Aimee Walker
The original Ariel in The Little Mermaid has spoken out after the trailer for Disney’s live-action remake received 1.7 million dislikes on YouTube.
Although the video-sharing platform no longer lets you see the dislike counter on videos there are various plug-ins that work around the missing feature.
A popular plug-in revealed that the new trailer for The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, had got millions of dislikes just days after its release, UNILAD reports.
Now the original actress Jodi Benson has shared her thoughts on the movie.
The 60-year-old actress and singer took to Instagram and told her 101,000 followers that she thought Halle Bailey‘s performance was ‘amazing’.
Alongside a photo of the 22-year-old with director Rob Marshall on her stories, Benson gushed: “So thrilled!!! So excited!!!”
Watch Jodi Benson discuss The Little Mermaid fans below…
She added: “Halle, you were absolutely amazing! I’m SO proud of you and your beautiful performance as Ariel. It was so wonderful to celebrate with your family here at #d23expo.
“And to the brilliant director Rob Marshall… I’m so thankful for our friendship of over 35 years. Thank you for creating such a stunning film!!!”
Related Article: Little Mermaid Being Black Makes Scientific Sense, Marine Biologist Says
Bailey – who originally found fame in an R&B duo – reposted Benson’s kind words on her social media, commenting: “This means the world coming from you!
“You made Ariel magical for us.”
This isn’t the first time that Benson has praised Disney’s casting of Bailey, who makes up one-half of the Grammy-nominated R&B sister duo, Chloe x Halle.
When it was initially announced that the singer would take on the role in 2019, there was a ton of racist backlash, leading the voice actor to speak out.
At the Florida Supercon convention at the time, Benson reportedly said, as per Entertainment Weekly: “We need to be storytellers.
“And no matter what we look like on the outside, no matter our race, our nation, the colour of our skin, our dialect, whether I’m tall or thin, whether I’m overweight or underweight, or my hair is whatever colour, we really need to tell the story.
“I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters. What you bring to the table in a character as far as their heart and their spirit is what really counts.”
Related Article: Little Mermaid Star Halle Bailey Says Playing Ariel ‘Changed Her Life’
The remake’s director, Marshall, has also told Variety that he’s always intended to put his own spin on the movie.
He explained to the publication that although he wants to ‘honour the original’, he is determined to reimagine and ‘bring some depth’ to his version.
Watch our Video of the Day below…
Do you have a story for us? If so, email us at [email protected]. All contact will be treated in confidence.
