Disney shares a new teaser for The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is probably the most hotly-anticipated Disney live-action remake we've seen in a while, and we're getting closer and closer to the film's release. Exciting!
Singer and actress Halle Bailey takes on the titular role of Ariel, alongside Awkwafina as seagull Scuttle and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
Here's everything we know about live-action Little Mermaid so far...
What do we know from the latest The Little Mermaid teaser?
As the film's release date gets closer and closer (26th May BTW!), the more tantalising the teasers and trailers get.
In the latest teaser released by Disney today (26th April) we see Ariel and Flounder encounter the shark in the shipwreck, the mermaid's playful teasing of the fish best friend's nervousness, an appearance from Scuttle and yet another rendition of 'Part Of Your World', which Halle is smashing.
Ariel 🌊 Ursula 🌊 King Triton 🌊 Prince Eric 🌊 Sebastian 🌊 Flounder 🌊 Scuttle
🎟️ Get tickets now for Disney's #TheLittleMermaid and see it in theaters May 26! https://t.co/zhN3i2ZM3p pic.twitter.com/PjEuVPw0Ze— The Little Mermaid (@LittleMermaid) April 26, 2023
The teaser also treats us to part of Ariel's bargaining scene with Ursula, which is almost word for word from the original, snippets of her time on land meeting humans and riding with Prince Eric in a carriage (anyone else buzzing for 'Kiss The Girl'?)
Javier Bardem appears briefly as King Triton as well, trident and all.
What has Halle Bailey said about training for The Little Mermaid?
Speaking to Edition ahead of the release of The Little Mermaid, Halle revealed the intense filming she had for the film, telling the publication she would often film for up to 13 hours in the water!
The majority of filming took place in Pinewood Studios in London and Halle explained how embodying the character of Ariel helped her get through those moments.
"I pushed myself as far as I’ve ever pushed myself in life. And I feel like the message from her [Ariel] was to know that you’ve always had it in you," she explained.
Halle went onto add Ariel was her favourite Disney princess growing up and she was excited for the film to redefine how audiences view Ariel.
She said: "I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy.
"It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants."
We can't wait to watch.
Is there a The Little Mermaid trailer?
There are a few! One dropped on the 12th March 2023, when stars Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy appeared on stage at the Oscars to personally introduce the latest look. In it, fans get their first look at Daveed Diggs as Sebastian the singing crab, and a few chords from 'Poor Unfortunate Souls'.
Following so much excitement, Disney dropped the first teaser trailer for The Little Mermaid back in September 2022. The clip sparked a wave of heartwarming responses online, including videos showing young Black children reacting to Halle in costume as Ariel.
Original Ariel actress Jodi Benson, who played the mermaid in the 1989 Disney animation, responded to our first look at Halle in the live-action adaptation at the time. Taking to her Instagram Stories, Jodi wrote, "So thrilled! So excited! Halle, you were absolutely amazing!" adding, "I'm SO proud of you and your beautiful performance as Ariel!"
The teaser trailer takes us, err, under the sea, where we get our first glimpse at Halle as Ariel, singing iconic song 'Part of Your World', no less. Also: the tail! It's all very magical. Have a watch here:
In a later trailer, dropped in February 2023, we got our first look at Melissa McCarthy as iconic villain Ursula. At the end of trailer Ursula's signature cackle is heard as we get a quick glimpse at her eyes from behind her tentacles.
It also contained our first look at Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and Ariel interacting in a clip which appears to be from the famous boat date scene. There's glimpses at Ariel's sisters and Ariel singing 'Part Of Your World' too. We can't wait!
Do we have any pictures from The Little Mermaid?
Halle Bailey shared a picture in character as Ariel, dropping the official Little Mermaid poster on socials - and she looks *amazing*. The pic sees Halle rocking a full mermaid tail as she sits looking up out of the water, aka a classic Ariel pose.
The actress went on to share some heartfelt words about the role, writing in the caption, "Words can’t describe how immensely honoured I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams, Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Come under the sea with me, in theatres May 26, 2023 🧜🏽♀️."
Already iconic!
Does The Little Mermaid have a release date?
Alongside the teaser trailer, Disney confirmed that The Little Mermaid is coming to US cinemas on 26 May 2023. We'd expect the film to be released in the UK around the same date or soon after, and it's also likely to stream on Disney+ shortly after cinema release. So there's not too long to wait, then!
Who will star in The Little Mermaid?
British actor Jonah Hauer-King will play Eric after going head to head with Krypton actor Cameron Cuffe. According to Deadline, Jonah's second screen test sealed the deal with Mary Poppins Returns’ director Rob Marshall.
It was previously thought the part might go to 13 Reasons Why star Christian Navarro - who plays Tony Padilla in the Netflix series - or Harry Styles, but he of course turned it down. Explaining his decision, the former 1D star said it was "a few things" and that he also wanted to focus on his solo career before taking another acting gig.
You might also recognise London-born Jonah from his role as Laurie on BBC’s Little Women mini-series which aired in 2017. He also played Harry in recent BBC drama World On Fire.
Meanwhile, Melissa McCarthy has been cast Ursula, The Room’s Jacob Tremblay will be voicing Ariel’s sidekick Flounder and Awkwafina will be Scuttle. Javier Bardem will be playing King Triton, while Hamilton's Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian.
What have the cast said about The Little Mermaid?
In celebration of finishing filming for The Little Mermaid back in July 2021, Halle Bailey shared a beautiful photo of her in the ocean in Sardinia, looking every inch the Ariel of our dreams (minus the tail).
She posted the snap on Instagram, with an emotional caption, saying, "After auditioning for this film when I was 18 just about to turn 19 , to now finishing filming through a pandemic when I turned 21 ..we have finally made it...💖"
Halle continued, "[I] feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory..it has been the toughest experience being away from everything and everyone I’ve ever known, to feeling self doubt/loneliness, but also feeling such freedom and perseverance as I’ve reached the end. This experience has made me so much stronger than i ever thought i could be."
She also gave a shout out to her fellow cast-mates, including Jonah Hauer-King (who plays Eric), Jacob Tremblay (Flounder) and Melissa McCarthy (Ursula), praising them for being, "masters of their craft but [still] so welcoming and open to little old me."
What will The Little Mermaid be about?
The remake of the 1989 cartoon will see Halle Bailey in her first film role as an adult. Halle is best known for being one half of musical duo Chloe x Halle with her sister. She also plays Sky Forster in Grown-ish, which incidentally, her sister Chloe is in too.
Taking to Twitter at the time, a thrilled Halle shared a cartoon depiction of her as Ariel, and wrote: “Dream come true”.
dream come true... 🧜🏽♀️🌊 pic.twitter.com/sndjYUS6wO
— chloe x halle (@chloexhalle) July 3, 2019
She also retweeted a post made by fellow Halle, Halle Berry, who said: “In case you needed a reminder... Halles get it DONE. Congratulations @chloexhalle on this amazing opportunity, we can’t wait to see what you do! #TheLittleMermaid #HalleBailey.”
In case you needed a reminder... Halles get it DONE. Congratulations @chloexhalle on this amazing opportunity, we can’t wait to see what you do! #TheLittleMermaid #HalleBailey pic.twitter.com/z0Rik2nxRe
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) July 3, 2019
Euphoria star Zendaya tweeted her excitement too, saying: “Yeeeeessss!! Here for thiiiissss!! @chloexhalle.”
The film is also set to see the original composer, Alan Menken, return with Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda bringing new music to the film. These new tracks will sit alongside classics like ‘Under The Sea’ and ‘Parts Of Your World.’
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