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Fans are calling this “unnaceptable.”
Fans in the United States are thrilled that the new live-action The Little Mermaid will be in movie theatres on May 26, 2023. This movie has been in the works for years, and fans are thrilled to finally see the film play out on the big screen.
Unfortunately, new posters for the film have caused major upset from fans due to Disney “white-washing” the film’s lead, Halle Bailey.
Credit: Disney
Public Uproar Ensues After Posters Are Revealed
For the most part, the promotional posters for The Little Mermaid have been praised in the United States. Fans of the actress Halle Bailey are thrilled to see her in the role, and many fans are commending Disney for casting a black woman in a role traditionally played by a white actress. While there have certainly been some negative comments from the public surrounding Halle’s casting, Disney has stood its ground and defended her… until now.
Fans are upset at Disney after the Chinese posters for The Little Mermaid were revealed. The controversy began when a Twitter user shared a photo of the poster, which features Halle Bailey as Ariel. In the Chinese version of the poster, Bailey’s skin tone appears to have been lightened, making her look almost blue. This prompted backlash from fans, who accused Disney of white-washing the actress’s skin color.
Once again Disney changed their marketing of a black character for China.. Yet weirdos call people commenting on aspects of the movie "racist" yet disney is doing something blatantly "racist" but that's OK! We truly live in a🤡🌎 https://t.co/5GKDNcL5fb
— thatstarwarsgirl (@thatstarwarsgrl) May 22, 2023
Credit: Disney
Disney White-Washes Actors… And It Isn’t the First Time
This is not the first time that this has happened on Disney’s Chinese posters. On the poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Boyega, another black actor, was removed from the poster entirely in the Chinese version.
Disney has a well documented history of changing their movie posters for China. Funny how they NEVER do this to characters while ALWAYS doing it to others.. This is why people like me call out their virtue signalling because it's a LIE. They don't give a damn about the bs they… pic.twitter.com/YjIzT1teXR
— thatstarwarsgirl (@thatstarwarsgrl) May 22, 2023
Back in 2018, the Chinese poster of Black Panther added a hood to cover Chadwick Bozeman’s face.
The fact that Disney feels the need to alter, hide, or remove black actors from their posters is problematic in itself. Fans are outraged and shocked that this behavior is still happening in 2023. Some fans have defended the poster because it is also being used in the United States as well. It is hard to tell if this is an unfortunate accident or, in fact, something more malicious.
As of now, no comment has been made by Disney on the situation.
