Halle Bailey’s Little Mermaid remake ditches ‘weird’ Ariel feature over ‘real bodies’ worry
Disney’s Little Mermaid live action remake shut down ‘weird’ Ariel feature for Halle Bailey over ‘real bodies’ concerns
A designer for Disney’s Little Mermaid live action remake has revealed why they removed a “weird” Ariel feature from the original animated film.
Colleen Atwood is a prolific designer who helped create hit shows like Netflix’s Wednesday, Into the Woods, and Beetlejuice 2, due out next year.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazarshe revealed why they decided not to dress star Halle Bailey in the famous purple shell bra from the original movie.
She said they “walked away” from the shell bra in the cartoon, which came out 34 years ago in 1989.
Coleen said, “I just think we wanted to have a more fishy quality for the girls.
Colleen Atwood, prolific designer, said they didn’t use shell bras because they wanted to “give the girls a more fishy quality.” Imagine Halle Bailey in the new remake
Atwood added that they went for a bralette that still had aquatic features but wasn’t as “aggressive” as a shell bra. Pictured: Original cartoon from 1989
“It seemed like a weird way to have them all splash shells on their breasts.
“And when you start sticking shells on real bodies, it’s hard to make them look good, believe me.”
She added that they went for a bralette that still had aquatic features but wasn’t as “aggressive” as a shell bra.
Disney had a $250 million budget for the movie, which is more than was spent on the Titanic.
The remake was primarily filmed at Pinewood Studios in Slough and on the island of Sardinia, Italy.
Halle, 23, stars in the movie as Ariel and originally faced backlash from some individuals because Halle is black, while the cartoon Ariel was originally white with red hair.
The actress spoke Glamor about the black rendering in the film.
During the chat, Halle touched on the emotional videos of young girls seeing a black woman as a Disney princess and how she managed to maintain her own identity while filming for the remake.
When asked about the videos, Halle said, “When I first saw those, I just cried. I sobbed uncontrollably.
Halle Bailey stars in the film as Ariel and critics praised her performance. Pictured: Bailey at the UK premiere
The film will hit UK cinemas today after about four and a half years in the making
“The fact that these babies are looking at me and feeling the emotions that they’re feeling is really humbling, beautiful.”
The live-action film received mixed reviews from critics who praised Halle’s performance as Ariel, but claimed that the remake “can’t escape his animated legacy”.
Felicia Wade of DiscussingFilm wrote on Twitter: “#TheLittleMermaid almost makes it the best live-action Disney movie, but it still struggles in the villain department.
“Halle Bailey IS Ariel and I literally had chills during her performance. This is a retelling of the Little Mermaid like you’ve never seen before.”
Erik Davis of Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes agreed, ‘Disney’s #TheLittleMermaid is definitely one of the better live-action adaptations.
“Halle Bailey pours incredible emotion into Ariel and I got chills watching her as Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula and Daveed Diggs’ Sebastian steal scenes all day.”
But Insider’s Kirsten Acuna wasn’t too impressed, tweeting: “#TheLittleMermaid is filled with some great performances from Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, but it’s a largely paint-by-numbers remake that’s not quite as good as the animated masterpiece. .’
The film will hit UK cinemas today after about four and a half years in the making.