Halle Bailey viral interview on The Little Mermaid sparks controversy online as users debate Ariel's origins

The Little Mermaid seems to be racking up many complaints against itself for various reasons.

However, this time it is because of star Halle Bailey's comments about changing the titular mermaid's character to make it "more nuanced" and more "about herself."

The Little Mermaid has been in production for quite a long time and Bailey has been involved in the process as well.

In a recent interview with Edition, she said that they had changed Ariel's character and her origin story and made her more self-centric as opposed to being driven because of a boy.

This created the controversy, which caused many fans to take to the internet and talk about Ariel's origins and why she decided to leave the ocean.

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How are fans reacting to Halle Bailey's comments about the origin of The Little Mermaid?

The Little Mermaid has always drawn conflicting opinions about Ariel's journey to the surface.

Halle Bailey's recent statements have caused social media sites to erupt, bringing this debate to the forefront once again, with many claiming that Ariel had always wanted to explore the human world, and in the original storyline, she first came to the surface and enjoyed her time there before meeting the aforementioned boy.

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What did Halle Bailey say about the changes made to the Little Mermaid?

Bailey, in her recent interview, claimed that they changed the origin story of Ariel from "wanting to leave the ocean for a boy" to something more feminist. In the interview with Edition, she said:

"I pushed myself as far as I’ve ever pushed myself in life,...And I feel like the message from her was to know that you’ve always had it in you....I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy,...It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants."

She further added:

"As women we are amazing, we are independent, we are modern, we are everything and above...And I’m glad that Disney is updating some of those themes."

The Little Mermaid has already faced several objections in the past, and this interview will not make things much better for the upcoming film. Most recently, the film faced a backlash for naming its title track very similar to Frozen's title track.

Previously, the film also faced criticism over the first teaser, which according to fans, was not in keeping with the essence of The Little Mermaid.

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The film is all set for theatrical release on May 26, 2023.