On May 26, Disney brought Guests back under the sea with the release of its newest live-action remake, The Little Mermaid. The film starred Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder. For the most part, the film was nearly identical to the animated version that came out in 1989. However, in the remake, Disney made Ariel more independent, introduced some new characters, and gave Prince Eric more of a storyline.
Because of the pandemic and fans feeling uncomfortable about sitting in crowded theaters, Disney got into the habit of releasing its films on Disney+ just 45 days after they premiered in theaters. However, now that things have settled into a new normal and the worst of COVID is in the rearview mirror, Disney is back to keeping fans waiting for Disney+ release dates to be revealed.
It’s been 73 days since The Little Mermaid hit theaters, and now we know when it will be released on Disney’s streamer. Disney updated Disney+ to reveal that the movie will be available to stream beginning September 6!
From Racist Backlash to Beloved By Fans
Live-action remakes have always been a controversial topic with Disney fans. While some love seeing their favorite characters and stories brought to life in a whole new way, others think that Disney is remaking too many classics. An occasional remake is fine, but to some, Disney seems to only be focusing on remakes. Disney has released nearly 20 live-action remakes, including The Lion King, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, Aladdin, Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Beauty and the Beast. They also have a lot more lined up, like Hercules, The Aristocats, Lilo & Stitch, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
When Disney announced it was remaking The Little Mermaid, there was already an issue with people who thought Disney needed to give the remakes a rest. However, the controversy surrounding the movie exploded when Disney announced that Halle Bailey had been cast as Ariel. Racist trolls began attacking Disney for casting a young, black actress when the animated Ariel was white.
Months before its release, outraged fans said that the movie would be a flop because “woke” Disney was trying to push a diverse agenda. Many feared that this would cause the movie to be another Disney flop. However, that was far from the case. The movie didn’t skyrocket to the top of the box office. but fans loved it. The Little Mermaid is currently sitting at a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and in the almost 3 months since its release, has made more than $500 million in box office sales.
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