What Does Little Mermaid's Original Voice Actress Actually Think About Halle Bailey?
Special guests were able to see the animation at an invited-only premiere.
The soon-to-be-released remake of The Little Mermaid has faced backlash at every stage of production, with some viewers outraged that black actress Halle Bailey will play the title character.
They insisted that the focus should be on the original animated film, in which Ariel had light skin and bright red hair.
Recently, an invited-only premiere of The Little Mermaid was held in Hollywood, and the actress who voiced the Little Mermaid in the 1989 animated film, Jodi Benson, was in attendance.
Naturally, everyone was wondering what the actress thought of Halle Bailey's casting as Ariel:
"She's brilliant. I love that she has a purity of heart and a pure spirit. You can see that vulnerability, bravery, and that courage coming through, and it's beautiful. I'm so thrilled for her, and I'm so proud of her."
Even the director himself, Rob Marshall, admitted that hundreds of actresses auditioned for the role of Ariel, but no one could top Halle's amazing performance.
However, the initial criticism of the lead actress faded when viewers saw Ariel's companions – Flounder and Sebastian.
The former got the most attention – many noticed that instead of a cartoon cutie fish, he looked just like a real-life cod on the poster.
Ariel's friends, according to most fans, look too realistic, which only serves to scare away the fans of the original animation.
The remake of The Lion King already suffered from the same problem, and apparently The Little Mermaid is waiting for the same fate.
Many were also unhappy with the effect of water, which is such an important element in the mermaid movie. In the recently released clip where Sebastian sings Under the Sea, the viewers were looking for the effects of water movement, but Ariel and the crab were floating in space – without bubbles, like it was in the original film.
The video gives the impression that the Little Mermaid lives in weightlessness – the animators focused on the sunlight streaming underwater and the swaying of the algae.
But bubbles and other effects of the sea creatures' movement are almost imperceptible.
Viewers will soon be able to see how the remake of the cult animation actually turned out – the premiere is scheduled for May 26.
Source: Entertainment Tonight