dustyfalcon122 said:Look, I’m not even that obsessed with the casting for this kind of movie—I honestly just clicked on this because I was bored—but the real issue here isn't about "inclusion" (which, let's be honest, nobody actually has a problem with).
The actual problem arises when you take a film that’s a remake of an animated classic, originally intended for a Western audience and made by people rooted in Western culture, and then present it as a staple of that culture while leading with a character who clearly doesn't fit that cultural mold.
You don't see Japanese films produced in Japan telling Japanese stories with white actors in the lead roles. You don't see that happening in India, or in Africa, either.
It’s strictly a Western thing. It’s obvious that America wasn't built solely on European culture, and I have zero issues with Hollywood making diverse films, but forcing a different race into a traditionally white cultural role feels forced and out of place.
Plus, let's be real, it seems pretty tough for Hollywood to pull off a film with an exclusively ethnic, non-Western cast. Trying to scout and hire over 100 actors who are specifically perfect for a very particular race... I imagine that's a massive hurdle in Hollywood.
Oh, there is an issue. And it's obvious.
The whole storm brewed because Ariel is played by a white actress, even though we see the exact opposite quite often—white actors playing characters from other ethnic groups—and it's not like white people were making a big deal out of fighting against that.
Whitewashing is still very much a thing in Hollywood.
There is a problem here, but people either aren't aware of their own biases and double standards, or they know they exist but don't want to be labeled as racists or conservatives—so they wrap their opinions in fancy packaging to make them look "safe."
The problem arises when a film made as a remake of an animated classic—something intended for an American audience—is produced primarily by people of American descent and presented as a staple of American culture, yet is led by a character who clearly doesn't fit that cultural mold.
The Little Mermaid is an American animated film made by American animators, American screenwriters, producers, and directors, with American actors providing the voices. It's designed to make money on a global scale.
You don't see Japanese films made in Japan telling Japanese stories with white leads. You don't see that in India, or in Africa, either.
But you *do* see it.
In other words, you see white actors making movies based on other cultures where they play characters who aren't white.
And I'm not talking about old-school Hollywood from the first half of the last century, back when people from other ethnic groups weren't included in big-budget films and it was simply considered "normal" for a white actor to play a Black character or someone else.
I am talking about recent films.
Ghost in the Shell (2017): Scarlett Johansson as Motoko Kusanagi, a character of clearly Asian descent. Almost the entire cast is white. This is based on one of the most famous Japanese manga.
"The Last Airbender [ Avatar ]" (2010) – a film based on an animated film where the characters are of Asian descent or represent Native Americans. Most of the actors are white.
https://thegreyhoundnews.com/wp-cont.../03/avatar.jpg"A Mighty Heart" (2007) - Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl. Jolie is a white woman of American descent, but she played a character (based on a real person) who was of Afro-Cuban descent.
"Argo" (2012) - Ben Affleck as Antonio J. Mendez. Affleck is a white man of American descent, but he played a Mexican. The film Argo won three Oscars: Oscar: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
https://thegreyhoundnews.com/wp-cont.../03/avatar.jpgIn "The Lone Ranger" (2013), we have Johnny Depp playing Tonto—a character who is Native American. It’s a bit of a pivot, considering that back in the original 1950s series, the role was played by an actor who was actually Mohawk. Depp, of course, is a white man of European descent.
In the 2014 film *Noah*, we have Russell Crowe playing the title role. The actor himself actually has New Zealander and European roots—not exactly what you'd expect! As for the character, Noah is that biblical figure who definitely hailed from the Middle East.
In "Exodus: Gods and Kings" (2014), we have Christian Bale playing Moses—honestly, it feels like the exact same vibe as Noam. Plus, there’s Joel Edgerton, who is of Australian descent, stepping in to play Ramses, the Egyptian ruler.
Prince of Persia (2010): Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia. Jake is of European and Jewish descent—so, he’s playing a character who really should have been Persian (modern-day Iran).
Looking back at *Batman Begins* (2005) and *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012)—Liam Neeson plays Ra's al Ghul, a character who is actually an Arab man.
So, does it really mean that when white actors make movies, it's totally fine to have them play characters of different races—since, hey, it's an American production—but if a Black actor plays a character originally written as white, suddenly it’s "forcing" something or "intruding" on white culture? It feels like a bit of a double standard, doesn't it?It’s just a matter of perspective—it's all about context. Obviously, America wasn't built solely on European traditions, and honestly, I have zero issues with diverse films coming out of Hollywood—I actually enjoy variety! But forcing Black characters into roles that belong strictly to white culture feels a bit rushed—kind of forced, if you want my two cents.
What exactly is this whole "white culture" thing?
Why can’t Black Americans be fully embraced as an integral part of American and Western culture? It feels like we constantly oversimplify things—we look at someone and immediately label them as "African." In most Western countries, it’s considered blatant racism if you assume someone isn't white is automatically a foreigner—basically pigeonholing them into some non-Western or non-American nation right off the bat.
So, let me get this straight—we're talking about an American man whose ancestors were brought over here during the 18th century? He was born and raised right here in the States—just like countless generations of his family before him (+200 years, to be exact). And yet, he and his family aren't considered part of American culture? Are they really expected to take some ancestry DNA test just to pin down their vague origins so they can claim that as "their" culture? And then—get this—actually make movies based on that? It’s a bit much, isn't it?
Since I was born and raised right here in America, it’s entirely possible that I have roots tracing back to Iran. It's even plausible that my ancestors migrated toward the US centuries ago. Just like an African American has deep ties to Africa, I have those connections to Iran—but does that mean American culture isn't mine? Not at all.
Does this mean that even a thousand years from now in America, Black people—who have been part of the fabric of this continent for much longer than a millennium, or even those in Europe who arrived there long before they arrived here—will never truly be woven into the core of Western culture? Will they always be forced to go looking for "Ethiopian" princesses just to find representation? It’s a strange thought—for instance, if my family had moved to a place like Chicago fifty years ago and I were already a third-generation American, I’d likely feel a stronger claim to the local culture based on my roots—yet, purely because of skin color, I might still be viewed as an outsider compared to someone whose family has been settled there for a century. It's a complicated dynamic, really.
This whole argument about white culture and Ethiopian princesses is flawed on several levels—really. Just because one Black creator on YouTube decided to lean into it doesn't make the logic sound. Now, everyone is jumping on his bandwagon—linking his videos everywhere and saying, "See? Even Black creators are pointing out how nonsensical this is."
Let's be real—it’s clearly a massive uphill battle to produce a film in Hollywood that features an entirely ethnic cast rather than the standard European one. I mean, trying to scout and book over 100 actors who are specifically perfect for one particular race? That’s gotta be incredibly tough to pull off in the studio system—believe me, I know!
Not quite.
It’s funny—does Hollywood actually realize that these kinds of characters don't pull in the same numbers as a full or mostly white cast? I mean, look at *The Princess and the Frog*, *Mulan*, *Pocahontas*, or *Atlantis*—they all underperformed compared to the usual Disney standards for animated films during that era. Just a thought!
Disney tends to use people from other ethnic groups as mere token characters—you know, those types who are just there so nobody can complain about a lack of diversity, even if they don't actually matter much to the plot.
The thing is, Disney isn't avoiding making films with such casts; they could easily do it.
Richard Wilson4 said:And honestly, those "princesses" we're talking about really only exist in certain parts of the world, like Europe, Asia, or among Ethiopians and Arabs in North Africa.
Mulan isn't a princess. According to the legend, she never was.
Jasmine is definitely a princess.
If Disney wanted an Ethiopian princess, they could just grab an Ethiopian folk tale and go for it. But it's way easier to just take a famous story and remix it, right?
Why on earth would Disney be forced to use an Ethiopian folktale?
Look, I’m a Black man whose family has been in America for centuries. Are you trying to tell me that just because of my skin color, I’ll never truly be considered American? Am I always supposed to go searching for my culture back in Africa?
It’s quite fascinating, really—how we took people as slaves from their homelands, "civilized" them, forcibly made them part of our society, and now that their descendants are causing us headaches, we want to strip away their connection to American culture and essentially say, "Go back to Africa."
A. American and European cultures aren't strictly "white" cultures.
B. Americans and Europeans who aren't white—but whose families have lived on these continents for generations—have just as much right to the culture of these nations as white people do. They are an integral part of that culture; they helped build it (literally and figuratively, since many monuments and buildings, especially here in the US, certainly weren't built by white people alone).
C. I'll say it again: please stop using arguments about Ethiopian princesses or folk tales from Zimbabwe.
Real-life example: Imagine you go to France and meet a guy—he's a French actor and he's Black. His family has been in France for decades, maybe even centuries. Would you look him in the eye and say, "Hey, sorry man, your family has been in France forever, but your culture is actually African. And since I'm a white guy who just arrived in France, my skin color gives me more right to claim French culture as my own than you do. In fact, it’d probably be better to hire me for a movie based on a French fairy tale rather than you."
