Disney drops 1st look at Halle Bailey as Ariel in live-action The Little Mermaid
Wouldn't you think Disney's collection of live-action remakes is complete? Not quite yet — there's still The Little Mermaid.
Disney has dropped the first trailer for its live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, revealing our first look at Halle Bailey as Ariel. The short teaser takes us under the sea and builds to a powerful rendition of the iconic song "Part of Your World."
The footage was revealed amid Disney's D23 expo, where the entire "Part of Your World" scene was shown. Eric Goldman of Fandom tweeted the full sequence looked "insanely great," and Bailey took the stage to enthusiastic applause from the crowd. She described shooting the "Part of Your World" sequence over three days as the "most beautiful experience of my life." The 22-year-old is primarily known for her work with her sister in the R&B duo Chloe x Halle.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Feeling all of the feelings that she feels, her passion, her discomfort, everything that she was experiencing, it was so exciting for me to play those emotions," Bailey said, adding, "Just getting to sing a song I've loved ever since I was a child was really exciting."
The Little Mermaid remake was directed by Rob Marshall, who previously helmed Disney's Mary Poppins Returns, and it also stars Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. It hits theaters in May 2023.
The Little Mermaid is also among the last films of Disney's "renaissance" era that had yet to be remade after live-action versions of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King were all box office hits. But a Snow White remake starring Rachel Zegler is also on the way, as is a prequel to the live-action Lion King remake titled Mufasa. Clearly, Disney's live-action reimaginings will be part of our world for years to come.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Eel-egal trade: the world’s most lucrative wildlife crime?Under the Radar Trafficking of juvenile ‘glass’ eels from Europe to Asia generates up to €3bn a year but the species is on the brink of extinction
-
Political cartoons for November 2Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the 22nd amendment, homeless camps, and more
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago.
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
