The Little Mermaid deserves a progressive remake. This isn’t it

The 1989 cartoon The Little Mermaid was a box-office hit, partly because Ariel was Disney’s first heroine with spunk.

But conversation about the remake has been dominated by the racist backlash to Halle Bailey being cast as a black Ariel.

The filmmakers’ hope seems to be that if they use diverse casting the result will look like a culturally rich story.

The problem is that it doesn’t feel like one.

We are supposed to think Eric is a benevolent, multiculturalist prince.

But he just gives off the vibe of a bloke who hasn’t felt fully himself since he went backpacking.

The Little Mermaid has plenty of neat, ostensibly progressive additions, but it is not the deep reimagining that Ariel’s story deserved.