In what is quickly becoming a pattern at Disney, the company has once again replaced the classic-looking Ariel in The Little Mermaid, this time for an ABC special.
It has been announced that Auli’i Cravalho will play Ariel, singer and actress Queen Latifah is set to play Ursula, and reggae musician Shaggy will voice the crustacean Sebastian for the Little Mermaid Live!, the ABC production of the 1989 animated film.
EW.com notes the show will feature live musical performances from the cast that is interwoven into a broadcast of the original feature film. The description continues that the show is dubbed a “never-before-seen hybrid format” that will “feature beautifully intricate sets and costumes, with music from the original,” and is set to air on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.
Disney doesn’t like red hair
In an unrelated project, Disney recently announced that the live-action movie for The Little Mermaid will star 19-year-old R&B singer Halle Bailey.
Ariel in the original animated film has red-hair.
Disney also recently replaced the male red-haired character of Makkari in Marvel’s Eternals with a Mexican-American and an African-American female actress and character, as well as Spider-Man’s MJ with Zendaya.
Additional red-hair characters that have been changed also include Annie, Jimmy Olsen, Iris West, April O’Neil (TMNT), LEGO Batgirl, Wally West and more.
