Back in 2019, it was announced Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid movie had finally found its star. But now, all of a sudden, the film’s release date is fast approaching. It was only today, however, that we caught a glimpse of what we can expect from the fan-fave reboot.
Here’s what we do know about the new Little Mermaid movie.
The Little Mermaid live-action movie
Plot
Following the 1989 animated movie of the same name, The Little Mermaid is a live-action retelling of the same story. If you’ve seen the animated film (and seriously, who hasn’t?) or even read the Hans Christian Andersen source material, the plot description will sound awfully familiar:
“The Little Mermaid is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life — and her father’s crown — in jeopardy.”
Cast
Actress Halle Bailey, best known for her role on the sitcom Grown-ish, will play the little mermaid, Ariel. We also get Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, who you may know from TV series Little Women and Melissa McCarthy, who doesn’t need any introduction, thanks in part to her stellar performance in Bridesmaids back in 2011, will play Ursula.
Javier Bardem is billed as King Triton, Jude Akuwudike plays Joshua, Noma Dumezweni is Queen Selina, Jacob Tremblay will voice Flounder, Daveed Diggs lends his voice to Sebastian, and we’ll also see Kajsa Mohammar and Lorena Andrea, among a few others, make an appearance in The Little Mermaid.
Trailers
The first teaser for the new film came our way in September last year. Just when you thought you’d never get “Part of Your World” stuck in your head ever again, The Little Mermaid’s live-action remake reminds us that an earworm can last over three decades.
Although it was only for 15 seconds, the teaser pulled us in with Bailey’s singing.
Last month, Bailey released another look at the Walt Disney Studios live-action adaptation – you can hear her ethereal and gorgeous take on “Part of Your World” highlighted in the teaser below:
With that orchestral arrangement of Ariel’s “I want” song over the footage of her sisters, who we get a quick glimpse of, and that tease of “Kiss the Girl”.
Today, during the Oscars, we got more.
Disney’s track record with live-action (or “live-action,” considering the intense levels of VFX involved) adaptations of its beloved animated classics has been hit or miss (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Lion King, yay; Pinocchio, yikes!), but The Little Mermaid looks like another potential win in the making.
We can’t wait to see more. And hear more, since we’ve yet to experience the new songs by original composer Alan Menken or Encanto’s Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical additions and what they’re bringing to The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid teaser gave us a quick look at McCarthy as the baddest sea witch, her tentacles coiled around her while giving us poor unfortunate souls a mere taste of Ursula. With what we saw in the latest trailer, she’s got the Divine-inspired eyeshadow in what appears to be a straight-out of the animated film look. The cackle that caps the teaser is intriguing — giving us hope she can pull it off.
Prince Eric, meanwhile – we get it, but is a man really worth leaving everything behind for? Opinions aside, the ship scene in the latest trailer shows us just how stellar this new flick is going to be. We can’t wait.
The Little Mermaid Australian release date
The Little Mermaid is slated for release on May 25 in Australia.
While you’re here, why not check out Gizmodo Australia’s guide to what’s streaming this month on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Stan, Binge and more. We’ve also got one for all the good movies coming out in 2023 if that’s more your thing.