If critics are truly worried about staying faithful to the original story, we shouldn’t gloss over the original ending where the mermaid is instructed to kill her prince, but throws the knife away in despair and dissolves into sea foam instead. If we’re going to dignify this argument, according to the text, Ariel and the rest of her mermaid kin are from “far out in the ocean” (literally the opening lines of the story) at the “bottom of the sea.” So, not Denmark or anywhere near it. The original “Little Mermaid” story was written by Hans Christian Andersen and first published in 1837. The facts prove they just don’t hold water.Ĭlaim: ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a Danish story, therefore Ariel should be White Here are some real arguments people have levied to protest the casting choice. While there are plenty of legitimate reasons to dislike a movie, these critics often hide their discomfort behind other thin arguments, claiming historical or cultural accuracy or, of all things, science.

How 'woke' went from a social justice term to a pejorative favored by some conservativesīy now, we know it’s not unusual to see racist responses whenever a person of color is cast in a role considered “traditionally” White. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Ron DeSantis delivers remarks at the 2022 CPAC conference in Orlando, Thursday, February 24, 2022.

Little mermaid cover subliminal message