The Little Mermaid actress Halle Bailey says seeing videos of young Black children reacting to her appearance in a trailer "means the world" to her.
Disney released a trailer for the live action remake of The Little Mermaid during the weekend's D23 Expo - but it's the reactions to the one-minute teaser that have gone viral.
The trailer's notched up 11 million views since its launch.
Bailey's casting initially prompted backlash and racism, with some stating she was "NotMyAriel". Trolling and criticism was aimed at the casting, with others claiming it was "woke culture gone mad".
In the original 1989 Disney animated movie, Ariel was a pale white mermaid with long red hair. By contrast, the new trailer showed off Bailey's Ariel who was in a purple bikini and had ginger dreadlocks.
But ever since the trailer was released, parents have been uploading videos to TikTok of their children reacting and sharing their utter delight at seeing someone like them on screen.
"Mommy!" a little girl says in a video posted by TikTok user nickyknackpaddywack. "She's brown like me!"
In another video, a beaming child screams, "I think she's brown!" before announcing, "Brown Ariel is cute."
"Do you understand how it feels for our babies to see themselves in the fairy tales that the world said wasn't made for them?" jendayis682 wrote in the caption for another video shared on TikTok.
"Say what you want and complain all you want... I hear nothing over the joy and excitement that this little girl has over seeing a person that represent[s] her."
Bailey herself has shared a video on Twitter, which cuts together various reactions from the children.
"People have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and I'm truly in awe. This means the world to me," she said.
The live action remake of The Little Mermaid is due to premiere in May 2023.
