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Credit: Inside the MagicAfter watching The Little Mermaid (2023) screening on opening weekend, British singer and actress Paloma Faith took to social media to share her opinion about the live-action remake. And it’s not good.
Directed by Rob Marshall with music and lyrics written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Little Mermaid remake retells the story of the 1989 animated classic with a cast of mostly live performers. The cast includes Halle Bailey as the Disney princess Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as the sea witch Ursula, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
While The Little Mermaid has faced its fair share of criticism, audiences have flocked to theaters to see this movie and absolutely loved it, earning the highest audience score for a Disney live-action remake on Rotten Tomatoes. However, there are still people out there who hate the movie. And one of those people is Paloma Faith.
‘Little Mermaid’ is “Not What I Want To Be Teaching Next Gen Women”
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Paloma Faith, a British singer and actress known for her performance in Pennyworth (2019-2022) and as a judge for The Voice UK (2016), has come out vehemently against Disney’s The Little Mermaid. However, her reasons for hating the movie are nothing new.
In an Instagram story, Faith said, “Just seen the new Little Mermaid with my kids, and while I think Halle gives a good performance and it’s great casting, as a mother of girls, I don’t want my kids to think it’s ok to give up your entire voice and your powers to love a man.”
Faith followed it up with, “Wtf is this s—?! Not what I want to be teaching next-gen women at all.”
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While many people love The Little Mermaid, this is not an uncommon sentiment that can be traced back to the animated original, so much so that Halle Bailey addressed it.
In an interview with Edition Magazine, Bailey said, “I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy. It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life, and what she wants.”
Apparently, they didn’t make enough changes to satisfy Paloma Faith. That being said, the “Only Love Can Hurt Like This” singer hasn’t always felt this way. In a Tweet from 2009, Faith stated, “When I grow up, I want to be the little mermaid.” That being said, a person’s opinion can definitely change after 14 years and becoming a mother.
Do you agree with Paloma Faith’s assessment of The Little Mermaid? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!