When Movies Didn't Cast Actors Based On Race and They Were Still Great

[SpiderManFan2002]

Okay, so, this is a follow on MyTake from my one about Halle Bailey as Ariel, so let's get on with it.

Earlier on this year, the Aladdin movie came out. It was an amazing movie, I for one, loved it. One of my favourite parts of the movie was Jasmine. Naomi Scott played an amazing role as Jasmine, when she made that speech after the song "speechless", that was one of my most favourite parts of the movie and I swear I can't stop listening to "speechless" itself.

And one day I was reading an article about Naomi and I found out, she was actually half white, half Indian.

Now the last time I checked Jasmine was Arabian. And actually, in the cartoon for an Arabian girl, Jasmine was dark skinned.

Those of you who are complaining about how Ariel was a white redhead in the cartoon, and now Disney has cast a black girl, I didn't see you complaining about how Jasmine in the cartoon was a dark-skinned Arabian girl, but in the remake she's a light-skinned, mixed race, half white, half Indian girl.

Now, you might think I would complain if let's say "The Lion King" remake had a majority white cast. But here's the thing, the remake may have a lot of black actors, but the original iconic version we all know and love had a majority white cast. I didn't complain then, and neither did anyone else because the actors could act, they could sing they did great and that's all that matters, not their skin colour.

The film Alita Battle Angel, again a success. Now that film was originally a Japanese Manga, therefore, Alita and most or all of the characters would have been Japanese.

Alita was played a Latina actress, Rosa Salazar.

Hugo was played a Latino actor, Keean Johnson.

Those were the lead roles.

I don't recall there being a single Japanese actor or actress in that cast, even though the film was based off a Japanese manga.

Did that spoil the movie? Nope! Again, Alita Battle Angel was amazing, regardless of the ethnic background of the actors, actresses and the lead actress. The action scenes in that movie were on point, and I loved how Alita could be so adorable, yet so badass at the same time.

So, I really don't see anybody's problem with Ariel.

Many of you are accusing Disney of "Blackwashing".

But officially Halle Bailey as Ariel is only the second black Disney princess, third if you count Moana.

Then people make excuses "Captain America is black now", well the story was Steve Rogers was going to give the shield to either Bucky or Falcon and he gave the shield to Falcon fair and square.

And I hear this other argument, "Spider-Man is black now". One variation of Spider-Man... People are talking as if they've completely ditched Peter Parker, but they didn't. Peter still exists as a white guy, so what does it matter if they add Miles to the mix? It's not as if they've forgotten about Peter.

People need to grow up. There's more to people than their race.

[motownplayer2000]

You make some super great points!!! Also, let's not forget the whole Idris Elba cries for him to be the next 007. Which everyone seemed to be perfectly fine with... yet 007 is also a FICTIONAL character for the publics entertainment.. the double standards are astonishing.

[SpiderManFan2002]

Oh yes, I completely forgot about the whole Idris Elba James Bond thing. Idris Elba is again, a great actor, he's very deserving of the role. :)

[motownplayer2000]

Yes, he definitely does.. but the double standards from these people are ridiculous!!! So tired of it

[ThisDudeHere]

Lord of the Rings is also entirely fictional and yet it has it's roots in Medieval European mythology, the same as the Witcher. Casting black actors in either would make no sense lore-wise.

Much the same way it wouldn't have made sense for there to be white natives or Wakanda in Black Panther. And yet, many modern movies about Europe's past are guaranteed to have the token black person in them.

[EmperorOfRussia]

@motownplayer2000

You drool over Black dudes, kid. Everyone can see this and it's fine, it's your life.

But demanding traditionally White characters to be recast with Black actors makes you a F* LOSER. It's nothing but a joke of a concept by the production companies to appease you chumps that foam over the mouth about the concept of diversity and representation.

[motownplayer2000]

@ThisDudeHere I hear you on that. But guess what, they are all fiction so, I can give a rats ass who they cast! For Black Panther, for any of the movies you mentioned.. you see, I have a life that doesn't revolve around movies and who plays them. It's just something to pass the time... so this argument is useless and pointless!

@EmperorOfRussia seek help. You seem mentally ill with your views. That's the best advise I can give you, also the last time I will address anything you say.

[EmperorOfRussia]

@motownplayer2000

Don't you get tired of being bullied?

"I have a life that doesn't revolve around movies and who plays them"

You say this just after you are rooting for Idris Elba to ve the next James Bond.

You are ridiculously hypocritical, boy.

[ThisDudeHere]

"they are all fiction"
Fiction or not, a story works best when it suspends your sense of disbelief. Casting someone who looks nothing of like the source material or nothing like the people inhabiting the lands in which his fictional character lives in, disrupts that sense. As I implied, it would be an extremely poor casting decision to have an Australian aboriginal actor play Adolf Hitler, much the same way it would be stupid for a short ginger to play Nelson Mandela. There is a certain point past which even a good actor's ability to act can no longer save a stupid decision.

[motownplayer2000]

@ThisDudeHere I understand and respect your POV... I guess for me, I don't put that much stock into movies... again, especially the fictional movies that have no real significance in my life other then brainless entertainment for 1-2 hours.. I don't dive into them to really get the full scope because I'm usually working on my next move in REAL life.

At the end of the day, I respect the people's opinions that have expressed it in an intelligent way, and sticks to the the issue at hand. So thank you for your views.

[TheSpartan]

Elba isn’t ethnically Scottish.

[motownplayer2000]

Lol you all need to learn how to read or comprehend. I said nothing in support of him being 007, I said, when the rumors came out that he would be casted as the next 007. No one said shit, lol but all y'all about to come out the woodwork acting like you had a problem with it then... lol 😂 😂😂😂 this is hilarious

[JDavid25]

Great take.. I agree.. Although like I mentioned.. I don't think Jasmine is dark skinned.. Very Brown skinned.. I guess in Pakistani culture she would be considered dark skinned.. But good take.. And Alita was a good movie

[SpiderManFan2002]

In the cartoon, I think she was dark-skinned for an Arab girl. I mean I guess your perception depends on which culture you're from like you said. I'm about a shade or two darker than Jasmine in the cartoon and people usually consider me a dark-skinned girl. :)

[JDavid25]

Yeah true.. I guess since Arabs usually don't get super dark they would consider that dark skinned.. In the "Black" community, some people would consider that light skinned.. 😂.. I'm about the same shade as Jasmine, maybe a little bit lighter, and people have called me light skinned.. Nobody ever called me dark skinned though..

[SpiderManFan2002]

I've been called dark-skinned all my life, lol.

[JDavid25]

Yeah difference in had the culture sees it..

[Ellie-V]

Absolutely!!!
I just made a take similar to this if you care to read:
Oh yes, another #NOTMYARIEL rant 😄 ↗

[SpiderManFan2002]

Can't wait to read.

It's funny how they always refer to people like you and me as "snowflakes", but in this instance, they're the ones who seem to be melting at the fact a black girl is getting to play ariel.

Disney: Casts one black girl, who is the third black disney princess, second if you don't count Moana.

Racist snowflakes: DiSnEy ArE bLaCkWaShInG eVerYtHiNg

[Ellie-V]

Right as if YEARS of whitewashing was never a thing. It seems like they always coin our terms, movements, culture and such to flip it around and play the victim when karma gets in that ass

[SpiderManFan2002]

Too damn right.

They're acting as if they're the target audience. No, the prime target audience is the kids. As long as it is suitable for them to watch, I'm cool with it.

[Ellie-V]

Same 👏🏾

[fallen_15]

You made an excellent point

[SpiderManFan2002]

Thank you. :)

[joyjoy123]

I think one of the main sources of contempt is the change is so blatant to an iconic character people already love. Especially if people already have a concrete image in mind.

Alita isn't well known in the west so people aren't going to get angry over it. Most haven't even heard of Alita manga. Compare it to Scarlet with Ghost in the Shell a lot of noise there from long standing fans even though Motoko is a robot. As for Aladdin people also complained too, I guess not as much because it's not like a 180 difference in facial features and skin tone. Even if you say Naomi is part white she still has features that don't really make her stand out as "white". What makes Aladdin so well loved and known is the music and Genie anyway. Sure a wide eyed sexy Jasmine with lush black hair as well and a charming Aladdin. And lo Naomi has lush black hair. Mena is charming. They can both sing. The only real negative is Jafar. He lost his menace and intimidating aura. Marwan's Jafar just felt like any other action villain.

So for Little Mermaid regardless if the original source book the mermaid's pink or blue or green the one people know, love, and grew up with is the red haired, blue eye girl. It's not because of the race itself. It's because of that change in feature.

As for the Lion King... they're animals. People don't see the actors. As a kid when I watched it I never even realized what ethnic background the people were behind the scenes. I didn't even realize Zazu was Mr. Bean. Unless they change it to like somebody with a very noticeable ethnic accent then that'll make it weird. Even now the noise with Lion King is how they portrayed Scar. Scar's voice especially lost its sassiness and menace. Scar is basically Jafar in a lion suit. They're generic.

As for me I just want lush hair for Ariel. They better make it look soft af.

[ObscuredBeyond]

Alita didn't make a big deal about Rosa's ethnicity. The marketing for Little Mermaid DID make a big deal about changing Ariel, as in, it's being "more woke" is supposed to be a selling point. THAT arrogance, is what audiences are upset about, more so than the race lift itself. As for Hugo: outside of hardcore manga readers, nobody knew who Hugo was originally anyway. Therefore, they couldn't be upset. I was more upset with how the actor was sexually objectified in his scenes.

Aladdin's ethnicity was originally supposed to be Chinese, so nothing in the Disney version has any accuracy to begin with. Also, Naomi Scott's being part-Persian was downplayed, rather than paraded as a central selling point and virtue signal brownie point session. That's a huge difference!

They're taking pains to keep the cast of Mulan as Chinese as possible. But the tale is SUPPOSED TO BE homogeneously Chinese and Mongolian / Hun; so nobody cares.

For the record, I thought the whitewashing of the cast of The Last Airbender was pretty stupid too. Although, let's be fair... that was the least of that movie's many problems.

[ObscuredBeyond]

As for Spider-Man: Marvel has made no secret for quite some time that they intended for there to be more than one. Anyone complaining was simply not paying attention, or is stuck on nostalgia mode.

Miles can be done right. So can Gwen. And while I dread to think it, Cindy and Jessica can be done right too, in the hands of sufficiently qualified writers. It's just that they're usually handed off to bad writers; and readers are expected to like them anyway "or else" be labeled "racist." In other words, bad writers are hiding behind racial identity politics like cowards so that they don't have to accept responsibility for bad writing. Which... kind of defeats the entire point of the Spider-Man ethos.

I'd rather be told an early draft sucks, then go back to the drawing board and learn to write a thing better, than try to blackmail everyone into "you must like it or else you're an [insert accusation label here], all other evidence to the contrary be damned."

Childish blackmail only gets you so far.

[Britantic]

I guess your right, it was it was wrong to have someone from the Indian sub continent play Jasmine instead of an Arabian woman. You see this in Hollywood movies all the time where an Indian or Pakistani gets the role of an Arabian over actual Arabs. Hollywood's attitude is that If be charcter is non-white or non-black or non East Asian a hispanic, samonian, Indian, Pakistani or half black/white will do.
A good example of this Arab cultural appropriation is pakistani actor Art Malik who has made a career out of racial and cultural appropriation usually as an Arab terrorist.
I think people's problem with Ariel is that the charcter already exists with a clear long standing description of a Red haired white woman. It's unoriginal just to replace the character with someone of a different race rather than coming up with a new orginal charcter. Like imagine a white guy playing black panther.
The falcon becoming captain America is stupid because he has no superpowers and it basically confirms that he was just captain America's black side kick all along rather than legitimate superhero in his own right. They could have just choosen a black kid to carry on caps mantle.
The black Spider-Man thing is kinda stupid because they are basically saying tgat they couldn't come up with a new decent black superhero.
Lion king was set in Africa, africa is not a race and lions aren't black. I'm pretty sure the African versions of the lion king have African voice overs.
Imagine Prince Bariam and the Fairy Bride replaced by all white actors.
If you look at Bollywood, Pakistani cinema, Nigerian cinema, Egyptian cinema and hong Kong cinema white people are clearly discriminated against.

[SpiderManFan2002]

Nobody took anybody's job, they were simply the better fit.

If you honestly cared about the accuracy of Ariel, you'd be triggered about the fact that they made Ariel a white redhead in the cartoon when in actual fact in the original little mermaid tale the movie was based on, Ariel had bluey or greeny skin.

[Britantic]

Of course they were the "best fit".
Your just mad that I called you on your BS.
The little mermaid Disney live action movie is supposed to be based on the cartoon like the live action cinderella or beauty and the beast.
FYI Alladin is a Chinese story not arabian so Jasemine's ethnicity and Aladdin's is wrong.

[SpiderManFan2002]

In the cartoon original Agraba was a fictional town in Arabia. Why do you think the opening title to Aladdin was called "Arabian Nights". Jasmine would have been Arabian. But for the live-action remake, they cast a half white half Indian girl because she was the best fit for the role.

I'm not mad. I love the way you get mad because I don't look at actors/actresses for colour, I look at them for ability. Honey, don't get the crown from the toybox in a twist. ;)

[Britantic]

If you look to up it's all set in China.
So you want Disney to stick to their orginal version of Alladin with all Arab versions of the live action cast but change Ariel to black just because...

[SpiderManFan2002]

In the book, some traditional tales Aladdin is set in China.

But the 1992 film is set in Arabia, in the fictional city of Agrabah:
www.google.com/search

And the remake is also set in Agraba.

Did you even read what I said? Yes, Jasmine is half white half Indian but that doesn't matter because she slayed as Jasmine, her acting, her singing, her dancing. Everything. She was picked because she was the best woman for the role.

When it comes to fictional characters, I don't see colour hun, I see performers with potential. ;)

[Kovazein]

That is one heavy subject considering how much attention it's getting. I will say that if the race of a character is important to the story or the setting, it should be as the source material. The new Disney remake age in general is for me just a lazy cash grab. Now Aladdin actually made Jasmine a character and sorry if that is arrogant, racist etc. But when watching the movie the only actor I disliked in the cast was the "hot Jaffar" as he became a less intimidating villain. With Jasmine I had to look up what was Naomi's background. It did not move me as her performance was great in the movie. With Little Mermaid I do not really care who plays her, and the only reason for not liking the fact she is black that I can accept is how the mermaids got black skin under water (it would be cool if they made her like a fish monster who wanted to look human). The general thing with Disney films is people nostalgia and their image of childhood. Now that Disney changes certain things, people who grew up with them feel like their own childhood and memories are attacked and replaced. Now I personally only liked Aladdin from these movies. I already have a lot of dislike for the Lion King, but not for the fact that they changed the actors. Heck the African theme of the movie and possibility of new theme inspired music is exciting. What I do not like is cutting out parts that made people uncomfortable despite these scenes were supposed to do that and again recycling the same thing for profit.

[Kurαȷ]

Except that people absolutely DID complain when Disney cast a half-white to play Jasmine.
In fact, a number of reputable news sources straight up accused Disney of whitewashing and colorism for it.

But now that the people are complaining about a new adaptation of Ariel choosing not to respect the source material in a much more blatant manner, those same news articles that cried white washing are now deriding the criticism as "racist trolling".

And THAT is the issue, the issue that you are staunchly choosing to completely ignore because of your personal bias.
This is not about representation, actors or authenticity, this is about the toxic hypocrisy of liberal politics.

[SpiderManFan2002]

@Kuraj Tell me did they start a #NotMyJasmine hate campaign on Twitter? I don't think they did.

[Kurαȷ]

You mean like these ones?

twitter.com/justtaraaa/status/886468387265814528
twitter.com/soIargay/status/886309633878634498
twitter.com/kardvelvets/status/887819837983948800
twitter.com/.../886342451300102144
twitter.com/AngieeT96/status/886792766193373184
twitter.com/fmidaa/status/886523925550817280
twitter.com/ytnewtfour/status/886661935407783936

[SpiderManFan2002]

Firstly, those people are idiots, who are equally as childish and racist as the ones who started the #NotMyAriel hate campaign. Because Naomi slayed as Jasmine, it was clear she was the perfect person for the role, in a way, the way she played out her characteristics improved Jasmine so if those people are stupid enough to boycott Aladdin for something as silly as Jasmine's ethnic background, then they're missing out on an amazing performance.

And #NotMyAriel was a trending topic on Twitter.

[Kurαȷ]

That tag is trending because of all the people who are mocking it and calling it racist.

[Yesplease23]

Naomi scott is not light for a arab they are arab not indian

[brennanhuff]

People did complain how the new version of jasmin was "white washed". Plus she's lighter, but she's still racially aligned. Aladdin is not completely arabian, it combines arab and indian culture. So jasmin makes just as much sense to be indian as arab. Look at the palace in Aladdin for the cartoon. It sure looks a lot like the Taj Mahal, does it not? And aladdin had arranged marriages, which is not just arab, but often known for a thing in Indian culture and suggests the caste system with aladdin being born of peasant worth compared to the elite princes and cast. That's also Indian culture.

[Lilypad1223]

My problem with it isn’t so much that she’s black it’s more that their are a lot of red heads that could have played the role. I love looking at red headed girls lol. I think it would have been cool if they’d gotten an actual danish girl to play the role, or better yet, in one of the animated movies Ariel had a friend that was black, they could have made a whole new movie about her life and casted the girl they cast to play Ariel. Honestly I wouldn’t have seen it anyway, I’m worn out with these remakes and every time a new one is announced it sends me into a pit of despair.

[Sevenpointfive]

i'm sorry, but to me it's like making a movie about michael jordan (basketball star) and casting him as white, or Asian, or hispanic...

it doesn't make sense. everyone knows he was black. he was an amazing athlete and it would be disrespectful to change his race just because hollywood can't make things interesting anymore.

[JDavid25]

Michael Jordan is a real person... LOL..

[Sevenpointfive]

@JDavid25 yes he is. but where does the line cross? are we talking strictly fantasy characters played by another race? idols and icons stripped of their race from the source material is like taking a shit on a fans face.

[JDavid25]

The thing is that like I mentioned before y'all always go to the extreme.. That's not a great comparison.. They ain't castin "Black" people as non fiction characters.. They are a few fictional fantasy type characters that could have been anybody but was "White" for the sake of it..

[Sevenpointfive]

@JDavid25 whatchu talkin bout?

s1.reutersmedia.net/.../

[Sevenpointfive]

www.huffpost.com/.../26-times-white-actors-played-people-of-color-and-no-one-really-gave-a-sht_n_56cf57e2e4b0bf0dab313ffc

[JDavid25]

@Sevenpointfive.. What are you tryna tell us? 😂😂.. Whose side are you on?

[Sevenpointfive]

@JDavid25 i guess that no one really cares if the actors are portraying real people, but they do when they are fictional? is that weird?

[JDavid25]

Yeah that is weird.. Kina messed up really.. Lol...

[AuroraRoseat]

Completely agree. It shouldn’t matter at all. If the race isn’t an important factor to the story, then it shouldn’t matter. What I find interesting is her most of the people against it fail to understand that the media was (and is still) white dominated and that minorities were at times barred from entertainment (which is why whites played such roles).

[SpiderManFan2002]

Exactly! :)

[Smegskull]

I always thought Jasmine was mixed race (hence why she went so long unmarried) Indian Vs Arabian lines get blurry going back in time.

That was the one problem I did have with Alita. I thought after ghost in the shell they'd have learned their lesson but nope, America still hates Asians. (Also please stop refering to South Americans as "Latin" they are of half Spanish decent which is Carthaginian not Roman)

The one that bugs me the most is Egyptian based films. I think it's because Hollywood is scared of backlash if they depict people of colour as slave owners rather than victims but damn it's distracting when you see the palest Pharaoh imaginable not 90% sunburned.

[UnknownGagsUser]

At least Jasmine wasn't a white woman they casting but for Ariel it's completely different we all know and even kids know that Ariel is a white woman with red hair and blue eyes

[SpiderManFan2002]

Jasmine was half white, and India and Arabia are so different! But I don't have any complaints, Naomi killed it!☺

Actually in the original tale of the little Mermaid she looked like this:
www.bing.com/.../search

So if people care so much about accuracy why didn't they make Ariel look like that?

[ThisDudeHere]

An already existing deviation from the source material does not excuse further deviation. Yes, apparently Ariel was originally dark-haired but was made into a redhead in the cartoon. But the Ariel or the cartoon at least somewhat passes, unlike Halle.
Going from a dark-haired white girl to a redhead white girl is like going from a regular bear to grizzly bear - it mostly passes, especially if there are uninformed people who wouldn't be able to tell one apart from the other anyway.
Going from white to black is like going from a grizzly to a panda - you're not fooling anyone.

[WarmSunflower]

I still don’t agree with it. The role of Jasmine should be given to an Arab actress. This coming from an Indian woman myself. I just think the actors should fit the role of the character that they’re playing. Ariel is white. You can’t deny that. She is pale skinned, blue eyes and red haired. We all watched her cartoon on TV. A white woman should play Ariel because she fits the role.

[SpiderManFan2002]

I personally disagree. You can not fault Naomi on how she played Jasmine.

[Billybob643]

The only way race plays into a role in my opinion is when there is a specific geographical region as the setting or a character trait deeply engrained to the character. James Bond should always be a man and British. That is integral to the character and would be ridiculous to cast anyone else in that role. Ariel however is a mermaid, and mermaids could literally be anything. So having a black actress is not really controversial. There are specific characters like Peter Parker (Spider Man), who is supposed to be a dorky white guy or Black Panther, where I think the race is integral to the character. It would be odd to see a Chinese person play one of those roles.

[EmperorOfRussia]

Are you for diversity or not?

When will we see a Black actor portraying Adolf Hitler?

[SpiderManFan2002]

Hitler actually existed, so no.

Ariel is fictional.

[EmperorOfRussia]

Well... Julius Caesar existed, King Arthur existed, Oenomaus existed, Spartacus exisyed...

And your PC-SJW troupe already have portrayed them as "Blacks".

[ThisDudeHere]

Medieval Europeans also existed and yet they're occasionally portrayed by black actors.

[_Jay_]

Fair points there.

[EmperorOfRussia]

Hey, @SpiderManFan2002, is everything OK with you? You've been so quiet!

[SpiderManFan2002]

Yeah man, I'm cool, I just have a job and friends and a life outside of this website. I get a lot of opinions and replies and I write a lot of content so I don't have time to reply to everyone

But if you a grown man is so eager to hear the opinion of a teenage girl, then I won't keep you on edge for any longer.

Historical figures should be portrayed by actors of the same race as them for historical accuracy. And if what you are saying is true then that is wrong. Also, don't ignore that many black people who have existed have also been portrayed by white actors too.

atlantablackstar.com/.../

[EmperorOfRussia]

I'm not so eager to hear you, for sure. I just think you should stop polluting this platform with your ignorace and half-witted opinions. Just in case if you weren't telling lies on purpose or trolling...

That's just it. I see your comments about "diversity" and "multiculturalism" getting disproven every single time.

[SpiderManFan2002]

In not telling lies nor am I trolling. Just my opinions which come from real life experiences.

And it is so sweet that you remember me for what I post! You also remember my comments about diversity and multiculturalism?😮 I must really get in your head, mustn't I little guy?😂

You ask if I'm okay, you clearly wait for my responses after you made a reply about me being quiet, and now you remember the things I say on this website!😃

Always nice to have a fan!😆☺☺☺☺👌👌👌👍👍👍

[EmperorOfRussia]

@SpiderManFan2002 I was just bored, when it happens I like to find a random idiot to poke fun at...

Well... You happened to fit this description! Random idiot...

[SpiderManFan2002]

Thank you for at least having some kind of thought about me, nice to know I take up some of your brain power. ;)

And honestly, this is what you do when you get bored? When I get bored I usually text a friend or something. Do you not have friends?

[_Jay_]

Honestly both of you could use some friends. And I'm not talking about online ones.
You two argue like an old couple so get together or stop arguing. Please. Its annoying others.

[SpiderManFan2002]

@_Jay_ If this is annoying you I apologise and I did not mean to cause any upset.

But seriously, don't suggest I get together with a grown man considering I'm only 16. That's really creepy he's almost twice my age. My school friends would agree that's pretty creepy too.

I apologise for annoying you. I had no intent to cause any annoyance to you and I am sorry.

[_Jay_]

I mean like you both have points and thats normal. My opinion still is that we should follow the race if original characters. Just like i would kill anyone who made black panther white, I'd kill anyone who made superman black. Those things are not supposed to be done...

[spunkygiraffe]

Agreed! I feel like if the story includes a lot of cultures that are specific to a certain race or whatever, movies should try sticking with that, but something like The Little Mermaid is like, not very cultural, XD, mermaids, and stuff.

[Anonqueryer]

I get what you’re saying but I so wish the Jasmine actress would have been a darker skinned, more Arabian looking character... for a couple of reasons: Representation for darker skinned, Arabian looking girls and to keep the good story and characters the same!

[AngelLily]

Princess Jasmine is not even close to dark skinned at all she's practically got the same color as the human actor are you looking at the same pic I'm looking at? also the reason those other movies did good playing the character and people didn't complain is because the people playing said characters actually looked like the caricature unlike Ariel.

[Stoner710]

Someplace acts to require for people to be of certain race like Othello Othello has to be black and the rest has to be white or Othello has to be white and the rest of the cast black because Iago is a racist bastard and the fact that Othello is a different race then the rest of them he has to be of a different race then the rest of the cast. But that’s rare when it needs to be that specific

[Iamagoodguy]

I think it’s not because they did have a black actors are because sometimes it’s not based on skill but how many people of colour are there which isn’t what you should do you go who is the best actor then there are the racists who do just care there black and the new Aladdin doesn’t look right.

[John_Doesnt]

I think Scarlett Johansson did a great job in Ghost in the Shell.

[SpiderManFan2002]

I haven't seen it, but she's a great actress so I'm sure she did :)

[Yesplease23]

Anime character usually don't look Japanese that's why she was perfect for it because she look like character