"Grow Up": Debates spark as The Little Mermaid gets doused in China and South Korea amidst racist backlash over the movie's casting

By Aishwarya Sai

Modified Jun 09, 2023 13:05 GMT

Halle Bailey for The Litlle Mermaid (Image via Twitter/@scuttlesz)

The adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's famous classic fairytale animation, The Little Mermaid, saw its release on May 26, 2023. However, ever since the reveal of its casting back in 2019, the movie has gained much heat, with many slamming the choice of actress for the character of Ariel. Many people voiced their displeasure with the American actress Halle Bailey's portrayal of Ariel, trending the hashtag #NotMyAriel on social media platforms.

Regarding commercial success, a few days following the movie's release, it was noted that its box office saw much more profit in the US compared to China and South Korea, where the movie struggled to see the bare minimum of commercial profit.

Quote Reply to The Hollywood Reporter (Image via Twitter)

Fans react to the backlash The Little Mermaid's box office faced in China and South Korea

Following a thorough search that involved auditioning around hundred actresses, Halle Bailey was selected to play Ariel in the most recent production of The Little Mermaid. This news was met with a variety of reactions. Bailey's casting in a role considered "traditionally white" displeased the audience due to the sudden change in the character's race. Since they were accustomed to seeing a "white-skinned" Ariel, some people argued that this casting decision even ruined their childhood memories.

People expressed that they were disinterested in seeing Ariel being played by a Black person in The Little Mermaid. Though the movie's casting was heavily criticized, it still did great with respect to commercial success in the US until Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse entered the theatres.

However, countries such as China and South Korea generated relatively little financial profit from the film, making it a flop in those markets. While China garnered a profit of $3.6 million, South Korea landed with a gross mere of $4.4 million in the first ten days of its release, which stands trivial next to the $186 million earned by its screenings in the U.S.

This prompted backlash against East Asian audiences, as netizens highlighted their alleged bias.

Many fans, however, do not believe that the anti-Black sentiments in China and South Korea are to blame for this.

Before The Little Mermaid saw its release in China, The Global Times released an editorial trying to gather up Disney's intentions with their casting, highlighting the responses of Chinese citizens.

"The controversy surrounding Disney’s forced inclusion of minorities in classic films is not about racism, but its lazy and irresponsible storytelling strategy. Many Chinese netizens said that like Snow White, the image of the mermaid princess in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales has long been rooted in their hearts and it takes a leap of imagination to accept the new cast."

People believed that the film's rejection by more than half of the world was due to it falling short of their expectations and the casting being inappropriate for the role considering that Ariel was a European character in 1989 The Little Mermaid.

They further explained their stance by claiming that despite having a Black protagonist, Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse did extremely well in China, and that there have been several other cases where films have flopped in these places for reasons unrelated to racism.

While box-office analysts expected some backlash regarding the movie's release, the results were much worse than expected. The profits seen in China and South Korea make The Little Mermaid the first live-action movie to flop this severely.

Edited by Babylona Bora