‘The Little Mermaid’: Halle Bailey Makes a Splash as Ariel in Live-Action Re-Imagining (VIDEO)

During the 2023 Oscars, Disney debuted the official trailer for its upcoming The Little Mermaid live-action film, which reimagines the classic animated musical with Halle Bailey starring as the titular mermaid, Ariel, and Melissa McCarthy as the evil Ursula, who tricks the naive mermaid into a life on the land.

The Little Mermaid features Ariel, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, who longs to discover more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric,” according to Disney. “While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She deals 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.”

The film stars singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel; Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric; Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian; Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle; Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder; Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina; Art Malik as Sir Grimsby; with Javier Bardem as King Triton; and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

Two of the film’s stars, Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, debuted the trailer during ABC’s live broadcast of the 95th Annual Academy Awards. Oscar nominee Rob Marshall directs The Little Mermaid. The film is produced by Marc Platt, Miranda, two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca, and Rob Marshall, with Jeffrey Silver serving as executive producer.

The Little Mermaid, Friday May 26, 2023