BY: Walker
Published 3 years ago
The trailer for Disney’s “Peter Pan & Wendy” – based on the Mouse House’s 1953 animated classic “Peter Pan” – dropped on Tuesday, and it certainly presents a movie that looks far more inclusive than past retellings of the original J.M. Barrie tale.
via: BET
Yara Shahidi has made history as the first Black actress to play Tinkerbell in Disney’s Peter Pan and Wendy, the studio’s latest live-action adaptation. Now that the trailer has dropped, Disney is getting backlash.
One tweet read, Black Tinkerbell. Black Little Mermaid. Black Cinderella. Brown Snow White. The blackwashing of White culture continues.
Another user added, “What’s the point of race-swapping Tinkerbell?”
What's the point of race-swapping Tinkerbell? Disney already has a black fairy (Iridessa ?); they could have fleshed out a story with her and the other fairies.
Why is Disney so unwilling to create original stories with their already established characters of color? pic.twitter.com/PuZLJKeIxo
— ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ (@QuatschMatch) February 28, 2023
There were even more cries of “race-swapping,” see the meme below:
My reaction to the new tinker bell pic.twitter.com/AYO2xlJz87
— Baseduka (@basedukas) March 1, 2023
The racist backlash is similar to when Halle Bailey was cast as Princess Ariel in a remake of The Little Mermaid.
Yara and Disney are unbothered, and the movie will stream on April 28 on Disney+. The cast also includes Jude Law as Captain Hook, Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, and Ever Anderson as Wendy. David Lowery is the director and the script is co-written by Toby Halbrooks.
Watch below:
