I've seen the Little Mermaid posts and complaints on CB, and yeah, a couple complained about the hair color (not bright red), but nobody complained about her race. Mermaids aren't real. Regardless of the race of the actor, you can still give the thing bright red hair.
Now, I don't care about the Little Mermaid. I have mostly sons and my wife doesn't like going to the movie theater. Since I have no dog in the fight I don't bag on it.