When I first saw the title of this article, I was going to respond, If the remake is to be right on race, the little mermaid ought to be Danish.

But when I read what you wrote above, I realized that, because of Disney, 'The Little Mermaid' has become more than just a piece of Danish folklore; it has now entered the realm of 'the literature of Earth.'

Disney has made the story more like community property and thus has made it more open to some degree of taking cultural license with it. When you want to get the point across that something is meant to be universal, like Santa Claus, then anyone can assume that role.

When non-Danish people start to enjoy a Danish story and to embrace it, it is no longer simply a Danish story.

Japanese movie director Akiro Kurosawa did the same kind of thing with Shakespeare in Ran, I believe. Stories become just stories, and they can be adapted to different cultures so that all people can enjoy them. Are they doing that with Halle Berry's Little Mermaid? I don't know.

Now, I do feel that Berry is a bit old to be playing this role. I'd have hired Tawny Newsome for it--though Tawny isn't a teenager, either.

Yeah, I'll just shut up about age now and let the animators do their work. :)

EDIT: Halle Bailey, not Halle Berry. My apologies for the error!