Since its announcement four years ago, The Little Mermaid hasn’t escaped all sorts of controversies and ignorant racist blunts. The movie will finally hit cinemas in a couple of days and it seems it still causes polemic even among the company. The last huge fuss came during the weekend when the box office projections were released predicting an impressive amount of 1 billion at the global box office.
The tweet also included comparisons between other live actions including Aladdin, which made its star Mena Massoud jump to share his kind of petty remarks. The actor said that his movie “was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It’s the only way we reached the billion-dollar mark with our opening.” However, what made Netizens angry was the fact that he added that his “guess is The Little Mermaid doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.”
Social media users rapidly defended the upcoming film and added that Aladdin was a relatively successful movie because people went to the cinemas to see Will Smith. Moreover, they stated, accurately, that Aladdin’s live-action was supposed to represent inclusion in Disney’s narratives dissing some outdated ideas regarding Arab culture and women. More than anyone, Massoud should be celebrating that, like his movie, Disney is shifting towards positive inclusion rather than dissing it.
Of course, the pressure and backlash that his comments provoked ended up forcing the star (who hasn’t done much in recent years) to close his Twitter account. However, if you ask me, that’s a cowardly move and he could’ve listened and accepted his mistake rather than hide.
The lesson of the story is that despite the backlash and the aim to make this movie flop, most likely The Little Mermaid will be a huge success at the box office and a historical event that will likely urge movie studios to create new, exciting, and inclusive movies for everyone.
‘The Little Mermaid’ and the importance of representing all childhoods in Disney classics
