was the fallout from this specific film so predictable? Yes, anti-Blackness is a common feature of American public life, but the fury about a Black Ariel is about much more than disagreeable recasting of a beloved cartoon character.
More than just fodder for nostalgia, these classic stories are part of US myth-building about itself. Making a Black woman the central figure in that myth disrupts the well-established hierarchies that have been embedded in that national narrative. For some white American parents, having a young Black woman at the helm of a story about identity and self-discovery is simply unacceptable
The reaction to the film is crucial to understanding both why it’s gotten so much hate and why it’s so important that it was made. Much of the white supremacist pushback against the film is tied to the rightwing war against wokeness.