Say what you will about Disney’s tendency to remake movies that absolutely don’t need to be remade (while ignoring many a top-tier remake candidate such as Treasure Planet, may we add), but in the case of the incoming live-action The Little Mermaid, there’s absolutely no denying the positives that have come out of this particular move. Indeed, seeing the eyes of young Black girls everywhere sparkle with possibility is more than worth swallowing whatever pride one has regarding unnecessary remakes.
And with so many young people looking up to her now, it’s safe to say that star Halle Bailey has a social responsibility to be a good role model; a responsibility that she’s more than accomplished up to now, but never quite with the flying colors she did yesterday.
During an interview at the Met Gala, Bailey was asked whether – if faced with the choice – she would rather eat Flounder the fish or Sebastian the crab, to which she promptly replied in the only way a girl with undersea best friends would.
In all honesty, the questions don’t come easier than this; not only did it give Bailey a golden opportunity to set a good example for the kids by not hypothetically eating her friends, but judging by how Flounder and Sebastian look in live-action, we imagine Bailey would be lucky to survive such digestion. All in all, it’s a masterful response from the Ariel actress, no matter how you swing it.
The Little Mermaid will release to theaters on May 26.