Yara Shahidi Discusses Her and Halle Bailey's Contributions To Disney's Live-Action Fairytale Revamps

Yara Shahidi is basically living in the Disney live-action renaissance, and she is not shy about who she thinks is nailing the assignment. Watching Halle Bailey step into Ariel’s fins and curls is one of those moments that feels like more than casting, it feels like the story finally matching the world we actually live in.

Here’s the complicated part though, Shahidi and Bailey are not just playing beloved icons, they are doing it while carrying the weight of history. The characters Disney made famous were traditionally white, and now two Grown-ish friends are helping push these classic fairytales into a new lane, where diversity is not treated like a threat to the plot.

And that same energy follows Shahidi into Peter Pan & Wendy, where she shares the screen with Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Alan Tudyk, and Jim Gaffigan as Neverland gets turned upside down.

Shahidi expressed her excitement to see Bailey bring Ariel to life.

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"If there’s anybody that is a princess just in real life, in the world, it’s Halle," Shahidi said

Disney

Shahidi’s whole reaction to Bailey as Ariel sets the tone for why these Disney revamps feel different, not just shinier.

When Shahidi talks about diversity and inclusion being interwoven instead of “jeopardizing” the story, you can practically feel the stakes behind the casting choices.

Both actresses, who co-starred on Grown-ish, break new ground in playing Disney icons, who have historically been white, and the two friends have been able to share in bringing diversity to the classic stories.

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Then Peter Pan & Wendy adds fuel, because Shahidi is sharing Neverland with Jude Law and the rest of the crew, including Ever Anderson and Alan Tudyk.

Shahidi said, "I think oftentimes people think of diversity and inclusion as threatening or jeopardizing the quality of the story instead of seeing how beautifully they can be interwoven together to create something that impacts even more people, that lets even more people into stories that we love."

In the Peter Pan & Wendy adaptation, Shahidi shares the screen with Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Alan Tudyk, and Jim Gaffigan.

Disney

And since the project went from a 2016 start to COVID delays, then filming in Vancouver, Bonavista Peninsula, and the Faroe Islands, it’s clear this movie had to earn its moment.</p>

The movie was brought to life by director David Lowery, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Toby Halbrooks, and Jim Whitaker served as the producer for this Walt Disney Pictures venture. The story takes us on a thrilling journey with Peter Pan, Wendy, Wendy's brothers, and Peter's closest companion, Tinker Bell, as they venture into the mystical world of Neverland.

Along this exciting expedition, Wendy finds herself embarking on a life-changing adventure, crossing paths with Peter's nemesis, Captain Hook. The wheels for a live-action adaptation of Peter Pan were set in motion on April 13, 2016, with Lowery helming the project as director.

Although the initial plans were to kickstart the production in April 2020 and conclude by August of that year, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into the schedule. Undeterred, filming eventually began in March 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Additional filming took place in August 2021 on the picturesque Bonavista Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador and in the Faroe Islands.

Disney didn’t just recast Ariel, it finally let the whole fairytale look like the audience.

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