Walt Disney Company is notorious for being surrounded by controversy. During the second world war and post-war, The Walt Disney Company produced thirty-two animated films which were funded by the U.S. Treasury, the Office of War Information, and the Office of Education Division.1 Disney lost the trust of the public due to the uncertainty of why a fairy-tale animation company would push major world issues into a child’s world. In the defense of Disney, the World War II lead them lead a major financial crisis. Similarly, Disney was under significant pressure by Preserve Historic America because many of Disney’s parks are located on land where the civil war took place.2 Disney is constantly under spotlight of controversy, in the 21st century there has been a revolutionary perspective change on racial and gender identity. This has once again put the Walt Disney Company in a moot. Disney princesses have always been represented as fragile in a state of vulnerability and hopelessness- with the exception of the 1998 film Mulan. In November of 1989 Disney released The Little Mermaid- a story about a young white mermaid named ariel, voice acted by Jodi Benson, an American born actress with European descent. In this film Ariel wants to become a human and trades her voice to a sea witch named Ursula for the benefit of human feet. Later in the film Ursula starts a climate battle, with a huge sea storm where prince Eric steers a shipwreck into Ursula saving Ariel and leaving them with a happy ever after.
1. Amanda Cunningham, WALT DISNEY AND THE PROPAGANDA COMPLEX: GOVERNMENT FUNDED ANIMATION AND HOLLYWOOD COMPLICITY DURING WWII (Bachelors of Arts in Communication University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 2010) .
2. RICHARD FRANCAVIGLIA History After Disney: The Significance of “Imagineered” Historical Places,
In 2023 Disney released a live action The Little Mermaid with small shifts in the story and characters to accommodate social standards of diversity and equality. In the original 1989 film Ariel trades her voice for legs and later meets prince Eric once she is on land. In the 2023 film Ariel saves prince Eric after his ship is wrecked in the sea and nearly drowns. This small adjustment was implemented to demonstrate the strength and mental toughness of Ariel, especially for the fact she breaks the conformity of her underwater society, caring for humans- what is seen as the enemy. Though this part of the story is different, Ariel’s personality remains relatively similar to the original film. Ariel remains a very feminine character that is portrayed in a bit sexualized manner, with Slow motion hair flips, very seductive mannerisms, and very emotion based.
One factor that did shift in Ariel’s character was not surrounding her personality but rather her appearance. The actress who took the part of Ariel was Halle Bailey, an African American actress born in Atlanta, Georgia. Bailey is a two-time Grammy nominee, one time Kids Choice Award nominee, one time People’s Choice Award nominee, Black Reel Awards winner, and Critics Choice Awards Celebration of Cinema & Television winner.3 This has a significant butterfly effect in the real world, for both viewers and actors. Changing the ethnicity of an actor or actress allows for the youth to imagine themselves into that character. Many children have been discouraged from believing in being a “princess” due to their ethnicity. In September of 2025 a mother sent her child to day camp where it was princess day. The camp organizers promised that all the young girls would get their hair braided and nails done by an Elsa impersonator. When it came to this little girl’s turn to get her hair done Elsa refused as she did not want to braid black hair. The little girl was heartbroken so when she got home, her incredible mother took to social media making a video braiding her daughter’s hair and explaining the story.4 This is where the importance of breaking the boarders of diversity. The automatic thought process that occurs when one mentions Disney princesses, immediately attaches to the stereotype of a white princess with straight hair. Even the first black princess, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, had straight hair.
3. IMBD.com, Halle Bailey awards (2025)
4. Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey, WATCH: Black Mom Steps in After Disney Princess Excludes Daughter From Hair-Braiding (September 5, 2025)
Throughout Disney’s history they have been surrounded by controversy, but they fix their mistakes by altering fairy tales and characters to best fit social expectations. In specific, Ariel has been ethnically shifted from the voice of Jodi Benson, a western European descendant to Halle Bailey, an African American actress that now has been nominated for over nine awards just from her piece in The Little Mermaid. The story line is also shifted to make her seem less dependent on a man by making Prince Eric dependant on her. Though these changes did have a positive effect, Ariels character remains slightly sexualized and, in the sense of emotions, sensitive.
Ziyi Wang
1) Quality of comparison
The submission clearly identifies two key differences between 1989 and 2023 Ariels: a plot reversal of the rescue (Eric saves Ariel vs. Ariel saves Eric) and a shift in casting that centers racial inclusion. It also notes continuities in “feminine” performance. However, the analysis relies largely on plot summary and industrial controversy; it stops short of close reading choices that construct character (shot scale, choreography, costume, lyric changes, or how the camera sexualizes or reframes the body).
2) Main points summarized
– Disney’s long history of controversy frames the comparison.
– 1989 Ariel is romantic, dependent, and silenced through the voice‑for‑legs bargain.
– 2023 Ariel demonstrates greater agency (saving Eric) while keeping a similar personality.
– Casting Halle Bailey broadens identification for Black children and challenges the “white princess” default.
– Despite gains, sexual presentation persists.
3) Use of scholarly sources
The piece cites a BA thesis, a heritage‑sites article, IMDb, and a news clip—helpful for context but not peer‑reviewed research on princess ideology, postfeminist, race, or reception. To satisfy the brief, it needs 3–5 scholarly sources (e.g., England, Descartes, & Collier‑Meek on gender roles in Disney films; Gill on postfeminism; Johnson on race and Disney princesses; Lê & Murrills on live‑action remakes and representation).
4) What’s missing
– Voice politics: Does the remake meaningfully mitigate the original’s silencing and what are the implications for agency?
– Intersectional analysis of Black hair within the film’s diegesis (not just anecdotal backlash).
– Reworked romance: the remake adds Eric’s songs and curiosity; How does mutuality reshape power?
– Visual rhetoric: Do costuming and camera treat 2023 Ariel differently than 1989 Ariel?
5) Do the images support the argument?
The juxtaposition (Bailey portrait vs. animated Ariel) signals embodiment and ethnicity, but paired scene stills (e.g., the rescue or “Part of Your World”) with captions tying specific visual details to claims about agency and sexualization would more directly illustrate the analysis.