In the original animated film, released in 1989, Ariel, a fictional mermaid, is depicted as a white, red-haired woman.
Ariel, is a fictional character, with no defined skin color in her original material. She was originally written by a Danish author in the 1800s. She has been portrayed in ballet and movies by Asian, Russian, and mixed-race individuals, her cartoon depictions are typically pale.
Mermaids are mythical creatures, and Ariel's 'race' is arbitrarily white, but nothing about her character or experiences hinges upon her whiteness; as such, this story can warrant color-blind casting and allow the representation of the actor not to be undercut by intertextuality.
During the recent D23 convention in Anaheim, the Walt Disney Company released a teaser trailer for the upcoming live-action remake of its classic animated film “The Little Mermaid.” In it, Halle Bailey, playing the movie's star mermaid, Ariel, stares up to the surface and sings a few bars of her signature ballad, “Part ...
Now the 34-year-old – who was called the black mermaid at home long before the Disney live action remake of the Little Mermaid elated her by casting black actor Halle Bailey – has taken on the role of bringing more children into the water.
In Anderson's telling and the original Disney film, the mermaid possessed white skin. In Disney's upcoming live action version of the story, Ariel will be portrayed by black actress and singer Halle Bailey.
But stories about mermaids aren't exclusive to Western fairytales. Long before Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" was published in 1837, Black mermaids were swimming their way through African folklore.
In Disney's nearly 100-year history, there has been only one Black Disney princess — Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 animated feature starring Anika Noni Rose.
Tiana is recognized for being Disney's first African American princess.
No, Moana is not African. Moana is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures.
This is a German fairytale which means they were not talking about any other race than white. "In fact, the story states Snow White is as white as snow which means she was a very light skinned white.
Species Information
Merfolk (or Merpeople) are an aquatic race of half-human, half-fish predators who have existed for hundreds of years in secret under the depths of the oceans of the world, including Bristol Cove, Washington.
Ariel is a hoarder and suffers from disposophobia. This rebellious teenager does not know what it is to clean up her room and just can't throw anything away. Her cavern is overflowing with things that she has no clue how to use, and she can't part with them.
There are currently only five non-Caucasian Disney Princesses: Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana and Moana. Jasmine is Arabian. Pocahontas is Native American. Mulan is Chinese.
As can be seen in the image above, the only racial princesses Disney has advertised are Mulan, Pocahontas, Tiana, and Jasmine. Mulan is Chinese, Tiana is African American, Pocahontas is Native American, and Jasmine is Indian.
After making history as the first Black Disney princess in an animated movie, Tiana will be honored with a new “The Princess and the Frog” inspired-attraction that's coming to Disney World and Disneyland Resort.
Disney Princesses is the fastest-growing brand for the company's Consumer Products division. Disney introduced its first non-white animated heroine in 1992's “Aladdin”: a Middle Eastern character named Jasmine.
Appearance. Rapunzel is 18 years old during the film. She's shown as petite at a height of 5'1". She has fair skin with a light tint of blush to it and is mostly known for her golden blonde long hair which in length is around 70 feet, though her hair is naturally brown, like her parents'.
The Emmy-winning Disney film famously revolutionized the classic tale with its groundbreaking casting: Brandy starred in the titular role, becoming the first Black actress to play Cinderella on screen, and the late Whitney Houston played the Fairy Godmother.
While some claim Jasmine is Arab because the movie opens with a song called Arabian Nights, others believe that the architecture in Agrabah is clearly based on the Taj Mahal, making Jasmine Indian.
How are mermaids born? Once again, assuming mermaids reproduce the way fish do, mermaid babies would be born by hatching from eggs. Though it is possible for mermaids to get pregnant and give live birth like dolphins.
One of the earliest mermaid legends appeared in Syria around 1000 BC when the goddess Atargatis dove into a lake to take the form of a fish. As the gods there would not allow her to give up her great beauty, only her bottom half became a fish, and she kept her top half in human form.