Halle Bailey Shines in First Teaser for Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’

Fans have been eagerly awaiting footage from Disney’s live-action version of ‘The Little Mermaid’ ever since the film was announced. The studio dropped their first teaser trailer at the D23 Expo, and it did not disappoint. The trailer gives us a glimpse of the gorgeously rendered underwater world, and a sneak peek at Halle Bailey (Grown-ish) as Ariel. Bailey sings a bit of “Part of Your World” and let’s be honest: she slays it. If the trailer is anything to go by, The Little Mermaid may be Disney’s best live-action adaptation to date.

The film also stars Jonah Hauer-King (World on Fire) as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula,  Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, and Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle. Rob Marshall (Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns) directed the film, which will feature four new songs from iconic Disney composer Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Those four songs will join the classic songs from the 1989 animated film, which were written and composed by Menken and the late Howard Ashman.

Ever since Bailey’s casting was announced, the young singer and actor has been deluged with an all-too-predictable wave of angry racist trolls on social media. Apparently, people can accept sea witches and talking crabs, but they draw the line at a Black mermaid? The trolls can stay mad: Bailey is a star, and she is going to crush this movie. Bailey told Variety that she found support from her grandparents. “It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you,’” Bailey said.

The Little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26, 2023.

(featured image: Disney)

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

twitter