At the Disney fan expo D23 on Friday, Disney unveiled the first teaser trailer for the live-action remake of the 1989 animated film, featuring Halle Bailey’s mermaid Ariel singing “Part of Your World.” The remake is set to be released in theatres on May 26, 2023. The video shows Bailey singing underwater in full mermaid mode, to a standing ovation from the audience.
The fact that this was a live action musical was celebrated by director Rob Marshall of “Chicago.” When asked about the Oscar-winning film from the past, he stated, “When we started this journey, it was very important to honour the original” while also reimagining and “bringing some depth” to the new film. The director also asked “Little Mermaid” veteran Alan Menken to collaborate with award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda on four new songs. “They had never worked together before, and it’s magical…. We still have the original score by the late great Howard Ashman.”
According to Marshall, Bailey “came in and claimed the role” of the new mermaid. Marshall debuted the first-ever footage from “The Little Mermaid” shortly after the introduction, with Bailey singing the well-known “Part of Your World” song (for the D23 crowd only). The room was silent as everyone watched this well-known but fresh performance. The audience was visibly moved by a number of the performers during this breath-taking performance. One audience member yelled, “She’s so good,” while another exclaimed, “I have chills.”
After receiving thunderous cheers, the actress joined the audience and shared information about the shoot. When Bailey was a little girl, she said, “Swimming in the pool, imagining I was a mermaid, I never thought I could see that come to life.” Bailey’s fins appear to be a bit longer than the cartoon version, and she’s ditched the conical shell bra underwater look in favour of something a bit more sophisticated.
The story of Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), the king of the underwater kingdom Atalantica, is told in “The Little Mermaid,” an adaptation of the 1989 film from John Musker and Ron Clements, which was based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale from the 19th century. After rescuing the dashing Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a shipwreck and falling deeply in love with him, Ariel, who is already fascinated by the world of humans, decides to meet him in the world above water. Her quest puts her at odds with her father and in Ursula’s clutches, the cunning sea witch (Melissa McCarthy). Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, and Daveed Diggs, who play the voices of the iconic Disney sidekicks Flounder, Scuttle, and Sebastian, are also included in the cast.
The script was written by Jane Goldman and David Magee, and the live-action “Little Mermaid” is directed by Marshall, who previously oversaw 2018’s musical family film “Mary Poppins Returns” for Disney, as well as movie musicals like “Chicago” and “Into the Woods.” Together with Marc Platt and John DeLuca, Miranda and Marshall produce.
On May 26, 2023, “The Little Mermaid” will be released in theatres. See the complete first look below.
