We DO NOT Need Black Little Mermaid

Black Ariel singing an iconic Disney The Little Mermaid song flashed on the internet and the internet screamed back. And the trailer for the new live-action remake made me feel deeply dissapointed. I already know I will not enjoy this Ariel and I will not watch it.

Why? Not because I am a racist jerk. It is because I think a black mermaid character deserves so much better than star in a plain remake. Especially a remake of this particular movie. There are two more Disney Ariel movies and a TV series that could provide a more interesting material.

The animated movies as such went through an enriching evolution during the last decades. The Little Mermaid is one of the old classics that rely on the different variations of old tales. Even folktales. The others are, for example, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950), or Sleeping Beauty (1959). Disney got rid of the gore parts and created eyepleasing movies full of songs and beauty. They were a spectacle for their publication years. And I do not wish to deny them their significance and importance. And charm. But I see them as mere pioneers and a ground for more complex and complicated stories. These old-tales-inspired movies all revolve around a suffering of a young helpless woman who relies on massive aid of other characters. The woman needs only two things:

• look and be innocent and beautiful
• marry a prince

That is rather… insufficient for a fleshed-out movie character. Good for a short folktale, sure. But a movie needs more. Before we get to this more part, let’s also sum up the erased gore story details. The original The Little Mermaid (1837) written by Hans Christian Andersen does not share Disney’s desire for happy endings.

The Little Mermaid is pictured as a naive soulless being who yearns to become a human to marry a prince. And get a part of his soul as her own. The potion she drinks gives her legs but she is unable to touch the sea and each single step she makes hurts her as if she had blades stuck in her feet. Of course, she becomes mute. She attempts to enchant the prince with her dance and it causes her immense physical pain. Sadly, the prince plans to marry another princess.
The Little Mermaid’s sisters make another deal with the sea witch and exchange their hair for a magical dagger. This dagger can save The Little Mermaid and get her home. She needs to kill the prince and drop his blood on her feet to get rid of them. She is unable to do so and is prepared to die and turn into sea foam. The final words of the story bear at least some hope. The Little Mermaid, for her sacrifice, does not cease to exist. She is turned into a spirit that is bound to serve humans and her good deeds may let her enter human heaven after 300 years. The Little Mermaid is an original story written by one author.
The other examples went through a long storytelling process and each generation twisted them in a bit different way. Each ended up having several variations that differ in details. But each contain at least some of disturbing parts.

Gore in Snow White:

• The Evil Queen tries to suffocate Snow White with a lace.
• The Evil Queen tries to kill Snow White with a poisoned comb in her hair.
• The Evil Quenn is punished for her deeds at the Snow White and Prince wedding. She is forced to wear gleaming-hot iron shoes and dance in them until she dies.

Gore in Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper:

• Cinderella’s two stepsisters muttilate their feet so they can fit into the slipper. They almost pass the test but the trail of blood from their feet makes the prince to deny them.
• Cinderella’s own father sees her as filthy and unworthy.
• Cinderella sets doves after her stepsisters on her wedding day. The birds peck out the sisters’ eyes.

Gore in Sleeping Beauty:

• Many people who wander into the sleeping kingdom fall asleep as well. When they wake up, they find themselves alone. Their relatives and homes are gone since they could sleep even for decades.
• The Princess does not wake up after a kiss. She is raped in her sleep by a royal who finds her. She wakes up after she gives birth and her child(ren) suck her pricked finger.
• There are versions where the story continues. Sleeping Beauty and her offspring are found by the rapist and brought home. After that, she is almost burned alive after a series of political schemes and her children are almost cooked for dinner.
• The prince’s mother is sometimes of ogre origin and initiates the cooking.

Now, let’s get back to the original The Little Mermaid movie and Ariel, I think we can all agree there are many female protagonists that can serve as a more suitable model for us. I don’t think I wish to see another version of the same Ariel.
I don’t believe love and path to marriage work the way it is presented in The Little Mermaid movie. Let alone the original written story. And it is a wrong example for the young girls. A shallow way to present how one should seek a life partner and treat family issues. Abandoning a whole family and home for someone who looks attractive? Someone completely unknown? Marriage should be based on mutual relationship formation. People should know each other well. And I mean WELL. They should know and adore the strong personality traits of their beloved. And be sure their views, goals, and moral standards are tuned. And they should know they can deal with the messy and annoying traits of the partner.

Family problems, traumas, and disagreements should not be “solved” by leaving everyone behind. True, there are many situations where walking away is the healthy option. But we should try to understand and fix the problem first.
As I said above, the family movies changed over time and offered us stories based on the current trends. The view of human psychology is more and more advanced. We also live in a safer society with more advanced law and social system than Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen. And so the new movies can work with themes that are understood much better in the 21st century. We don’t need to suffer and wait for a miracle to save us and bring us the charming prince. We need to make an effort and fight our fears and oppose those who wish to harm us. We need to actively heal and build our family relationships instead of running away from the family. We need to explore our inner world and find our own worth and who we truly are. Ariel, in the original Disney movie, does not feel well in her family and in the ocean as such. She is obsessed with the human world and deeply wishes to live there. The grass is greener on the other side, right? She has no idea where she is going and refuses to work on her family relationships. That is a truly bad example for teenage viewers.

Let’s see a few modern Disney movies that got it right and could serve as a great example for a mermaid character.

The Princess and the Frog

Hardworking and ambitious, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) dreams of one day opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans. Her dream takes a slight detour when she meets Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who has been turned into an amphibian by evil Dr. Facilier. Mistaking her for a princess and hoping to break the spell, Naveen plants a kiss on poor Tiana — thereby turning her into a frog as well. The pair hop along on an adventure through the bayous to seek the help of a powerful voodoo priestess.

Tiana serves as an ideal twist of the hard-working woman of simple origin stereotype character. She is willing to sacrifice her health and time to get her dream restaurant. But one of the story messages is also finding time to relax and seek for balance in life. Tiana’s dutiful and efficient spirit inspires other characters and her abilities, not looks and helplessness, gain her allies. And even a good husband. Speaking about the husband…. Prince Naveen is a character with an inspiring character development. He is a prince, just like in the folktales. But he does not come and take the poor girl into his world. His life views crash hard when he faces the reality. His search for his own worth, appreciation of others, and struggles surely resonate in many viewers. Tiana and Naveen present an ideal couple. They respect each other and build their future together.

Encanto

The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.

This is a huge story that hides a number of issues and shows family and generation problems from every possible angle. It is a song-packed powerful lesson that teaches the viewers about the balance between the individual needs, perks, and quirks, and the larger picture of a healthy and supportive family and community. Another big topic worth the viewers’ attention is self-care and one’s own value.

Brave:

Merida (Kelly Macdonald), the impetuous but courageous daughter of Scottish King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), is a skilled archer who wants to carve out her own path in life. Her defiance of an age-old tradition angers the Highland lords and leads to chaos in the kingdom. Merida seeks help from an eccentric witch (Julie Walters), who grants her an ill-fated wish. Now, Merida must discover the true meaning of courage and undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

Another princess! An a particularly rebelious one. Merida faces a typical problem of countless teenagers. The parents. Her desire for freedom and very loud hate for everything her mother wants her to do have almost grave consequences. Merida’s rebelious actions almost lead to a gruesome and tragic end of her whole family. But, in the end, the wild teenager and controlling mother both realize what they need to change and their relationship thrives. It might be a subtle lesson compared with all the action and magic with the movie. But a healthy family bond is a true treasure and too many people cannot bond with their other relatives and suffer. It is also a story of growing up. Merida is on the path to be more responsible adult who understands the complexity of the world and her duties better.

Moana:

An adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds. Along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she always sought: her own identity.

Ok, here the main protagonist somehow… runs away from her family. But not to avoid her problems and wait for her prince. Moana finds the courage to believe in herself and is the force that heals her part of the world. She shows how strong individuals can grow to become great leaders and direct the positive changes.

And I am sure you have noticed I have picked the movies that feature different cultures and colors. And all of these fictional people are awsome. And the real people from all over the world can bond with them, learn from them, and enjoy their stories. This is, in my opinion, what equality and appreciation of different cultures and nations mean.
I don’t need and don’t want obsolete Ariel with darkened skin. Come on, Halle Bailey, the actress portraying Ariel, has a beautiful natural hair color. And there is absolutely no need to dye her hair red for this movie and force the old animated movie format on her. I would love to see her as a NEW mermaid with a new name and new story. And brand new songs. Halle Bailey claims the new remake updated some themes from the original film and Ariel leaves the sea for more than a love interest.
But I still want to see a whole new set of different characters swinging their tails in the ocean waves instead of a remake. What I have always adored on African and Afroamerican cultures is how colorful they are. And how full of motion and life they can be. A brand new fictional cast of characters based on the upper mentioned would surely make the cinemas explode.

The ocean can be so diverse and full of wonder that it creates a perfect opportunity to introduce so much more about the merpeople. I don’t need the already known ocean setting from the original The Little Mermaid. I have seen that movie several times in my childhood.
I would love to see a story set in the wildest ocean biomes. Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016) showed us a lot of different underwater environments. This is a great opportunity to go even further. A whole fictional ocean city with breathtaking architecture can be filled with the no less interesting mermaids and I am sure the audience would appreciate this. And this could easily become a whole series. Mermaids based on Asian cultures? Inuit culture? Wherever the sea touches the dry land, there is an opportunity for a new story.

Edit: Just a few days before finishing this article, a new picture of the Disney remake attacked the internet. Triton’s daughters. Well, what to say… The sisters, judging by their appearance, clearly have each a different mother from each sea. This is not the diversity and respect for different cultures I was writing about. This merely shows a VERY disturbing family setting.