Fans of The Little Mermaid will be delighted to hear that the first official trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of the sea-themed fairytale is finally here!
The Little Mermaid Trailer Revealed During 2023 Oscars
During the 2023 Oscars, Disney revealed the film’s first full-length trailer. The movie’s stars, Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, presented the trailer, which kicks off with a shipwreck.
Mermaid Ariel (Bailey) saves seaman Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from the disaster and brings him to shore, but when she returns to her underwater home, she must answer to her domineering father, Triton (Javier Bardem), who is fed up with her “obsession with humans.” But Ariel can’t let it go, and soon turns to sea witch Ursula (McCarthy) to turn her into a human. A harrowing love story ensues.
The trailer is only the latest media drop surrounding the film. Bailey recently shared a poster from the film to her social media.
And just a week ago, the 22-year-old singer and actress showed off the doll version of Ariel created in her image in a video.
“omg the little girl in me is pinching herself right now ..i have my own Little Mermaid Ariel doll !!!” she captioned the video. “I can’t believe how much she captures my version of this iconic character brb gonna go cry now …”
Halle Bailey Rises Above Backlash
Bailey has faced backlash from the public as a Black woman playing what was previously depicted as a white character. But she isn’t letting the haters get her down.
In a Q&A session on her YouTube channel last September, she said, “Today, with all of the kind of commentary and people’s opinions going on, it just reminds me to be, number one, grounded and grateful that I have this opportunity, and the fact that it’s sparking such a discussion like this for all of us.”
She continued: “I know what it would have meant to me as a little girl to have been able to see a Black Ariel when I was younger. If I would have seen that, it would have changed my whole outlook on life.”
The Little Mermaid drops on May 26.
