4 Jul – The live-action adaptation of "The Little Mermaid" has finally found its new Ariel – but not everyone is happy with the casting. Mixed reactions have been pouring in and top on the negativity list are, of course, racist remarks. After news broke that R&B singer Halle Bailey will be the one starring as the mermaid, who is portrayed as a fair redhead in the animated film, dissatisfied fans and trolls alike started posting negative comments regarding Bailey's race and looks. One particular Twitter account has even gone viral for its posts that criticise Disney for its casting choices. The caption "Us white girls, who grew up with The Little Mermaid, deserved a true-to-color Ariel. Disney, you made a huge mistake by hiring Halle Bailey. This is going in the TRASH." accompanies a photo of a "The Little Mermaid" DVD that's presumably about to meet its end in a garbage bin. Brandon Wall over on Twitter has, however, proven that the account isn't owned by a white girl (deeper digging reveals the opposite gender), some of the photos (including the half-black best friend) were not even the user's and it's just deliberately posting racist comments to rile everyone up. Of course, not all is bleak, the negative comments can barely be seen now as more positive ones flood social media, voicing their support for Halle. "As a white-skinned redhead, I have very strong feelings about #TheLittleMermaid. Ariel changed my ginger world. The mean "jokes" ended. I became envied for my hair," said one Morgan Jarrett. "And you know what? I want little black girls to experience that same feeling with new Ariel."
Some say they're disappointed that Zendaya wasn't cast for the role but still, her fans are being just as supportive of Halle. Zendaya herself is leading the online celebration of Halle's casting. The 19-year-old is famously known as one half of the singing duo Chloe x Halle, with her older sister making up the other half, who was discovered by Beyoncé in 2013 and subsequently signed to the singer's label, Parkwood Entertainment. Halle definitely has both the singing and acting chops needed to carry the role of Ariel. She is part of the cast of the TV series "Grown-ish" and has previously provided the soundtracks for "Little" and "A Wrinkle in Time". Despite being announced a few years prior, the live-action effort on "The Little Mermaid" has been in choppy water as it loses one director after another – Sofia Coppola was first tapped to direct before Rebecca Thomas took over and now finally Rob Marshall is the one taking the rein – and even lost Chloe Grace Moretz who was Coppola's choice to play the Disney princess.