This would be my first time back in a movie theater since the pandemic, so I went all out for the experience.

Because seeing a Black Ariel should feel re-affirming, right? So, when I walked into the theater to experience Disney’s new remake of “Little Mermaid,” I knew what I was supposed to be feeling, and what I was supposed to be on the lookout for. I was well into my adulthood when the phrase “representation matters” started to catch on, and I was able to pause, rewind the VHS of my life, and begin to re-examine my prologue. The author, circa 1990, around the time when she was watching 'The Little Mermaid' non-stop. My braids were too heavy to catch much wind, and my swim cap left me with little more than a few droplets of rubber scented water dripping down my back - but I don’t remember feeling unsatisfied in the moment. I would dive in, squeezing my legs together like a fin, find my way towards the edge, and muster my childhood biceps to surge my body from the water - flicking my head back and doing my damndest to recreate the iconic rock scene at the end of “Part of Your World.” I would go to the pool in the summer, a swim cap protecting my jheri curl or braids protecting my natural hair. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I watched that VHS, but Ariel and her long red hair are a dominant presence in my childhood memories. My family had it in constant rotation in our weekly Blockbuster haul, until - I imagine - my mom finally realized it would be more cost efficient to just buy a copy at Sam’s Club.

And while I have, for the most part, avoided them, when buzz began to spread about the now-finally-released remake of “ The Little Mermaid,” I knew it was one I’d need to see.ĭisney’s original version of “The Little Mermaid” came out in 1989 when I was six years old. Halle Bailey with young fans at the UK Premiere of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' on in London, England.

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