Credit: DisneyAfter a record-breaking Memorial Day at the box office, The Little Mermaid (2023) just made history again – this time, on streaming.
The Little Mermaid
Directed by Rob Marshall with a screenplay by David Magee, The Little Mermaid features original music by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken. The film stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as sea witch Ursula, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder the fish, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Awkwafina as Scuttle the seagull. (Spoiler alert: Keep your eyes peeled for a Jodi Benson cameo!)
“‘The Little Mermaid’ is visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall’s live-action reimagining of Disney’s beloved animated musical classic, the story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure,” the official Disney movie description reads. “The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric.
“While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.”
Racist Response
Despite an overwhelmingly positive response to initial The Little Mermaid trailers, loud voices online slammed Walt Disney Studios for casting Bailey, a Black woman, as a traditionally white Disney Princess.
One racist content creator made a video in blackface, mocking little girls who were excited to see themselves represented on screen. Others tried using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to replace Bailey with a white actress.
Bailey remained unbothered by bigoted critics.
“I don’t really let that affect me,” she told British Vogue. “I mean, I grew up in Georgia. I’m from the Deep South. Being a Black woman, in general, you just know the way things are and how people sometimes are just blatantly racist.”
Benson – the voice of the animated Princess Ariel – vocally supported Bailey’s take on the role.
“Halle, you were absolutely amazing! I’m SO proud of you & your beautiful performance as Ariel,” the actress wrote in a 2022 Instagram story.
Smashing Streaming Records
The live-action The Little Mermaid defied racist backlash. Not only did the film outsell its animated counterpart, but it recently became the most popular Disney+ streaming premiere since Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)!
“NEW: Disney says the live-action Little Mermaid surpassed 16 million views in its first five days on Disney+ making it the most viewed Disney movie premiere on Disney+ since Hocus Pocus 2,” Nexstar reporter Scott Gustin wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Gustin also shared the math behind the metrics.
“In this new world of Disney giving us viewing metrics on Disney+, it’s important to note: ‘A view is defined as total stream time divided by runtime,’” he explained. “36 million viewing hours divided by 2 hour 15 min runtime equals 16 million views.”
In this new world of Disney giving us viewing metrics on Disney+, it’s important to note: “A view is defined as total stream time divided by runtime.”
36 million viewing hours divided by 2 hour 15 min runtime equals 16 million views.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) September 11, 2023
Have you watched The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey? Share your thoughts on the film with Inside the Magic in the comments.