"She's Brown like me": Young girls react to Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney's "The Little Mermaid"
Disney's "The Little Mermaid" is making waves among young Black girls on social media after a first look of Halle Bailey as Ariel was revealed.
Videos circulating on Twitter show numerous Black girls "blind reacting" to the live-action trailer, which includes a seconds-long glimpse at the new Ariel swimming under the sea and singing the song "Part of Your World."
Out of the sea, wish I could be... part of that world.
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) September 9, 2022
Disney's The Little Mermaid is coming to theaters May 26, 2023. pic.twitter.com/lUw5BmYRK5
"Her skin… it looks like mine," one girl said to her mother.
"She's Brown like me," another girl said in excitement.
Other girls covered their faces with joy and jumped around with glee. One Twitter user created an entire thread of reactions.
people have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and i’m in truly in awe ♥️this means the world to me 💗😭 https://t.co/cuKjKN8nxH
— Halle (@HalleBailey) September 12, 2022
Bailey reacted to the girls' reactions.
"People have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and I'm truly in awe," the 22-year-old actress tweeted. "This means the world to me."
k i just sobbed watching this thanks 😭💕she’s so sweet ❣️🥹 https://t.co/jKKdHkOvDe
— Halle (@HalleBailey) September 11, 2022
The studio first unveiled the sneak peek of the new film at its D23 Expo. "The Little Mermaid" also features Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, and Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle.
"The Little Mermaid" is set to hit theaters on May 26, 2023.