Prepare yourselves for Halle Bailey to enter your world. At Disney’s D23 expo, the first trailer for the eagerly anticipated “Little Mermaid” live-action adaptation debuted, showcasing the celebrated R&B performer and actor in the legendary role of mermaid princess Ariel.
This was a live action musical, which was praised by director Rob Marshall of “Chicago” renown. Speaking on the previous Oscar-winning picture, he stated, “When we started this journey it was really vital to commemorate the original” while also reimagining and “bringing some depth” to the new movie. In addition, the director requested that award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborate with “Little Mermaid” composer Alan Menken to create four new songs. It’s wonderful that they’re working together after never having done so before. The original score by the late, great Howard Ashman is still beautiful. According to Marshall, Bailey “came in and took the role” of the new mermaid. Marshall unveiled the first-ever video from “The Little Mermaid” shortly after the introduction, with Bailey singing the well-known “Part of Your World” song (for the D23 crowd only). The room was hushed as everyone watched this well-known but fresh performance. The crowd was visibly moved by a number of the performers throughout this breath-taking performance. One audience member cried, “She’s so good,” while another said, “I have chills.” After receiving thunderous cheers, the actress approached the audience and revealed information about the shoot. As a young kid, Bailey recalled the little mermaid, “Swimming in the pool, believing I was a mermaid, I never thought I could see that come to life.” It took three days to film “Part of Your World.” Regarding the differences between the animated film and the live-action version, Bailey’s fins seem to be a little bit longer than in the cartoon, and she’s given up the conical shell bra underwater look in favour of a slightly more fashionable alternative. The narrative of Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), the king of the undersea country Atalantica, is told in “The Little Mermaid,” an adaptation of the 1989 film from John Musker and Ron Clements, which was based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale from the 19th century. After rescuing the dashing Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a shipwreck and falling profoundly in love with him, Ariel, who is already enthralled by the world of humans, decides to meet him in the world above water. Her search puts her at odds with her father and in Ursula’s clutches, the cunning sea witch (Melissa McCarthy). Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, and Daveed Diggs, who play the voices of the iconic Disney sidekicks Flounder, Scuttle, and Sebastian, are also included in the cast. The story was written by Jane Goldman and David Magee, and the live-action “Little Mermaid” is directed by Marshall, who previously oversaw 2018’s musical family picture “Mary Poppins Returns” for Disney, as well as movie musicals including “Chicago” and “Into the Woods.” Together with Marc Platt and John DeLuca, Miranda and Marshall produce.