Disney announced on Thursday that they’d chosen Halle Bailey to portray Ariel in their upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
Since the announcement, there has been a huge outcry online with upset folks claiming that an African American actress was not a good choice. The backlash was so intense that the hashtag #NotMyAriel was trending on Twitter.
Others are expressing their approval of Bailey and feel that she is the perfect choice for the part by using the hashtag #MyAriel.
Disney has broken their silence on the matter through an “Open letter to the Poor, Unfortunate Souls” sent out by @FreeformTV on Twitter:
An open letter to the Poor, Unfortunate Souls:#TheLittleMermaid #Ariel #MyAriel pic.twitter.com/XYJSXKt2BU
— Freeform (@FreeformTV) July 6, 2019
