NewJeans Danielle Cast as Ariel’s Voice Actress in “The Little Mermaid”: Her Pronunciation Sparks Negative Reactions
Some Korean netizens react negatively to NewJeans member Danielle’s Korean dubbing in “The Little Mermaid,” citing her awkward pronunciation.
Disney’s new film “The Little Mermaid” has released the Korean dubbing cast and trailer. An event was held to reveal the identity of the Korean voice actress for the main character Ariel, but netizens have quickly figured it out. Interest turned to concern when the dubbing trailer was released.
On May 2, Disney Korea announced on its official social media channels that musical actors Jung Sang Hoon and Jung Young Joo will voice Sebastian and Ursula in the Korean dubbing version of “The Little Mermaid”.
Disney Korea also teased the identity of the voice actress for Ariel, offering a prize for those who guessed correctly and releasing a silhouette as a hint. The silhouette turned out to be NewJeans member Danielle, who is also heard in the Korean dubbing trailer for “The Little Mermaid”.
Although NewJeans is one of the most popular 4th gen idol groups at the moment, the reaction from Korean netizens to Danielle’s voice in the trailer has been negative.
Many previous cases of unsuccessful dubbing have involved inexperienced celebrities rather than professional voice actors. In 2017, for example, the Korean dubbing version of the Japanese anime film “Your Name” dubbed by Ji Chang Wook and Kim So Hyun, caused a controversy over miscasting.
In the dubbing trailer for “The Little Mermaid”, Danielle’s clear voice captured Ariel’s essence, but her inaccurate pronunciation caused some disappointment in the delivery of the lines.
As Danielle grew up in Australia with dual Australian-Korean citizenship, her Korean pronunciation is not entirely accurate and natural. Furthermore, “The Little Mermaid” is a musical film, which requires not only acting but also singing, adding to concerns.
Disney Korea has not yet provided a clear explanation as to why they cast Danielle as the lead role in the dubbing.
“The Little Mermaid”, set to be released in theaters in May, is a live-action musical film based on the animated film of the same name. It tells the story of Ariel, a mermaid who dreams of exploring the world beyond the sea. She saves prince Eric and follows her heart to venture into the forbidden human world.
Source: nate.
