In honor of Disney celebrating 100 years, a new teaser for the live-action Little Mermaid was released on February 15. Melissa McCarthy’s magnificent Ursula is seen for the very first time. She shows off her cackle (and tentacle) in the final moments of the footage. Halle Bailey’s Ariel also sings “Part of Your World,” and we get a glimpse of Ariel and Prince Eric’s iconic kiss scene.
The cast includes Jonah Hauer-King as the dashing Prince Eric, and Javier Bardem as King Triton. Voice actors include Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
The latest footage comes 5 months after the first teaser trailer for the live-action film. The gorgeous first look was unveiled at the D23 Expo and featured Halle singing the iconic “Part of Your World.” The trailer has been viewed over 26 million times since its release.
Halle’s voice is truly incredible, as we’ve seen in the trailer and with her own music. Daveed spoke EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife back in 2021 about Halle being the new Ariel. “I just think that Halle is just the perfect choice for Ariel…everyone is going to fall in love with her immediately,” Daveed said. “She is so, so good. Her voice is not of this world. The things she can do vocally is something — I have never heard anything like it.”
Halle has received praise from Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the 1989 Disney animated film. “Halle, you were absolutely amazing!” Jodi wrote on Instagram in September 2022, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I’m SO proud of you… it was so wonderful to celebrate with your family here at #d23expo.” Halle responded, “Thank you so much @JodiBenson. This means the world to me coming from you! You made Ariel magical for us.”
The Disney animated movie kicked off the Disney Renaissance, which led to Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, and more. The Little Mermaid made over $235 million at the box office. The movie won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
The live-action version of The Little Mermaid is one of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2023. The movie is going to make a big splash over Memorial Day weekend. The film hits theaters on May 26, 2023.