Disney dropped a new trailer for the upcoming live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. The 30-second preview showcases many more hints as to what’s to come in the film. We see Ariel meet Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King. One of the most exciting reveals was Melissa McCarthy‘s Ursula, who laughs at the end of the preview. Bailey tweeted the teaser with the caption, “i’m so very excited to continue the #Disney100 celebration with this new look at #TheLittleMermaid just 100 days until it arrives in theaters!”
With Bailey and McCarthy, the film stars Javier Bardem (Dune, Skyfall) as King Triton. Additionally, the film includes the voice talents of Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder) as the fish, Flounder, and Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, Snowpiercer) as the crab, Sebastian. Awkwafina (Oceans 8, Crazy Rich Asians) will voice the seagull, Scuttle. In March, McCarthy told Entertainment Tonight that she’s “so excited to see it in its full glory.” She continued, saying, “Doing the Mermaid and working with [director] Rob Marshall and doing one of my favorite villains of all time was an out-of-body experience. I loved it.” She told ET, “every single part of that process was amazing and beyond.”
“The Little Mermaid” Trailer
At the D23 Expo in September, Bailey told PEOPLE how the role changed her. She said, “I’d definitely say coming into this film I was a lot more, I think, just young-minded and a bit more not sure of myself so much. The whole experience of filming, in more ways than one, mirrored Ariel’s journey of finding herself and her voice.” Apparently, on the last day of filming, she broke down in tears. She told PEOPLE, “I remember at the end of filming, wrap day, I was just sobbing because I truly felt like I had come out of this cocoon with Ariel. This story has done so much for me and the filming process has really kind of changed my life. I’d definitely say it mirrored what Ariel goes through in the film.”
Bailey also said that the film “changed [her] perspective on everything” and “impacted [her] life in so many ways.” She hopes that her portrayal as Ariel will mean as much to younger audiences as it does to her. The representation is long overdue. “The fact that now it’s getting to be played by me, a person who looks like me, woman of color, I’m just like, wow, I’m so grateful what it will do for all the other little Black and brown boys and girls who will see themselves in me. Because I know if I had seen myself when I was younger, I think my whole perspective would’ve changed.” The live-action version of The Little Mermaid will hit theaters on May 26, 2023.
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