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Filmmakers Call Out Disney For Promoting ‘Little Mermaid’ During Oscars Broadcast

On March 12, Hollywood held its most star-studded event of the year — the 95th Annual Academy Awards. The show featured celebrities, hit songs, stunning outfits, and a new champagne carpet. The Oscars were broadcast on ABC, which has been broadcasting the awards show every year since 1976. While the Oscars had more viewers than it did last year — despite it being a longer show — Disney did not have the best night. Angela Bassett lost the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category to Jamie Lee Curtis, and Turning Red lost out in Best Animated Feature Film.

Turning Red
Credit: Disney/Pixar

However, Disney’s losses are not what people are talking about. Instead, they’re talking about Disney’s decision to bring out Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy to show a new trailer for The Little MermaidThe movie will premiere in theaters on May 26, and Disney has spent a lot of time and money to market it. However, Disney was criticized by others in Hollywood for promoting one of its own movies during a show that it produced.

Halle Bailey Melissa McCarthy Academy Awards
Credit: ABC

Phil Lord was one of the first to call out Disney — a company that he has worked with in the past. Lord was one of the producers on Solo: A Star Wars Story, which came out in 2018. He also was a producer on Cocaine Bear and The LEGO Movie. 

The broadcaster using the Oscars to promote its own movies simply undermines the integrity of the awards

Christopher Miller, who worked alongside Lord on Solo: A Star Wars Story and Cocaine Bear, agreed with Lord, saying that the decision to show the trailer was “depressing.”

The studio that broadcasts the Oscars doing an all-out ad for one of their upcoming movies live on the Oscar stage is depressing and feels like it diminishes the the whole enterprise

Cinco Paul, writer of hit movies like The Lorax, Despicable Me, and Schmigadoon, also chimed in, calling the moment “gross.”

Yep. This was gross. Boo to everyone responsible.

This is not the only controversy that has surrounded Disney’s newest live-action film. People started getting upset years ago when Disney announced that Bailey — a black actress and singer — had been cast as the titular mermaid. However, those detractors were drowned out by those who were thrilled to see Bailey take on the part. They were even more excited to see McCarthy play one of Disney’s most iconic villains, Ursula the Sea Witch.

The Little Mermaid Live-Action remake
Credit: Disney

Even though the night may not have turned out as well as Disney wanted, there were a couple of successes. Avatar: The Way of Water won for Best Visual Effects, and Ruth Carter won for Best Costume Design for her work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Carter’s win made her the first black woman to win multiple Oscars.

Black Panther Wakanda Forever
Credit: Marvel

The Little Mermaid will be released in theaters on May 26. In addition to Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, the film will also star Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian. The film will feature original hits from the animated film, as well as new music from Alan Menken and Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda.

Krysten Swensen

A born and bred New England girl living the Disney life in Southern California. I love to read, to watch The Golden Girls, and love everything to do with Disney and Universal. I also love to share daily doses of Disney on my Disney Instagram @BrazzleDazzleDisney!

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