Pitts: Fayetteville red carpet screening of ‘Little Mermaid,’ exciting for daughter —and me

I like when someone can turn a negative into a positive.

Enter Fayetteville resident Joe McGee, and the much-anticipated remake of “The Little Mermaid,” a Disney movie classic about an underwater princess. It opens in theaters this Memorial Day weekend.

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In the fall, some folks had a problem with the casting of Disney’s live-action version. Ariel, the lead character, is played by up-and-coming actress and singer Halle Bailey, who is African American.

A trailer featuring Bailey’s beautiful singing from the movie quickly drew 1 million dislikes and the ugly hashtag, #NotMyAriel as social media trolls denounced a Black girl playing a cartoon character that was portrayed as a white redhead in the animated version.

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McGee, who is Black, says the backlash caught his attention.

“It just got crazy,” he says.

But his 9-year-old daughter Khendal’s reaction to the movie caught a bigger share of his attention.

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“I said you want to go see it? She said ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ She got excited — most kids did.”

His daughter’s reaction inspired him to organize “Just Like Me,” a private screening of “The Little Mermaid” that is also a red carpet affair. The screening is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, June 3. The red carpet event begins at 10 a.m.

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“The movie’s controversial announcement … was respectfully overshadowed by the reaction of little girls of color saying, ‘She looks like me,’” a news release for the event states. “This RED CARPET event will uplift and empower our little princesses in the Fayetteville/Fort Liberty community and is part of our Safe Summer 2023 community campaign.”

The event is billed as a family affair. Tickets are $9.95 a seat with no charge for lap infants. Visit the website, vocal4local.com, for information and to purchase tickets.

McGee said on Wednesday he found a willing partner for “Just Like Me” in Dean Melvin, owner of Omni Cinemas at 3729 Sycamore Dairy Road. The June 3 showing will occur before the theater’s regular Saturday lineup, so participants will have the place to themselves — in a theater that has been upgraded with reclining seats. Guests will also receive goodie bags, aka “swag bags” as they are known to the Hollywood set.

McGee said the response from the community has been fantastic. He said he initially rented out one theater, selling his first ticket on May 10.

“I am on the fourth theater as of this morning,” he said. "We probably got, if that, maybe 130 tickets left.”

For the event, girls are invited to dress up or dress up as Ariel or another favorite character.

McGee said the red carpet event would feature a king and queen who can pose for pictures with the guests. He said he was reaching out to community elders, particularly men, to be there — as royalty.

“Take that picture with that little girl and just represent the old guardian watching over the young princesses in our community,” he said. “Everybody’s excited about that.”

A big reaction

McGee said “Just Like Me” is modeled on the private screenings of “Black Panther,” a Marvel movie that drew a big African American audience and was the sixth-largest-grossing movie in Hollywood’s most successful film franchise, which now spans 32 films.

Nationwide, the reaction to the new “The Little Mermaid” especially among African-American girls, is something I personally have not seen since “Black Panther.” The movie is on track to hit $120 million to $125 million in box office by Memorial Day.

Helen Ann, my 8-year-old daughter, loves princesses and even more so mermaids, so needless to say she is ready to go.

I can’t sum it up any better than to say that she owns, and uses, a mermaid tail when she is in the pool.

The whole thing is all new to me.

The youngest of three boys, I did not grow up watching any Disney and observed from afar my female classmates' fascination with princesses.

I have written before that I am wary of “princess culture” because I don’t want to raise a girl thinking anyone’s going to save her but her own ingenuity, values and talents. But I can say now, I over-worried.

Helen Ann will be fine. In fact, I foresee more potential problems for my wife and me down the road when she becomes too independent too soon.

She is very assertive.

Of course, she wants her buddies to go to “The Little Mermaid” with her. We shall see.

Disney diversity

Unlike me, both Helen Ann and her brother, Samuel, who is 10, are being exposed to the whole suite of what Disney has to offer.

I’m good with it.

For those who have a problem with the diverse and inclusive nature of where Disney is going with its lineup — that ain’t me. I love it. From “Turning Red,” the red panda movie that centers Asian American characters to “Encanto,” which draws from Colombian culture.

Until relatively recently, Hollywood — although it fancies itself as progressive — has lagged in depicting people of color in lead roles.

For the record, I have revisited many of the Disney classics in adulthood and those are good, too. With this new wave, I see nothing but additions and no subtractions.

And I think Helen Ann will have a perfectly smashing time on the red carpet next week.

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or  910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville red carpet event for ‘Little Mermaid’ is about uplift