Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” remake faced criticism Wednesday for not talking enough about slavery.
Marcus Ryder, who chairs the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and is head of external consultancies at the Sir Lenny Henry Center for Media Diversity, argued in his blog post that the movie missed an opportunity to destroy childhood innocence by failing to focus on the horrors of slavery (which are still highly prevalent around the world today). In all fairness, Ryder described his desire to destroy childhood innocence as an opportunity to “gently educate children” about slavery. But his argument is still one of the strangest things I’ve ever read.
“The Little Mermaid” appeared to be set in the 18th century, Ryder noted, a time when chattel slavery was prevalent around the world, which seemed to be the only reason he “took issue with the film’s glossy depiction of racial harmony.”
“The sad reality is this great film left me concerned that Disney did not take seriously this very sensitive time and place which due to the atrocities that happened there should be treated very carefully – especially for impressionable children,” Ryder wrote, maybe because no one told him that “The Little Mermaid” is a work of fiction, not a documentary about the 18th century.
“I do not think we do our children any favours by pretending that slavery didn’t exist,” Ryder continued, which makes one ponder whether he tells his children that the phone or laptop he used to write his blog post only exists due to modern day slavery throughout the manufacturing process. Or perhaps that doesn’t quite fit his narrative?
Either way, if he wanted to teach his children about slavery, there are countless other films he could have turned on other than “The Little Mermaid.”
Also, surely one of the best ways to overcome racism is to normalize racial harmony among the younger generations? While ignoring our past is not advisable, introducing young children to the atrocities of humanity at such an impressionable age could have even more dire consequences to their mental health and social capital in the long-run.
Disney ruins another beloved animated film by trying to remake it in live action https://t.co/AaKJgQxoG6
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 17, 2023
Ryder was described by Deadline as an “influential British campaigner,” so it’s unclear why he wrote his feelings in a blog post (who knew blogs were still a thing…?). People on Twitter apparently lost their minds over Ryder’s writing, to which he responded by appearing to suggest that those reading his post didn’t understand the point he was trying to make.
“The whole affair points to how important representation is. And even though it was no fun to be the target of the Twitter onslaught, the positive I hope it demonstrates to film studios is that if you increase diversity you can get a loyal and committed audience that will defend your film vociferously from even the slightest perceived criticism, that is the type of audience engagement money simply cannot buy. Even if in this case I think the perceived criticism was misunderstood,” he told Deadline in a statement. (RELATED: ‘The Last Of Us’ Is Apparently Racist Now Because Nothing Can Ever Just Be Cool Anymore)
So, in summary, he called Disney racist for making a fairytale movie with a black lead actress, which is set in a fictional land where mermaids exist. Then he said everyone who read his blog post wasn’t smart enough to understand his point … Okay then, bud.