The Little Mermaid Backlash Leads to ‘Whitewashing’ Ariel with AI. Twitter is Furious.

Halle Bailey's Ariel has been turned "white" by AI, and Twitter is furious.

The Little Mermaid live-action trailer reveal has sparked all kinds of controversy all over the internet. The Little Mermaid trailer has been massively downvoted on YouTube, and some Disney fans are taking issue with the traditionally red-haired, blue-eyed Ariel being played by a Black actress, Halle Bailey.

The casting choice for Ariel initially sent waves across the sea to China, where the aquatic princess is apparently a favorite. Having a dark-skinned Ariel did not go over well with many Chinese people, however. So a Chinese user decided to “fix” Ariel and make her white. And the internet reacted just as you would expect.

Twitter, in particular, was up in arms about the ‘fix.’ However, it didn’t stop with just one attempt.

Another user (@TenGazillionIQ) trolled Twitter by using AI to make yet another white version of Ariel. And apparently got banned or put in Twitter jail because of it.

On one hand, a young actress shouldn’t be harassed because of the color of her skin. On the other hand, Disney knew exactly what would happen if they race-swapped Ariel. However, it’s doubtful that they had anticipated just how unpopular that decision would be.

Weirdly, we haven’t seen much at all of the movie. Halle Bailey obviously has the singing ability for Ariel, but can Melissa McCarthy pull off a campy villian as iconic as Ursula?

The irony in all of this is that the debate about the casting choice for The Little Mermaid will probably be much more interesting than the movie itself, if Pinocchio is any indication of the quality of Disney’s live-action remakes.

[Hat Tip: Forbes]
Share this content!


ClownfishTV.com strives to be an apolitical, balanced and based pop culture news outlet. However, our contributors are entitled to their individual opinions. Author opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of our video hosts, other site contributors, site editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. This website contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. We disclaim products or services we have received for review purposes, as well as sponsored posts.
Avatar photo

Clownfish TV Newsroom

The Clownfish TV Newsroom is a good little fishy who gathers up news and leads from all over the internet. This little fish runs day-to-day operations on ClownfishTV.com. The true identity of this fish can and does change. In fact, it may be one fishy, or a school of fish, at any given time.

View all posts

Shop Now!

Final Fantasy VII Tifa Lockhart Bring Arts Action Figure

Support Us!

Categories

Close Subscribe Card