The first look at Disney's live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid has been revealed. Based on the animated film of the same name released in 1989, The Little Mermaid is one of the studio's latest live-action adaptations to head to theaters after the likes of The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. The fantasy musical is being directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago) and stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
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The Little Mermaid tells the story of Ariel, a mermaid princess who longs to go to the surface world, eventually making a bargain with the evil Ursula to become human and win the heart of Prince Eric, which is short-lived as Ursula attempts to woo Eric for herself with the help of Ariel's voice. Production on the live-action The Little Mermaid movie saw a handful of setbacks amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Melissa McCarthy's schedule filming Nine Perfect Strangers. Just over a year after filming wrapped on The Little Mermaid, audiences are getting their first proper look at the live-action Disney remake.
Now, Disney has released the first The Little Mermaid trailer, featuring the first full look at Bailey as the live-action Ariel amidst the underwater landscape, as well as a quick tease of the song "Part of Your World". The trailer was revealed during D23, where the entire scene of Bailey singing the song was shown. Marshall revealed that the live-action version would also feature four new songs, by Alan Menken and Lin Manuel Miranda. Take a look at the trailer below:
The early footage of The Little Mermaid looks to be well in line with the live-action/CGI hybrid that's followed other Disney animated film adaptations, some of which include the recently-released Pinocchio, The Lion King, and Lady and the Tramp. Marshall has praised called Bailey's work on the film a "tour de force" while presenting the trailer at D23, saying that "musicals were gone" when the original animated film debuted, which reinvigorated the genre. Bailey also stated that it took three days to film the sequence and song for "Part of Your World" in the live-action adaptation, which appeared to be the most notable presentation at D23 for Disney's line-up.
The Little Mermaid is one of the long-standing favorites of Disney's animated library and continues to maintain its popularity from generation to generation. Bailey's casting initially faced some racial backlash, but the actress has more than proven to be a perfect fit for this new take on the classic tale, especially with her vocal chops. With even just a little tease, the hype is already bubbling to the surface for The Little Mermaid, which is sure to be one of the bigger films at the box office, when it debuts on May 26, 2023.