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Mulan Teaser Trailer

So yesterday during the ugly 4th of July weekend of racist babies screaming about how pissed they are about “The Little mermaid” and this whole #notmyariel drama (more about that in a few), Disney Studios has released the teaser trailer to Disney’s live action adaption of Mulan (in theaters March 27, 2020).

Mulan is a 1998 American animated musical action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, and was Disney's 36th animated featureand the ninth animated film produced and released during the Disney Renaissance. In the original animation, the film was about the title character (voiced by Ming-Na Wen). Fearful that her ailing father will be drafted into the Chinese military, Mulan takes his spot -- though, as a girl living under a patriarchal regime, she is technically unqualified to serve. She cleverly impersonates a man and goes off to train with fellow recruits. Accompanied by her dragon, Mushu (Eddie Murphy), she uses her smarts to help ward off a Hun invasion, falling in love with a dashing captain along the way. Produced and released during the Disney Renaissance, Mulan was the first of three features produced primarily at the Disney animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. Development for the film began in 1994, when a number of artistic supervisors were sent to China to receive artistic and cultural inspiration. Mulan was well received by critics and the public, grossing $304 million, earning Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and winning several Annie Awards including Best Animated Feature.

Now when I first heard news about Mulan becoming the next film on the list of Disney classics to be adapted into a live action feature, I was excited. Then news came out it wasn’t a musical. Was still hopeful. Then I heard there’s no Mushu character (which in all honesty, I watched it for Eddie Murphy as a kid). Then I saw what happened with dumbo and now I’m even less excited. Now I really enjoyed Aladdin and already got my tickets to The Lion King so most likely I will be seeing Mulan in theaters. I just hope they still play #truetoyourheart by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder in the ending credits... now for the news on “The little Mermaid” adaption.

The little Mermaid CastinG

It was recently announced that Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid and racists on social media has lost their damn minds! You may know Halle from Grown-ish or from the Grammy-nominated singing group Chloe x Halle, which is comprised of her and her older sister. The casting of Bailey wasn’t one many fans had predicted, but it was one that delighted many. However it didn’t take long for the usual arguments to be made against her casting, with the lion’s share of points being directed at her race and lack of red hair.

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical romanticfantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Pictures. The 28th Disney animated feature film and first film in the The Little Mermaid franchise, the film is loosely based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The film tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel who dreams of becoming human, after falling in love with a human prince named Eric. The Little Mermaid was released to theaters on November 17, 1989 to critical acclaim, garnering $84 million at the domestic box office during its initial release and $233 million in total lifetime gross worldwide.

One thing I noticed tho about this backlash is how much of it has been driven by bot accounts rather than real individuals. One of the most popular tweets from the backlash claimed to be from a white woman throwing her DVD of The Little Mermaid in the trash because she’s pissed about Bailey's casting. It was quickly revealed to be the work of a bot, using various images stolen from Pinterest and Instagram. The main image of "her" throwing the DVD away was clearly an image of a man's hand, but by the time the tweet was exposed and the account suspended, the damage had been done.

As is typical of social media, trolls and people with pre-existing political agendas latched onto Bailey’s casting as a means to stir the pot and encourage further hostility. It helped to soak up so much of the excitement from the news, allowing once more for the narrative to be defined by hate. Instead of focusing on the genuinely great news of Bailey’s inclusion in a major project that holds decades of importance to Disney, racism defined the story, and it allowed once more for nasty right-wing hate campaigns to pretend there was a real backlash at play here rather than simple bigotry.

I for one, am very excited for this casting. I remember seeing this young star performing on the Macy thanksgiving day parade and now she’s nominated for Grammys, on a hit TV show and now the lead of a Disney movie. I’m so proud of this young sister. I’m loving the success her and her sister have been achieving and I know this version of the little mermaid is going to be special for the little girls growing up watching it. Representation matters. Growing up in the 90’s, there wasn’t much representation of ourselves in media and what what was in the media usually had glorify the lifestyle of gangsters, thugs, drug dealers and everything else we didn’t want kids to emulate (but eventually would since their only entertainment was hip hop & R&B). I know for a fact I will be seeing this film in theaters and I honestly can’t wait to see the modern/Live action version of the musical sequence “Under the sea”!