Our Honest Thoughts On The Little Mermaid 🌊
Photo credit: Disney
Hi! Happy you’re here. Let’s get it, shall we?
Last weekend, we took our two kids ages 8 and 3 to see The Little Mermaid with some friends. Our daughter has been watching the trailer for the movie almost nightly and we’ve been hearing both glowing reviews and some important critiques of the movie. For starters, the original movie portrayed Ariel as giving up her voice for a dude and leaving her family and friends completely behind for a new life. As parents raising a little girl-a super impressionable one at that-we were wary of these subliminal messages entering her world. So here are our honest thoughts about the movie…starting with the good stuff, of course!
What it meant for our daughter and our son to see a Disney character with brown skin can’t be underscored. The profound impact of Halle Bailey starring in this movie with her locs and the natural shape of her nose and lips and all else will play a major role in how little kids of color see themselves reflected around them for generations to come. As parents who center antiracism, we are also elated to see media that celebrates and reflects identity for kids of color. This movie made history and also shifted history. AND we know that anything that creates such a cultural shift is going to come under intense scrutiny and picked apart.
The visuals of the movie were incredible. From the details on the animals to the colors of the ocean, they were breathtaking. As artists raising an artist, it’s not lost on us the talent and skill it takes to present a visually appealing movie and this film certainly did that. They did a good job (for the most part) of blending CGI and digital artistry and taking advantage of new tech for the voices and effects.
The pivots in the storyline that presented Ariel as an explorer at heart, a feminist, a bold woman who charts her own path…oh, we loved that a lot. She clearly wanted to explore far beyond her world even before meeting Eric. (Tabitha here) As an immigrant, this really resonated with me. And (SPOILER ALERT) we loved that both she and Eric left their worlds to explore the world together, with the blessings of their communities.
The feeling of hearing an authentic Trinidadian accent in the movie from the character of Lashana, Queen Selina’s chief helper played by Trinidadian Martina Laird, was one I’m (Tabitha) not going to forget anytime soon. The power of authentic representation is not to be underscored.
The reworked music was dynamic and catchy without delving into earworm territory. Our 8 year old was delighted to hear steelpan in the movie and asked his steelpan instructor to teach him his favorite song from the movie.
Ok! So what didn’t work?
Even though we adults had conversations about geography (is this supposed to be a random island in the Caribbean where colonization didn’t happen but there is still a multiracial, inclusive society?) and time (how is there steelpan, which was invented in the 1930’s in Trinidad, but they still only get around on ships and horse and buggy), to be honest, just one thing REALLY didn’t work for us.
Daveed Digg’s weird half Trinidadian, half Jamaican accent for Sebastian was a huge downer for me (Tabitha) as a Trinidadian. It was horrendous and distracting from the funny, kind character that Sebastian was. It’s not that hard to cast people who are actually of a culture for roles that seek to replicate us. As us parents and caregivers teach our kids about the difference between appreciation and appropriation, we can point to Lashana and Sebastian as prime examples. If Hollywood likes an identity for a role, just hire someone who actually embodies that cultural identity. Trinidadian and Jamaican actors do exist and are quite talented.
All in all, we’re very excited to have a new movie to engage the kids with and it’s already brought up some thoughtful convos with our 8 year old. He told us, “In the trailer there were less black people but in the movie there are so many!” We asked how he felt about that and he gave us a grin and a thumbs up. This movie succeeds in giving kids of color a break from the limiting concept of princesses, and provides a beautiful example of the power of media in the lives of our little ones.
That’s it from us today. Stay safe, especially if you’re in the path of climate change’s ugly impact. And hug your loved ones, okay?
xo
Tabitha and Adam