The Little Mermaid
Screengrab via YouTube

Latest Fantasy News: The original Ariel sings Halle Bailey’s praises as the dominant sea daddy knocks Aquaman out of the water

Arthur Curry can't hold a candle to the ultimate underwater heartthrob.

With only a few weeks left before The Little Mermaid officially arrives in theaters, chatter surrounding the film is at an all-time high.

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Early reactions heap high praise on Halle Bailey’s Ariel, with even the OG Little Mermaid chiming in to applaud Bailey’s talent. Even those criticisms about the designs for Ariel’s fishy friends are starting to fade, now that the first viewers have witnessed the film for themselves. Even with Bailey’s spectacular performance, however, one character is standing out more than any other, as fans drool over Javier Bardem’s thirst-inducing take on King Triton. 

Even The Little Mermaid can’t compete with hype for Tears of the Kingdom, however, with the game’s release date looming. As eager Zelda fans prep their systems to download the highly-anticipated game, we’re taking a look at the talented voice cast prepped to bring the story to life. 

Tears of the Kingdom is easily the most popular topic on fantasy fans minds at the moment, as sky-high Metacritic scores confirm fan suspicions about the game. It seems gamers have a stellar weekend ahead of them, as they enjoy everything that makes the latest Zelda game one of the best.

Metacritic scores shower praise on Tears of the Kingdom

Zelda with the Master Sword
Image via The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The latest entry in the long lineup of Zelda releases is nearly here, and gamers are lining up to try their hands at the game. Review codes for the game were scarce, but early response to the game is universally positive. The game’s Metacritic rating is soaring, at a whopping 97, and glowing reviews praise Tears of the Kingdom as a “triumph,” with promises that the game “will be talked about for years on end.”

It’s no wonder, considering this stacked cast

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Trailer
Image via Nintendo

All those shining reviews are only serving to drive the hype train onward. As fans gobble up every ounce of non-spoiled information they can find, they’re zeroing in on the game’s talented cast. A few returning favorites will once again bring characters like Zelda and Link to life, and several incoming stars are stirring up serious chatter among fans. We’ve yet to properly enjoy Mathew Mercer’s portrayal of series antagonist Ganondorf, and we can’t wait. 

Jodi Benson lauds Halle Bailey as ‘brilliant’

Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid
Screengrab via Walt Disney Pictures

Jodi Benson — the voice actress behind the animated Ariel we know so well — is among the waves of early viewers raining praise on Halle Bailey’s performance. She called the young actress “brilliant,” in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, gushing over the young star’s “purity of heart” and youthful “bravery and courage.” 

With an endorsement like that, it’s easy to find renewed faith in the live-action Little Mermaid. Early reactions may not have served the film well, but the way Benson makes it sound, even the film’s detractors are in for a pleasant surprise. 

Quite a few Tinker Bells have debuted over the years

Tinker Bells
Images via HBO Max/Disney/Disney Plus

The latest in a long line of Peter Pan adaptations arrived on Disney Plus a few weeks back, adding yet another entry to the rather overstuffed franchise. There are plenty of great Peter Pan flicks, of course, but few audiences are looking for yet another rehashing of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling’s storyline. They’re more interested in fun alterations of the story, though they’d far prefer those changes to veer a bit more Hook than Pan

Despite their general sameness, there’s something unique about each and every Peter Pan adaptation, not the least of which is the actor behind Tinker Bell. The beloved fairy has been brought to audiences in a variety of styles over the years, by an array of talented stars. 

King Triton beats out stiff competition to be named our official sea daddy

Javier Bardem as King Triton in Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'
Photo via Disney

Its been a water-heavy few months in the world of cinema, between the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the impending debut of The Little Mermaid and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Each underwater story sports its own subaquatic royalty, but one king easily takes the crown. Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry is undeniably a heartthrob, and plenty of people were melting over Tenoch Huerta’s Namor, but we’re personally far more taken with Javier Bardem’s Triton. The stunningly talented actor has yet to properly debut in the role, but brief clips and teasers are more than enough to sell us on Bardem’s dominance of the sea daddy market. 


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Nahila Bonfiglio
Nahila carefully obsesses over all things geekdom and gaming, bringing her embarrassingly expansive expertise to the team at We Got This Covered. She is a Staff Writer and occasional Editor with a focus on comics, video games, and most importantly 'Lord of the Rings,' putting her Bachelors from the University of Texas at Austin to good use. Her work has been featured alongside the greats at NPR, the Daily Dot, and Nautilus Magazine.