The Little Mermaid gracefully swam into theaters on May 26, sparking a whirlwind of criticism and discussion. From Awkwafina’s questionable rapping to Flounder’s odd appearance, the live-action remake has been the target of scrutiny even prior to its release.
With each passing hour, the film receives a new gripe from some overtly captious individuals who can’t seem to be content with anything – not even a children’s film. This time what appears to have angered some online circles is that Ariel was the heroine in her own story. You know, as opposed to Prince Eric, who should most definitely be the ultimate hero saving his princess from the big bad octopus. Or so they say.
Apparently, some Twitter users can’t seem to wrap their heads around the concept of a “main character,” in their own story. Moreover, the idea that a princess could defeat the villain goes against the typical tropes seen in Disney classics, and that’s too out there for some of the most traditional fans – because, after all, we can’t have strong female leads in their own films. Naturally, the internet is relentless, and the absurdity of the comment did not go unnoticed by people who criticize this nonsensical gripe.
the target audience of this movie are kids, so give kids, of all shapes an sizes a hero to look up to, Eric doesn’t need to save Airel to be a hero, she can be her own hero, that sends a great message of it’s own & you can still have him be heroic – not mutually exclusive. Which…
— JimsyTFT (@HemenJ) May 29, 2023
In the end, while some of the critics are obviously understandable – I’ll never get over Flounder’s looks – some are just downright rooted in bigotry, or simply hailing from a place of criticism for the sake of being overly critical. In the end, it was not the only difference between the adaptation and its original format, and it was a more than acceptable change.