniel is participating as Ariel, and I am interested in how ‘The Little Mermaid’ will be evaluated by domestic audiences.
This is Hong Sang-hee from YTN .