There is a great amount of discourse over Halle Bailey playing Ariel in the live action The Little Mermaid remake. Children are not the ones creating this discourse – the adults are the ones angry at it.

Mermaids are heavily connected to cultures all over the world, inserted across history to represent hundreds of meanings and stories. The Little Mermaid is based on a story from the 1800’s that portrays in Ariel dying and turning into seafoam because her love was not reciprocated.

If Disney were to remain true to the original story, it would not have a love-sick ending, it would be given to a more mature audience and would not be for kids at all.

The simple change of the color of her skin does not change the meaning of the story. The hair color remains the same, as seen in the trailer. Halle Bailey is not going to ruin the storyline of the movie by bring another community to the big screen. The story line has not truly changed from the original animation.

The controversy is unwarranted.  It is a story that children, the target audience, will enjoy. It would be better to simply watch the movie and make your own opinion about the edits they might put in instead of being angry before the movie even releases in the new year.