Fetch your shell bras team ‘cos we’re officially going down where it’s wetter: Disney has dropped the first teaser trailer for its live-action The Little Mermaid adaptation starring icon Halle Bailey. I am manifesting a nautical-themed remix of Chloe X Halle’s Do It for the soundtrack.
Disney is hold D23, its big ‘ol fan convention. So far it’s dropped a load of news about upcoming projects including The Little Mermaid.
ICYMI, the film will star Bailey as the titular little mermaid, with Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay and Awkafina have voice acting gigs as Sebastian the crab, Flounder the fish and Scuttle the diving bird respectively. Safe to say: a great cast.
In the trailer we only see a glimpse at Bailey as Ariel. I’m absolutely weak at the knees (tail?) with excitement at the thought of seeing the rest of the cast in full mer-regale.
As well as seeing Bailey in full mermaid form, we also get to hear a few tantalising notes of her singing ‘Part of Your World’. Ooh, I just time-travelled back into my seven-year-old self’s body and got a whole load of goosebumps.
The underwater world also looks pretty fucking magical. It’s giving Great Barrier Reef if it was, ya know, being protected from the effects of climate change. Plus Ariel’s tail is the stuff of childhood dreams. God, I want to be a mermaid so badly.
You can watch the trailer in its full fishy glory below:
The film will be directed by Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) and will feature four new songs by Alan Menken, the songwriter for the original animated film, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. I am predicting bangers.
There’s already a ton of hype about the film online, with people jazzed to see Bailey in the role of Ariel.
Me at the theater for Little Mermaid pic.twitter.com/9bOr8Xx7Vp
— THIQUE (@ScottieBeam) September 10, 2022
Forgive me for the person I will be once they begin the marketing campaign for Halle Bailey’s The Little Mermaid. I truly will make this film my entire personality when it drops https://t.co/vfmZJW9wya
— Johan Casal (@JohanCasal) September 9, 2022
The Little Mermaid 1989 – 2023
side by sidePart of your world@HalleBailey you’re perfect#TheLittleMermaid #HalleBailey pic.twitter.com/psN1JfjHJB
— That witch ᱬ (@lizziescoven_) September 10, 2022
me after that little mermaid trailer pic.twitter.com/uBQNNuX31T
— real snoozer (@DijahSB) September 10, 2022
For her part, Halle Bailey shared an ocean snap back in July 2021 to celebrate the movie wrapping its filming.
“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,” she wrote.
“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.”
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She also shouted out the rest of the cast, including Hauer-King who she called a “friend for infinite lifetimes”. AWWWW.
The movie is slated to drop at cinemas in May 2023, so you have plenty of time to prepare your tentacled Ursula costumes.
