Disney fans everywhere are dreaming of being part of Ariel’s world with the debut of the highly anticipated and long-awaited trailer for the live-action telling of The Little Mermaid. A storybook favorite, the underwater fairytale brings audiences into a beautiful world where King Triton rules the seas of Atlantica with a golden trident. While the Oscars are a big night for film buffs everywhere, Disney fans were anticipating the ceremony with a special kind of excitement this year, as it feels like we’ve been waiting for our look at Atlantica for years.
Among her and her six sisters, Ariel is the most ardent to find out what exists outside of the waters she’s used to, and the new trailer sees her getting along quite swimmingly (some pun intended) until a big moment changes everything for her. Suddenly, the appeal of the world outside of the sea is stronger than ever.
Prior to the trailer release during the Oscars, Melissa McCarthy and Halle Bailey walked to the stage together in stunning gowns as they spoke about their joy in telling this story. The movie will undeniably be a darker look at the story we know and love (though the original short story by Hans Christian Andersen is very poignant), but still full of joy and wonder as Ariel finds a way to make her biggest dreams come true — no matter what the cost.
Halle Bailey is swimming into our hearts as Ariel in the live-action remake alongside a suitably-stellar cast consisting of the fabulous Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as the debonair King Triton, and Jonah Hauer-King as the handsome Prince Eric. Of course, we can’t forget about our favorite land-dwelling and sea creatures, who will be brought to life by the talented Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina. Talk about an all-star cast.
One of the most anticipated portrayals in the film is McCarthy as Ursula; the terrifying sea witch is a juggernaut of a character in Ariel’s story, and an adversary who tempts her with the thing she wants the most in this world: the chance to be human. However, Ariel must pay a high price if she wishes to join the land of the walking. With McCarthy acting phenomenally in films such as Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Identity Thief, she’s a comedy powerhouse. We can only hope she’ll be spitting vitriol laced with humor and sarcasm when she makes her debut as Ursula.
Rob Marshall, director of The Little Mermaid, sang Bailey’s praises ahead of the film coming out in an interview with Variety, where he notes that he was taken aback after hearing her sing Ariel’s most iconic song.
“When she finished, I was in tears because she’s so soulful. You could tell right away that she was able to harness Ariel’s passion, her fire, her soul, her joy and her heart.”
Disney’s The Little Mermaid will undoubtedly be a grand adventure when Ariel swims into our hearts on May 26th.
