Marina Egunure

CBS International Business School,

Cologne, Germany

E-mail: Marina.Egunure@cbs.-mail.de

ORCID 0009-0001-2686-3061

Ethnic diversity inclusion and racebending in global film industry: The Little Mermaid case

Mehran Najmaei

CBS International Business School,

Cologne, Germany

E-mail: M.Najmaei@cbs.de

ORCID 0000-0002-8717-602X

Krzysztof Wach

Krakow University of 

Economics, Poland 

E-mail: wachk@uek.krakow.pl

ORCID 0000-0001-7542-2863

Abstract. Racebending aims at promoting diversity and representation of ethnic minorities in films. It involves casting a Black person for a role that was previously played by a White character, often in the context of a live remake of an existing movie. This approach has generated a range of perceptions among audiences, leading to controversies, particularly online, where people express their views on the matter. While some people favour Racebending, especially Black people who are generally underrepresented in films, others oppose it. This study employed a mixed methods approach, combining sentimental analysis and quantitative research (N=154 respondents), with a focus on the new live remake of Ariel: The Little Mermaid (2023). 2,800 comments have been analyzed. The findings of this study reveal that people generally perceive Racebending negatively. As such, the film industry should consider creating new films for underrepresented minorities rather than relying on live remakes of existing movies. The social media content analysis identified seven categories of people's perceptions, including loss of childhood memories, falsification of the original, inequality, need for new storylines, tokenism, equality, and excitement/enjoyment. Furthermore, the study found that psychological involvement has a significant positive impact on people's perception of racebending. On the other hand, film nostalgia has a significant negative impact on people's perception of racebending. Those who possess limited recollection of film contents and backdrops, and are not inclined to emulate the protagonist's conduct, tend to view racebending in a less unfavourable light.

Received: March, 2025

1st Revision: January, 2026

Accepted: March, 2025

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2026/19-1/3

JEL Classification: D02, M14

Keywords: racebending, film nostalgia, psychological involvement, ethic diversity inclusion, film industry, black representation