Disney has revealed the first teaser trailer for their highly anticipated live-action remake of The little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. The teaser trailer, which will premiere as part of Disney’s D23 Expo, takes us on a journey across the ocean with Ariel and not only gives a first look at Halle Bailey’s Little Mermaid, but also shows us the kind of vocal gymnastics hear that the actress will bring to the role . Watch the trailer below.
As with many of Disney’s live-action films, there’s very little that can be faulted in the rendering of the animation, be it an abandoned shipwreck, underwater sea creatures, or Ariel’s glittering tail herself. The real question is how the film will be received by the public when it hits theaters next year, and the trailer doesn’t reveal too much in that regard.
Even in the short teaser, there are shots that fans of the original 1989 film will instantly recognize, suggesting that The little Mermaid will follow the same spirit as Beauty and the Beast and aladdin to turn the classic Disney animation we know and love into a shot-by-shot live-action iteration, with a few new songs and one or two changes necessary to extend the short running time of the original film to something that is acceptable for a modern cinema audience.
The Little Mermaid Trailer Doesn’t Show His Other Characters
While Disney’s first teaser for The little Mermaid gives a much-anticipated first look at Halle Bailey in action as Ariel, it doesn’t even hint at the other characters in the film, if you don’t factor in a very fleeting and shadowy appearance of Flounder, Ariel’s fish friend. This means we’ll have to wait for the full trailer to be released to see Javier Bardem’s King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
Many issues have arisen regarding the casting of Bailey in the lead role, mainly due to the fact that some social media trolls were unable to see her play the part of Ariel as a black actress. Even from the short shot seen in the teaser alone, it’s clear why Bailey was cast in the role, and when the film hits its mark, it could provide Disney with their biggest live-action remake to date. .
The little Mermaid has suffered a few delays in production, and after it was caught up in the Covid pandemic, the original summer 2022 release date was pushed back by an entire year to May 2023. While this was a blow to both the cast and crew, as as well as fans who can’t wait to see Ariel swim to the big screen as a live-action character, it was a necessary delay given the amount of film delays the film ran into and how many visual effects then had to be completed in post-production. While we probably won’t see a full trailer for a while, this first glimpse is a tantalizing look at what could be another $1 billion baby for Disney.
The little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26, 2023.