Critics Say New Cheetah Girls Film Fumbles the Bag on Black Representation
The news of a fourth Cheetah Girls film coming from Raven-Symoné herself should be enough to get all Millennials and older Gen Z folks rushing to movie theaters. Instead, social media is not excited about the adaptation and has a lot to say about its lack of Black characters. Let’s get straight into it.
In case you missed it, Raven-Symoné had the internet shook when she announced that the rumors of a Cheetah Girls reboot that have been floating around on social media for weeks were true and The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen is in the process of filming.
“It’s gonna be Cheetahlicious,” she posted on TikTok with a video of her strutting to the film set.
In the comments, folks could not hide their excitement for the new film.
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“Words cannot describe how exciting this is! Galleria (Raven-Symoné) is my favorite,” exclaimed one user.
“This is the only good thing to happen to me since 2020, so thank you, bae,” added another.
But while some fans were overjoyed about the news, others were less than enthusiastic and had plenty of questions for Raven about the noticeable lack of Black actors in the cast, arguing that the new group is “not giving Cheetah Girls.”
Unlike the original Cheetah Girls films that featured two Black women, Raven-Symoné and Kiely Williams, one biracial woman, Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, and a white woman, Sabrina Bryan, the new film has a cast of one white girl, one Latina girl, one Asian girl, and one Black girl.
At the center of the film are Percy Jackson and the Olympians star Leah Sava Jeffries and up-and-coming actors Carmen Sánchez, Sophie Lennon and Kaileen Chang. And while Cheetah Girls fans on X have congratulated Jeffries for getting the role, they have not hidden their disappointment at the lack of Black cast members.
“Cast so light bright, I’m already tired,” posted one user.
“Leah being the only black girl…………,” wrote another.
“From 3 black girls to 1, a true gentrifying story,” added a third.
If we look at the source material and the films, there’s a clear reason why Black fans online are upset. In case you didn’t know, the Cheetah Girls films were based on the book series of the same name by African American author Deborah Gregory. In the novels, all five girls are Black, whereas in the films, only two of the four leading girls are Black. At the time, the novels and movies championed underrepresented stories, and one X user commented that the new films are not doing the same.
“You all aren’t grasping how sinister it is for Disney to go out of their way to cast a white girl, whitetina and a wasian. And this is a misrepresentation of what TCG was. It wasn’t simply about diversity. It was about representing the underrepresented,” they wrote.
On TikTok, content creators have had the same criticisms. @Mouseabolition called it irresponsible on the casting director’s part to set up the young girls for hate from original fans and to reduce the number of Black girls in the girl group.
“As an adult working with children in any capacity, you have a responsibility to understand and genuinely appreciate and take steps to protect them against the fact that they are more vulnerable than you are,” she stated. “They have been set up to be not even in the eye of the storm but spinning around the goddam cyclone.”
@mouseabolition just irritating on all sides idk edit: my b it’s been a minute since i read the book it’s actually 5 girls! #kennarambles #thecheetahgirls
Continuing, @Mouseabolition said she’d bet money that Disney casting directors think they’re doing good by adding more diversity, but pointed out that the new casting feels colorist and reflects life in President Donald Trump’s America.
“As things get more right-wing, Hollywood cows to that. They do; they’re cowards. This is as much a disrespect to those actresses as it is racist, but those three non-Black girls were not cast because anybody who works at the Disney Studios believes their presence is actually adding more diversity. They were cast because they don’t believe four Black girls can lead a film and have it be successful.”
In the comments, folks agreed with everything the TikToker had to say.
“I genuinely feel bad bc it’s not their fault. It’s the producers and casters’ fault. I’m probably not going to watch it, but good luck to them,” wrote one user.
“This casting feels so intentionally disrespectful to the legacy and the franchise honestly,” expressed another.
“It definitely made me excited when Raven gave her sneak peek post about it… Then I looked more into it and who’s in it, and it just looks cringe and makes no sense. Lost the essence of the entire movie completely,” wrote a third.
However, while most are upset with the new cast, others have left comments wishing the new Cheetah Girls well under the TikTok announcement.
@disneyplus The party’s just begun
Introducing The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen.
“Why are people so negative? Let the new generation also have some Cheetah Girls,” posted one user.
“Wow, I’m more disappointed in these comments! These are phenomenal young women who I believe are going to produce something beautiful, especially for their generation. Let’s support each of them,” added another.
No release date for the film has been set.
