Disney’s decision to make live-action versions of classic animations has caused much controversy among fans worldwide. Although Disney has blamed fans for not being progressive enough to accept actresses of color in lead roles, fans have their reasons for disliking the live-action movies.
Disney released the Peter Pan & Wendy trailer two weeks ago, featuring Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Ever Anderson as Wendy Darling, Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, and Jude Law as Captain Hook. The movie is set to premiere on Disney Plus on April 28.
However, the trailer has received a lot of backlash from fans of the original classic, particularly regarding the portrayal of Tinker Bell by Yara Shahidi, an actress of color.
Peter Pan & Wendy’s Trailer with almost Half a Million Dislikes on Youtube
Like Disney’s The Little Mermaid, fans have heavily disliked the new Peter Pan & Wendy trailer on YouTube. The trailer was released on the official Walt Disney Studios YouTube channel on February 28 and has only received 3.5 million views.
However, fans are not pleased with what they saw, as evidenced by the likes-to-dislikes ratio, which currently stands at 434k dislikes to only 46k likes. The trailer was also uploaded to the IGN channel, where it has received 31k dislikes and only 2.9k likes, with just 251k views. While YouTube has removed the ability to see dislikes on videos, various browser extensions can re-enable the feature.
The reason for Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell backlash
Tinker Bell has always been portrayed as a white girl with blue eyes and blonde hair, and casting Yara Shahidi is seen by fans as an attempt to be “woke” and to diverge from the original material. Fans have criticized Disney for being more focused on diversity and casting opposite of the original characters instead of creating something new with a more diverse cast.
The Little Mermaid’s Trailer Received over Million Dislikes on Youtube
The live-action remake teaser for The Little Mermaid appeared at the 2023 Oscars announcement; however, it was met with negative feedback from the audience, garnering over one million dislikes on YouTube. The trailer has received almost 10 million views, with just 234k likes and 1.2 million dislikes accounting for 80% of the responses.
Halle Bailey plays Ariel, a mermaid princess and King Triton’s youngest daughter, in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid. Other notable characters include Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, and King Triton, played by Javier Bardem. The film is set to release in theaters on May 26.
