You appear to be discussing one single aspect of the visual characterization of the character, and it just happens to be skin color.
Yeah. Note that none of us here are trying to make the argument “you, Sauron, are a racist”. All we’re saying is that reacting to the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel as though it constitutes some kind of massive fundamental change in the “look” of the character—and Sauron is far from the only person viewing it this way—is a reaction that’s conditioned by centuries of white racism.
Visually, the differences between Halle Bailey and cartoon Ariel are not significantly greater than the abovementioned differences between Emma Watson and cartoon Belle, or between Naomi Scott and cartoon Jasmine. (Naomi Scott actually has noticeably lighter skin and hair than cartoon Jasmine, but you never heard a peep out of anybody about that “changing the look of the character”.) What makes the difference seem so huge is looking at the two through the historical/cultural lens of racial categories.
The common theme to the objectors’ arguments is that Halle doesn’t look like cartoon Ariel.
To me, this notion is a cousin of another annoying one: “Black people look the same.”
Doesn’t matter what environment I have been in. People (always white)always insist I look just like some other black person who exists in the general vicinity. Even though everything about us is strikingly different. Nope, we gotta be related to each other because OMG YOU LOOK JUST ALIKE!!!
Interestingly, I have been likened to specific white folk…but always by black folk! I have never had a white person say I look like a particular white person, but I have been told that by black people. “You and so-and-so look like ya’ll could be cousins.” Once I went dining out with an older white friend and the black valet (hopefully trying to flatter my friend) said, “Aw, sisters!”
I have inferred from this experience that white people tend to be programmed to see anyone with noticeable African ancestry as more similar to each other than they are to people without noticeable African ancestry. I really doubt that swapping a medium brown live-action Ariel for a caramel Ariel would have anyone clutching their pearls since it wouldn’t register as a change to most white people (which is why very few white people seem to care about dark-skinned Storm from the comics being represented by caramel-skinned Halle Berry). My experience has also led me to believe that skin color is less important to black people as a distinguishing feature. I know my eyes see transracial doppelgangers all the time.
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Sigh.
There are no real live humans with the exact combination of physical features that the cartoon Ariel has. With that in mind, why is a variation on skin color so much more unacceptable to you than a variation on hair shade, or waist size, or height, etc.? Every actress will have some of these differences.
For 50+ years, Malificent was the literal embodiment of evil, with an overwhelmingly defining characteristic of being able to turn herself into a dragon.
Disney had no problems throwing all of that away to make a movie where she became a guardian spirit who was betrayed and mutilated by Aurora’s father and left all of the shapeshifting to her sidekick.
There is not really any such thing as Disney canon, they modify and change things based on whatever they feel like doing at the time (I think Cinderella pretty much becomes a time lord in one of her sequels?)
Did you even read the post you’re quoting?
I did. There’s still no actress who has every single physical feature of the cartoon. So why are you worrying about this one feature? Any actress chosen would have some of these differences. No human has the same natural hair color as Ariel (bright red). Very, very few humans (if any) have the same skin color. No humans have the same build and physical dimensions (of their human parts).
With all this in mind, why does it matter that they cast someone who has darker skin? Virtually every human on Earth has darker skin than cartoon Ariel.
Black people are actually more attuned to differences in skin color than whites; it’s race that is less important to them as a distinguishing feature. This accounts for why a black person may see resemblance between you and your friend. Your complexion is not miles apart from your average white person.
Basically, people learn to recognize the differences that are useful for distinguishing the people they grow up around. If you grow up in a mostly-white environment with very few black people, then “the black one” is usually enough of a description to uniquely identify a person, and so there’s no need to look for further identifying features for a black person. By contrast, in such an environment, “the white one” would almost never be enough, so a person would learn to distinguish other features, and especially those features that vary a lot among white people.
Of course, in works both ways. In an environment with a lot of black people and very few whites, one might easily come to the conclusion that “all white people look alike”.
Yes, this is what I meant to say. Thank you.
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Since it would be really difficult to find a white actress who acts, sings, and looks similar to cartoon Ariel, casting an African-American could be a way for Disney to completely sidestep that complication. Viewers will know going in that Ariel 2.0 is not trying to be visually indistinguishable to Ariel 1.0, so that expectation won’t be there to distract them from the performance. Also, if the entire cast is multi-racial, this freedom extends to everyone.
After hearing “…but Emma Watson doesn’t look like Belle” for the millionth time, it actually makes a lot pragmatic and creative sense.
I have the same problem with people the same race as me (or pretty close*.) For instance, in Stranger Things I sometimes confuse the skinny white kid who got sent to the Upside Down with the skinny white kid who found Eleven. Also camera guy and used-to-be-a-jerk guy. And in The Haunting of Hill House I had trouble keeping the mother and two of the daughters straight. And in the new Charmed, I keep confusing the two sisters that aren’t the black one (*they are Hispanic, but look “white enough” that race doesn’t factor in my confusion.) and I don’t think I have face blindness, it is just that more similar people are more difficult to tell apart than ones with strikingly different traits.
I would assume that they would cast someone appropriately talented (and use make-up/effects) as close as possible to the stylized version without getting into an Uncanny Valley or otherwise visually disturbing situation. I would expect that this is common sense.
Now, in this case, they didn’t and I don’t care since I’ll never see it anyway but it’s funny how many “arguments” in this thread are people just preaching to the choir. No one upset by this is going say “Oh, shit, you’re right! Mermaids aren’t real! OMG they’re not going to cast anyone with eyes taking up 25% of her face! I was so, so wrong!”
Of course, the die-hard racist rabblerousers aren’t going to be happy with any answer but there’s got to be a better approach to the “This disappointingly doesn’t look like the character I love” people than “Cartoon mermaids aren’t real, you moron!”
Can we at least acknowledge that a lot of this controversy is a never-ending loop of “Wellifthishappeneditis”?? And “Obnoxicity”?..and of course those are just the symptoms. The disease is Privilegeitis. People who don’t have 24/7 internet access and don’t know where their next meal is coming from seem to be strangely immune to all this.
“They flipped out over the Ancient One!!..Wakanda isnt real either!!”
“I’m just here for the white tears”
Many similar characteristics have changed in the Disney live action adaptations but no one complains about them. They seem to focus on skin color most of all.
I still don’t understand why that’s an issue for you, though. The only bad thing that could happen from “changing the look of an iconic character” is that the character becomes less iconic. Why are you so invested in making sure that Disney characters maintain their market share? Do you own Disney stock, or something?
What’s skin colour got to do with character?
So your doorbell rings on October 31st, you answer it and there’s a dark skinned girl with brown eyes dressed up in a red wig and a mermaid costume. Are you totally confused by this, or can you somehow suss out that she is dressed up as Ariel? You somehow can’t extrapolate from the freaking fins?
I happen to believe that this discussion touches on inportant issues that do affect the lives of real people. I for one don’t appreciate the notion that a black person in a “white role” must have a cynical explanation. There is little daylight between this notion and the opinion that black people who work in predominately white spaces are only there to be tokens, not because they actually belong there.
The idea that Halle Bailey was the most qualified candidate seems to strike so many (white) people as crazy. To me, as a black woman, this skepticism is quite discomfiting. I don’t appreciate knowing that when people view me on the job, they may be thinking of all the white folk I have unfairly displaced. White folks who fit the visual profile of a scientist better than I do.