A reviewer reportedly snuck a peek at Disney’s upcoming remake of “The Little Mermaid” and alleged the film takes a dig at Kate Middleton and makes references to other royal family members.
The unnamed reviewer said clips from the film addressed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from their royal duties and took aim at Middleton in a subtle way, Page Six reported Wednesday. The movie allegedly contains plausible comparisons to Markle and Harry through the use of lead characters Ariel and Prince Eric.
The critic reportedly said it was impossible to ignore that Ariel is played by black actress Halle Bailey, which is an apparent parallel to Markle’s racial heritage, and Prince Eric is played by a white actor, which could be seen as a comparison to Prince Harry.
Disney’s new ‘Little Mermaid’ seems to contain dig at Kate Middleton https://t.co/H5MPff8UxI pic.twitter.com/0eOpgJKWCS
— Page Six (@PageSix) May 17, 2023
The reviewer recalled one particular scene in the upcoming movie that was apparently a direct, literal reference to the royals, according to Page Six.
“Ariel has sacrificed her voice in order to get to the surface and [meet] Prince Eric. She can’t speak so he tries to guess her name,” the critic said, according to Page Six. “His first guess is Diana. His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes] ‘OK, definitely not Catherine.”
“Disney would be disingenuous to imply those name choices were coincidental,” the reviewer added.
Meghan Markle Recalls Comparing Her Royal Life to The Little Mermaid and How Ariel ‘Lost Her Voice’ https://t.co/mp3RhDdK1B
— People (@people) March 8, 2021
The critic seemingly highlighted the correlation between the characters’ alleged names and those of the royal family, notably that Prince Harry’s late mother is named Diana, and Kate Middleton’s full first name is Catherine. (RELATED: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Claim To Have Undergone ‘Near Catastrophic Car Chase’ In Manhattan)
Markle made a reference to the original “The Little Mermaid” movie during her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying she had watched the movie while in the U.K., according to Page Six. The ex-royal apparently identified with the mermaid in the film.
“I went, ‘Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice,’” Markle told Winfrey.