Whoever at Disney had the idea of adapting their animated classics to live-action deserves a big fat bonus. Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book were both barnstorming successes, and this year alone we’ve already seen Dumbo and Aladdin, with The Lion King set to follow on July 19th.
Once that’s out of the way, the next big film on the agenda is sure to be The Little Mermaid. The 1989 movie is considered to have heralded a new golden age for Disney’s Animation Studios, and all eyes will be on director Rob Marshall’s vision of life down where it’s wetter: under the sea.
That’s why the announcement that Halle Bailey had been cast as Ariel caused such a sensation. As half of R&B group Chloe x Halle, she’s proved she’s got the pipes for the role and after triumphing in the audition process, I can’t wait to see her take on one of my favourite Disney Princesses. Yes, I have opinions on this. It’s serious business, okay?
Anyways, spurred on by this announcement, fans have taken to Twitter to imagine what she’d look like in the role, producing a veritable tide of fan art. Here’s a selection of some of the best:
Judging by the number of retweets and reactions to these posts, it seems that Bailey’s Ariel is already a hit. The only people who seem to have a problem with it are racists, and who would want to settle down to watch The Little Mermaid next to a big ol’ racist anyway? If they have a problem, they’re welcome to stay away from theaters and, I dunno, watch a beaten-up VHS of the 1989 original. I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of the stereotypical antics of Sebastian.
I doubt we’ll see an official shot of Bailey as Ariel anytime soon, but if fan art of this quality keeps being produced, then that’s really no big loss.
