'She's Black like us!': Girls see themselves in teaser trailer for The Little Mermaid
A teaser trailer for Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid has made a lot of Black girls very, very excited.
The upcoming film, which stars singer Halle Bailey (of musical duo Chloe x Halle) as Ariel — a singing mermaid who strikes a deal with a seawitch to become human — marks Disney's first Black live-action princess.
The trailer, which now has over 14 million views on YouTube, shows Bailey's Ariel singing the famous Part of Your World. And it has ignited a social media trend in which parents film their childrens' reaction to seeing a Black Disney princess.
Lai'anna and Ke'lona Shanks, two sisters who live near Forth Worth, Tex., shared their excitement on CBC's The National Monday night.
"I'm really, really, really excited," said Ke'lona Shanks. "Because she's Black like us!"
The film is the latest in a series of live-action remakes of older Disney films. The original, an animated movie released in 1989, starred Jodi Benson as the voice of Ariel. The Princess and the Frog's Tiana was the first Black Disney princess to be depicted onscreen, albeit in an animated film from 2009.
Bailey responded to one of the videos earlier this week, writing on Twitter, "k I just sobbed watching this thanks … she's so sweet".
The Little Mermaid will be released in theatres May 2023.
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