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Parents have been sharing their daughters’ reactions to the new trailer for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and the results are adorable.
The new film stars Halle Bailey in the title role, and the crowd at Disney's D23 Expo went wild for a teaser featuring Ariel singing “Part of Your World.”
It was later released online.
The Little Mermaid - Official Teaser Trailerwww.youtube.com
Young black girls who see the trailer are positively glowing over the representation. Need proof? Look no further than social media, where parents have shared their daughters’ reactions to the reveal of Halle Bailey as Ariel.
\u201cThe trailer for #TheLittleMermaid brought her so much joy #blackgirljoy #HalleBailey #HalleBailey @Disney great job\u201d— Candace (@Candace) 1662859477
\u201chttps://t.co/zR9QLNuSkG\u201d— Lai\ud83d\udc94 (@Lai\ud83d\udc94) 1662935462
\u201cIf you aren\u2019t on tiktok watching little black girls reacting to Ariel being black, then you are wasting your time. Lost track of how many tears I\u2019ve shed!\u201d— Kerri (@Kerri) 1663028265
@preciousavery I love this for my 3 years old 🤎 #littlemermaid #toddlersoftiktok #hallebailey #girlpower
@thedfwdad Never thought a movie trailer could make me cry but then I saw @halle and knew how it would make my kids feel. Thanks @disney for making my kids feel seen. Can’t wait to be at Disney World in 12 days! #disney #interacialadoption #representationmatters #littlemermaid #thelittlemermaidtrailer #partofyourworld #blackgirlmagic #girldad #d23 #disneyadult
@workingmama My daughter’s reaction 😭 to the little mermaid trailer. #littlemermaidtrailer #representationmatters
A video shared by Precious Avery shows her toddler’s reaction as Bailey comes on screen.
She excitedly says:
“I think she's brown!”
In a different video, another young girl watching the trailer happily asks:
“Is Ariel actually Black?”
After spotting one of the videos on Twitter, even Bailey herself couldn't help but react to the trailer's powerful impact.
\u201ck i just sobbed watching this thanks \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\udc95she\u2019s so sweet \u2763\ufe0f\ud83e\udd79\u201d— Halle (@Halle) 1662928242
The happiness on these little faces is beautiful.
\u201c@Candace82661097 @Disney who could be mad at the casting after this? This is wonderful!\u201d— Candace (@Candace) 1662859477
\u201cWatching all these videos of black girls reacting to seeing the new Little Mermaid is beautiful and I\u2019m living for it. Ariel is black girl magic \ud83d\udc96\u201d— Dr. Antifa witch (@Dr. Antifa witch) 1662957038
\u201c@taylorstyleslou @Candace82661097 @Disney I cried when she said this \ud83e\udddc\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffe\ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Candace (@Candace) 1662859477
\u201c@bryanxtomas @Candace82661097 @Disney Same here.\u201d— Candace (@Candace) 1662859477
\u201c@piscespriest @Candace82661097 @Disney Had me tearing up a little bit\u201d— Candace (@Candace) 1662859477
The film drew racist comments after the 2019 announcement that Bailey would play the titular character. In the original animated film, Ariel was a white woman with red hair, and racists have accused Disney of being “too woke” when casting this version.
Meanwhile, Jodi Benson, who was the original voice of Ariel, has offered her full support for Bailey.
And other fans are more than happy to share in this joy.
\u201c@CBSNews I\u2019ve watched a few of these videos, and the surprise and pure joy that these girls are experiencing is absolutely heartwarming to witness.\u201d— CBS News (@CBS News) 1663127101
\u201cTo every grown white person mad that hallie bailey is ariel. Look up \u201clittle mermaid trailer reactions\u201d and picture urself explaining to those little girls that ariel can\u2019t be black. And then stfu.\u201d— MK_the_Maniac | check \ud83d\udccc (safe) (@MK_the_Maniac | check \ud83d\udccc (safe)) 1662993342
\u201cI care more about this than weird grown white men on Fox News complaining about it.\u201d— Akilah Hughes (@Akilah Hughes) 1662965713
\u201cFor every white adult complaining, there's many more little black girls happy to see someone like them in a big movie. The 90s animation still exists. The 90s and 00s were white enough, it's time for some others to see themselves represented.\u201d— TimeLordIroh\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f (@TimeLordIroh\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f) 1663127776
\u201cdid it ever occur to you racists that halle bailey got the role of Ariel in the little mermaid bc she auditioned an was the best an has the perfect voice for the character? but nah it's "pandering" bc y'all can't fathom that a black girl out performed white ones. SHE DID.\u201d— bashton (@bashton) 1662973802
The film is slated for a May 2023 release and, in addition to songs from the original, it will include four new songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.