Art for Disney’s live action The Little Mermaid imagines Halle Bailey’s Ariel with legs. While the news of Bailey’s casting has been confirmed for a while now, audiences got to see her in the role for the first time only recently. The first Little Mermaid trailer debuted earlier this month at Disney's D23 Expo. In it, viewers saw Bailey as Ariel for the first time, swimming around the ocean and singing a bit of the classic song “Part of Your World.”
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While The Little Mermaid trailer showed stunning images of Bailey’s dazzling costume and braids, the images of Bailey have been the subject of unfounded racist backlash. While some people have been quick to send positive comments to Bailey online, including pointing out young Black girls who are excited to see a Black Ariel, Bailey has also faced intense racism on the internet. Seemingly rooted in the whitewashed Disney of yesteryear, that racist side of the internet has shown disturbing reactions to Bailey in the role. Disney’s trailer has received over 1.5 million dislikes on YouTube. Prominent Black celebrities and fellow Disney princess actors have been quick to jump to Bailey’s defenses, though. Bailey’s casting has been defended by Black talk show host Trevor Noah, soon-to-be-Snow White Rachel Zegler, and Jodi Benson, the voice actress behind Ariel in the original 1989 film. Despite all this, reception to the first trailer was decidedly positive, with Bailey's singing being praised in particular – yet, it only showed the briefest of glimpses of the film.
In positive Bailey-related Ariel news, a fan has created beautiful art imagining images of Bailey’s Ariel that The Little Mermaid trailer has not yet shown. The art was posted on Twitter by Tanya Lehoux, and features three sketches of Bailey’s Ariel. Unlike the trailer, which only showed the underwater parts of The Little Mermaid, these images all show Bailey’s Ariel in her land-dwelling form, with legs. In one, Ariel’s foot taps the water, and in another, she smiles in a fluffy pink dress. Check out the post below:
When Will We See More Of The Little Mermaid Live-Action Movie?
In the wake of all the criticism of the new The Little Mermaid, it is heartening to see a fan pay a loving tribute to the film. These images do not shy away from celebrating the unique facets of Bailey’s Ariel. They show her skin color, of course, but they also depict her beautiful curly braids that are quintessential to Bailey’s look as Ariel. This look may be criticized by many who are stuck in the status quo of the pale-skinned, straight-haired Ariel, but it is clearly deeply appreciated within this image. The sketch artist makes a concerted effort to show curvy lines indicating her curly locks.
Hopefully, audiences will not have to rely on fan art for dazzling images of Bailey’s Ariel for too much longer. The current trailer for The Little Mermaid was merely a short teaser. With the film set for release next May, hopefully a full trailer or some initial photos may be coming within the next weeks or months. It seems likely that Disney could potentially attach the first full trailer to one of their major holiday releases – one of which includes Avatar 2. Until then, the image of Bailey’s Ariel with legs is left in the imagination of its audience and of fan imaginings like this one.