by Stacy Jackson

March 2, 2023

Twitter Throws Pixie Dust at Disney’s Black Tinker Bell, Hopes to Get Lucky with New POC Characters

Twitter has a request. They want to see new Disney characters featuring people of color.

Fans weren’t pleased about the new Black Tinker Bell after Disney released a trailer for the upcoming live-action Peter Pan & Wendy film, on Tuesday.

According to TMZ, Twitter users expressed they were ready for Disney to create new characters based on people of color, instead of casting them in the recycled plots. The new Tinker Bell, played by Black actress Yara Shahidi, stirred up complaints from fans who thought Disney’s choice focused more on image than on inclusivity.

“Disney loves to race swap these days instead of creating original and new characters that are POC,” one user wrote about Shahidi’s role.

“Disney couldn’t care less about making new stories with Poc characters, they just put poc ppl to play white characters, and that shows 1) how lazy Disney is 2) how racist this is, it’s like they don’t think poc ppl deserve their own stories (beside like 3 animated movies?),” another user tweeted.

https://twitter.com/JayneTheory/status/1631035281359921156

Some fans argued that the role should have been given to someone who reflected the original character of a white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Twitter users added that Disney should be casting people of color for live-action movies featuring characters such as Princess Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog, or even Moana and Pocahontas.

“Instead of re-making these classics and putting black characters into what originally was white characters. Why not remake the Disney movies that already had POC representation such as princess and the frog, Moana, Pocahontas ect…,” a third user chimed in.

As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Disney made a similar decision when the company previously cast singer Halle Bailey for the role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Bailey received her own batch of backlash from critics after the release of the film’s trailer.

According to the official Peter Pan and Wendy Instagram page, the live-action flick will be available to stream on Apr. 28 on Disney Plus.


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