Enlarge image
Yara Shahidi: The new fairy Tinker Bell
Photo: Disney+
The reaction of the internet trolls was not long in coming.
The first trailer for the Disney film »Peter Pan & Wendy« was released two days ago, and racist comments and malice are already pouring out of social media.
Some complain about the alleged "lack of fidelity to the work", others seriously believe that the trailer is destroying their childhood memories.
The reason for the whining: The Tinker Bell fairy is played by Yara Shahidi, an American with Iranian roots and slightly darker skin.
The film is a remake of the 1953 Disney animated classic Peter Pan, which in turn is based on the 1904 play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up.
The Disney Original is one of several that works heavily with racial stereotypes.
Disney itself draws attention to this on its Disney+ streaming service with a text panel.
The story was filmed as a live-action film in 1924, and Julia Roberts played the fairy Tinker Bell in Steven Spielberg's 1991 version »Hook«.
The latest installment is directed by the esteemed and versatile David Lowery.
He directed a Disney film, Elliot the Dragon, but is also known for the experimental horror film A Ghost Story and for Robert Redford's last film before retiring, A Rogue & Gentleman.
As early as 2018, when he was writing the screenplay for his new film, Lowery said in an interview: "The 'Peter Pan' original is obviously terribly racist, of course I'm throwing all that out."
The trailer doesn't just show Tinker Bell with non-white skin, there are also some non-white girls among the "Lost Boys" with whom Peter is hiding on a deserted island.
In addition, the actor of Peter Pan has the very English name Alexander Malony, but also has dark eyes and hair.
Disney has been re-filming its classics for several years and is trying to modernize the fabrics.
Against this background, there have already been several controversies, most recently about the remake of »Arielle, the Mermaid«, which is scheduled to start in German cinemas on May 25th.
The main character plays the black singer and actress Halley Bailey.
The first trailer for this film also led to absurd discussions on social networks, such as whether mermaids that live under water can have dark skin.
Parents held back at the time and showed their children's happy reactions to the trailer.
»Peter Pan & Wendy« is available on Disney+ from April 28th.
kae
