good.film
2 years ago
Hot off the ‘Tube! Grab the earbuds and check out what’s coming soon - from Indy’s last hurrah, to Wes Anderson’s newest quirk-fest.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | Official Trailer
FAST X | Official Trailer
Asteroid City | Official Trailer
Got your wetsuits ready? It’s nearly time to go back Under the Sea. In just a few weeks, Disney’s The Little Mermaid - the hotly anticipated live-action “reimagining” of their 1989 animated classic - leaps from the oceans and onto our screens.
Why is people’s collective breath so baity? (and no, we don’t mean the ocean kind). Aside from being a childhood favourite to squillions, the film’s been in the works since pre-COVID days; Disney announced their role-of-a-lifetime lead had been won by Halle Bailey back in July 2019, nearly 4 whole years ago.
Harper’s Bazaar describes the now 23-year-old singer as “one half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, a protégé of Beyoncé, and a star on Freeform's Grown-ish”, so she definitely has the cred to nail Ariel’s best underwater bangers (cue “Part of Your World”) for a whole new generation.
Significantly, Halle will be Disney’s first Black “princess” since The Princess and the Frog’s Tiana back in 2009, and only the second in their 100-year history. That brought a lot of trolls out of the woodwork, backlashing the inclusive casting decision and launching the pretty absurd hashtag #NotMyAriel (their argument, ludicrously, went something like “there’s no such thing as a Black mermaid”... FACEPALM!)
We should take a beat to note that yes, there’s a problematic history of Disney “princesses” and their potential to negatively influence girls’ self-perceptions. But there’s also room here to acknowledge the win for inclusivity. Disney are clearly working hard to course correct their past, and their casting of Bailey once the trailer dropped was widely praised as a positive stride for representation. Hey, when Halle Berry tweets applause, you’ve done something right!
The New York Times reported on inspiring responses from young Black girls (“She looks like Me!”) and Bailey’s own grandparents had these wise words: “You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you.”
We can all see for ourselves very soon… The Little Mermaid opens in cinemas on May 25.
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Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie hits AppleTV+ on May 15.
Hannah Gadsby: Something Special lands on Netflix on May 9.
American Born Chinese: Season 1 is new to Disney+ on May 24.
Keen to know if that new enviro doc or mental health flick is up your alley? Our latest Impact Guides are here to help! Read or share to get a deeper insight into the newest releases.
Keep your eyes on your inbox. Our good.film Guides to these impactful upcoming releases will be heading your way in May: