Disney Debuts Live-Action Teaser Trailer for The Little Mermaid Featuring Halle Bailey Singing a Classic
Disney is taking fans back under the sea!
On Friday, the first trailer debuted for the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid.
The clip begins with beautiful underwater wildlife being shown before giving a first look at Halle Bailey as mermaid princess Ariel. She gracefully flows through the water before she gets a peek of the sun and quickly swims up for a closer look. Bailey is then heard singing, "Out of the sea ... ," before viewers see her face for the first time, revealing her auburn red locks.
"Wish I could be, part of that world," she soulfully continues from the classic "Part of Your World" song that was featured in the 1989 original.
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Out May 2023, the film is a reimagining of the 1989 animated classic. It tells the story of Ariel, who pines for life on land and falls in love with human Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King. Melissa McCarthy plays villainous Ursula, Javier Bardem is Ariel's dad King Triton, Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder, and Awkwafina voices Scuttle.
Director Rob Marshall, who previously made Mary Poppins Returns and Into the Woods for Disney, told Variety last month about Bailey's impressive audition for the role, recalling that he was "in tears because she's so soulful."
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"You could tell right away that she was able to harness Ariel's passion, her fire, her soul, her joy and her heart," said Marshall, 61, of the 22-year-old actress, who also stars in the upcoming The Color Purple movie musical. He added, "She looks stunning in red hair; not everybody does."
Marshall teased that Bailey's performance of the song "Part of Your World" is a particular standout in the movie.
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"[Halle] sings that moment up an octave from the original," he said. "It's the most chilling and the most thrilling film moment because it crystallizes not just her incredible vocal ability but the emotional passion she has in singing it."
Bailey also told Variety about breaking new ground and not letting racist backlash to her casting bother her. Instead, she just hopes she can inspire young audiences with the representation.
"I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they're special and that they should be a princess in every single way. There's no reason that they shouldn't be. That reassurance was something that I needed," she said.