Red Hair, For Uniqueness According to the official Disney blog, red was chosen for Ariel partly to distinguish her from Hannah, and partly because red is green's complementary color. Ariel's tail was always going to be green which is to this day known in-house at Disney as "Ariel" green.
According to Oh My Disney, "The color of Ariel's hair was a point of contention among the team." While they originally wanted Ariel to be a blonde, some thought it was too similar to Hannah's character. Since red is a complementary color to Ariel's green tail, the choice was made.
Beyond its visual impact, Ariel's red hair served as a metaphor for her uniqueness. Among a sea of mermaids with blue and green tresses, her crimson mane set her apart and made her instantly recognizable. Just as her hair defied convention, Ariel defied societal norms by pursuing her desires and following her heart.
Ariel's New Shade of Red Was Intentional
She acknowledges some people wanted to see the cherry red from the original, but she stands by the decision. "It was just about what looks good on your actor," says Friend.
In the original, Ariel's character has fire-engine red hair. By contrast, in the live-action version, Ariel's hair appears to be a more muted shade of red.
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.
While reading through Facebook comments about the new "The Little Mermaid" film, Suchovsky said, she learned that Africa "actually has a lot of mermaid folklore." She said she thinks it would be "really awesome" if, instead of remaking Ariel's story, Disney made a film featuring a Black mermaid based on African ...
Red Hair, For Uniqueness
According to the official Disney blog, red was chosen for Ariel partly to distinguish her from Hannah, and partly because red is green's complementary color.
In the original 1989 Disney animated classic, Ariel's character is White, with straight red hair. But as Murphy and other young Black and brown girls head to theaters this weekend to see “The Little Mermaid,” they'll find an Ariel that is very much a reflection of themselves.
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.
“I remember the first thumbnail sketches,” Benson tells EW of the first iterations of Ariel. “She had blonde hair. She looked like one of the exaggerated faces from [the] Peter Pan era.
Perhaps red hair is a handy way to make the characters stand out from others. Many Disney heroes and heroines begin their stories feeling like they don't fit in, until they discover their true selves.
While it may seem that only Caucasians have red hair, people from all races and ethnicities have ginger locks. It is more common in areas such as Northern Europe and specific parts of Russia. However, the genetic mutation has also spread throughout parts of South America, Asia, and Africa.
Ursula is King Triton's sister. Ursula and Tritons parents are Poseidon and Amphitrite. When Poseidon died Ursula got Amphitrite's shell and half of the sea and Triton got the trident and half the sea. Triton married Athena and Ursula recalls having feasts.
In the Little Mermaid TV series, Gabriella was a Black mermaid who looked up to Ariel as a big sister. A great singer, Gabriella was deaf and communicated in sign language, and she was specifically created to improve representation.
Though Princess Ariel may be the most famous, The Little Mermaid's King Triton has seven daughters – one for each of the seven seas, of course!
Pocahontas was the first Disney Princess to have a visible tattoo!
In the original film, Ariel was 16.
Snow White is only 14 years old, making her the youngest. Jasmine, who is supposed to be 15, is the second youngest. Cinderella and Tiana are the oldest, both 19 years old.
Ariel is the main character in 1989's The Little Mermaid who gives her voice to Ursula to become human and she becomes mute.
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 unique characters made from scratch to black people.
Her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had no feet and her body ended in a fish's tail.