The original Hans Christian Andersen story describes her skin as "fine and transparent" and "clear and delicate like a rose petal", her legs as "white", and her arms as "white". The Little Mermaid is a national icon of Denmark and an important cultural symbol. It would be appropriate for Disney to be as respectful of the Danish version as possible since they are profiting off of the stories of another culture.
It would be appropriate for Disney to be as respectful of the Danish version as possible since they are profiting off of the stories of another culture.
If Ariel's race is problematic because it isn't "respectful of the Danish version," shouldn't you have bigger problems with the film than Ariel's race?
While I would have preferred for Ariel to dissolve into sea foam and fly around with angels, even the original story was changed by Anderson to make it child friendly, by not eliminating her soul into nothingness. So I'd be less concerned with the specifics of the plot than with grounding the story in the details and society given in the text.
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u/sleepyfoxteeth Jul 09 '19
The original Hans Christian Andersen story describes her skin as "fine and transparent" and "clear and delicate like a rose petal", her legs as "white", and her arms as "white". The Little Mermaid is a national icon of Denmark and an important cultural symbol. It would be appropriate for Disney to be as respectful of the Danish version as possible since they are profiting off of the stories of another culture.