The Little Mermaid is back. In its eagerness to turn all its classics into live-action films, Disney has reached one of the most recognized princesses in its history: Ariel. In 1989, Triton’s daughter arrived to prove that under the sea you could also be a diva, and now she is back with a remake that, yes, has raised quite a few controversies.
On the one hand, the controversies have come from the choice of the leading actress: Halle Bailey. The fact that she does not physically resemble Ariel caused a lot of controversy, especially among the racist public that has already been involved in similar controversies. But the debate continued to arise because of the appearance of the animal characters in the film: neither Sebastian nor Flounder have that original tenderness, something that has not pleased many.
However, those who have had the opportunity to see the film at the premiere assure that it is much better than many believe. Thus, we may be facing one of Disney’s big surprises for this year. The company has already recently released Peter Pan & Wendy on Disney Plus, so if this one does well, it will be a double hit this year. But what exactly do we know about The Little Mermaid?
What The Little Mermaid is about
The Little Mermaid is a classic that practically all of us have seen at one time or another. Undoubtedly, it was one of the biggest phenomena of the 90s, and in fact it was the film that opened the golden age of Disney animation. However, its plot often escapes from memory, so here is the official synopsis:
Longing to know the world beyond the sea, a young mermaid visits the surface and falls in love with handsome Prince Eric. Following her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula to experience life on land, losing her voice in the bargain.
Although we are accustomed, as we were with The Lion King, to seeing shot-for-shot live-action tracing, this version of The Little Mermaid promises much more. That is to say, the relationship with Eric and the mythology of the tritons and mermaids, as well as their life under the sea, will be explored more. Thus, we are faced with an extended version of the original film.
Cast of The Little Mermaid
he cast for the new version of The Little Mermaid has been chosen with the intention, in the words of director Rob Marshall, to convey the same charisma and intent as the original film, and even more so considering the added capacity of live action. In this case, the main actors chosen have been the following:
- Halle Bailey is Ariel
- Melissa McCarthy as Ursula
- Javier Bardem as King Triton
- Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric
- Art Malik as Grimsby (Eric’s butler)
- Sienna King, Karolina Conchet, Nathalie Sorrell, Kasja Mohammar, Lorena Andrea and Simone Ashley are Ariel’s sisters.
- Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian
- Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder
- Awkwafina voices Scuttle
- Noma Dumezweni has an undisclosed role
Trailer and posters of The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid has already released its main trailer, as well as dozens of promotional images and posters about the movie. As Disney usually does with its productions, we already know a lot about the movie, and there’s an added bonus! We can see, exclusively, the original interpretation of the song Under the Sea by Sebastian, with a large part of the scene that will be screened in the cinema.
Release date of The Little Mermaid
But when does The Little Mermaid premiere? The Disney movie arrives next May 26, 2023 in theaters around the world. It is expected to be another big hit, despite all the controversy that has surrounded the remake over the past few months.
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