One theory is that each of Ariel's sisters represents different oceans that are home to various cultures and ethnicities. It's pretty problematic to have mermaids who all look the same representing such an expansive underwater world.
He says they were looking for the best actor for the role of any ethnicity who could not only sing but convey traits such as strength, passion, beauty, joy and intelligence, which they found in Bailey.
In the 1989 movie, Ariel was born in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica, which technically makes her Atlantican, not Danish. As Ariel is half fish, she cannot be categorized by our ethnicities and races.
The theory surmises that the seven daughters of King Triton represent the Seven Seas known to the human world, with Ariel herself representing the Red Sea…for obvious reasons.
Since the animated feature film had a white mermaid as Ariel, some people are angry that Disney has gone with a black actress in the live-action. Some people also believe that Hans Christian Andersen described the Little mermaid as a white mermaid in his book. Therefore, Disney should have cast a white actress instead.
Black mermaids existed long before Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote The Little Mermaid . Those who claim they don't want to see a Black mermaid on the silver screen because it violates the code of traditionalism are clearly unaware of the original version, which was much darker than the Disneyfied version.
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.
Ursula was played by Melissa McCarthy in the 2023 live action remake of The Little Mermaid, directed by Rob Marshall. In this version, like with the Broadway musical, Ursula is the estranged younger sister of King Triton (played by Javier Bardem), thus making her the paternal aunt to Ariel and her sisters in this film.
Their names (Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, Ariel, and Andrina) all start and end with an “a,” except Ariel. Instead of trying to describe who's who, I'll just say that it doesn't really matter.
Triton is usually represented as a merman, with the upper body of a human and the tailed lower body of a fish. At some time during the Greek and Roman era, Triton(s) became a generic term for a merman (mermen) in art and literature.
Tiana is recognized for being Disney's first African American princess.
Inspired by Polynesian mythology, Moana is depicted as the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.
In fact, there were also a significant number of Black commenters calling it Disney's "lazy" attempt at on-screen representation, with one person writing, "The reason studios make beloved characters black in the live action adaptations is so they don't have to go to the trouble of actually giving special, brand new ...
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. The singer Brandy starred in a 1997 made-for-TV film version of “Cinderella,” a remake of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
Disney's had decades to think about how to update “The Little Mermaid” for new generations of viewers. Which makes the dour, overlong, dimly-lit and still pretty sexist product they've just released completely baffling. They've jettisoned the fish song, “Les Poissons,” purportedly deeming it too cartoonish (what?)
Of course, the animated mermaids are the daughters of King Triton and Queen Athena, but that may change in the live-action version with the implication that Ariel's sisters have different mothers.
You see, each of the sisters is actually meant to represent one of the great seven seas of the world. Their dress, ethnicity, and general appearance are thus meant to represent the sea that they 'belong' to.
In Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel, they (except Ariel) have seat among The Council of Sidekicks along with Flounder. Attina is a princess of Atlantica, and daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena. However, the prequel portrays her as the eldest.
Ursula's drag roots
Specifically, Divine, the drag alter ego of Harris Glenn Milstead. Rob Minkoff, the original movie's animator, told Vogue that it seemed like a “funny and quirky idea” to “take (Ursula) and treat her more like a drag queen.”
Ursula is a feminine name of Latin origin, imploring caution against quick assumptions. Translated from the Latin ursa, Ursela means "little she-bear"—adding a notable vulnerability to an otherwise ferocious being.
Rather, Ursula's appearance is radically different from her family, and she sports tentacles that look like a permanent black dress. It's possible Ursula is not a mermaid in appearance because she and Triton did not have the same mother or father. If they're half siblings, Ursula's tentacles make more sense.
Although Ariel's skin color has nothing to do with the story or its themes, it's worth noting that non-white mermaids have been part of the Disney canon for nearly three decades. Gabriella was a black and deaf mermaid in "The Little Mermaid" TV series, which aired from 1992 to 1994 on CBS.
In Andersen's story, the mermaid is motivated by her desire for an immortal soul, not a desire for love and life on land. When the mermaid saves a drowning human prince, she learns that the love of a human might allow her an immortal soul. The mermaid decides to venture onto land, but her legs come at a price.
"The Little Mermaid" (Danish: Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children.