1989's The Little Mermaid remains a beloved classic, so it's hardly a surprise that Disney set out to add the movie to its lineup of live-action remakes.
When the news broke that Halle Bailey had been cast as Ariel, the response was mixed. Some of the backlash was racist, while quite a bit came from Disney purists who felt that casting a Black actress as the character was diverging too much from the iconic cartoon.
Ultimately, The Little Mermaid grossed a respectable $569.6 million at the worldwide box office and received mostly positive reviews. Interestingly, the 67% it received from critics is a far cry from the 93% it was awarded on the fan-generated Popcornmeter (suggesting that, when all was said and done, the casting didn't matter that much).
Three years later, and in an interview with The Independent (via Toonado.com), Bailey reflected on playing Ariel and how she felt about the vocal online discourse that surrounded her before, during, and after The Little Mermaid's release.
Calling the project "a beautiful experience for me," the actress said, "I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learned how to block out the noise."
"How do I explain it. It was actually freeing to be in the middle of this conversation where so many different opinions were coming in, and they were so opposite from one another. I felt like I was watching myself inside a cup, seeing how people react to it."
"Growing up in the industry can really develop your sense of self, and for me, it keeps me grounded in a way," Bailey continued. "I know for some people it’s the opposite but I just always think to myself, 'None of this is real.'"
"I love feeling small, realizing that the world is so big and beautiful and I’m just a tiny, tiny part of it. The fact I’m here is a blessing, and I’m grateful [to be doing music and acting], but at the same time, this is not what matters in life," she added, explaining that she turned to nature to help brush off the online hate. "What matters is keeping our feet on the ground, and holding the people we love."
There's been nothing to suggest that Disney will develop a sequel to The Little Mermaid, meaning Ariel was likely a one-and-done role for Bailey.
Disney's live-action remakes, meanwhile, continue to divide opinions. Snow White bombed early last year, and this summer's Moana remake has been widely ridiculed after releasing a trailer that fully revealed Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's transformation into Maui.
In The Little Mermaid, 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.
The Little Mermaid stars singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel, Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, with Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
The movie is now streaming on Disney+.