We Will Finally See Halle Bailey As The Little Mermaid In Theatres In May

This article was first published on 16 February 2023.

Disney has just released a new trailer for its live-action remake of The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey, and it’s giving us all the feels.

After delays caused by the pandemic, Disney has confirmed that the film will be released in May in Singapore.

The Little Mermaid live-action trailer and cast

The teaser opens with Halle Bailey as the titular character singing what feels like a heart-wrenching rendition of the iconic ‘Part of Your World’. We then get our first look at Prince Eric, who is played by Jonah Hauer-King. In the end, we see Ursula in the shadows, portrayed by Melissa McCarthy, doing an evil laugh.

According to Disney Movies’ website, the storyline does not seem to have any deviations from Disney’s 1989 version. Ariel’s thirst for adventure calls her to explore life beyond the sea despite being forbidden to interact with humans. She then falls for Prince Eric and makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula to experience life on land, but it comes at a great cost.

Other cast members to watch out for are Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder and Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian.

The Little Mermaid live-action release date

The highly anticipated film will be out on 26 May 2023.

Criticisms about The Little Mermaid

Ever since Disney announced their casting choice for the role of Ariel in the live-action remake of the iconic 1989 animated movie The Little Mermaid, there's been a hot debate going on among fans. Some say that the casting of a black actress is a progressive step towards inclusivity in Hollywood and that race doesn't matter anyway as mermaids are fictional creatures. Meanwhile, others consider it disrespectful to the original version, which was based on the work of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and a lazy attempt on Disney's part to promote diversity.

But opposing arguments aside, let's get to know Halle Bailey, the actress chosen to play the coveted part. Keep reading to learn five fun facts about her!

5 fun facts about Halle Bailey

1. She was part of a sister act and is gearing up for her solo music career

Halle, together with her sister Chloe, started doing covers of songs way back in 2011, and eventually officially formed the contemporary R&B singing duo Chloe x Halle. Before taking a break from their joint music ventures, the pair released The Kids Are Alright in 2018 and Ungodly Hour in 2020 which both garnered a total of four Grammy nominations. Their popular songs include 'Grown' (the theme song of TV series Grown-ish), ‘Do It', and more.

Halle shared in an interview that she’s working on making her own music after being inspired by her sister's solo endeavours. She said that music is her first love, so it’s most likely that she’ll be launching her solo music project after her adventures under the sea.

2. Her acting debut was in Last Holiday

Halle's first-ever role was in a rom-com movie — with Queen Latifah, no less! It was a small role but a jumpstart to her acting career. Before getting the role as The Little Mermaid, she also had recurring roles in Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Disney Channel's Austin & Ally.

3. She was a series regular in Grown-ish

Aside from producing the theme song for Grown-ish, Halle and Chloe were also cast as regulars in the sitcom. They played the sporty and outspoken sisters Jazlyn and Skylar Forster, who are track athletes at Cal U. The show, which is a spin-off of the ABC series Black-ish, follows a college student named Zoe and her misadventures with friends. Halle stayed till the fourth season of the show.

4. She's in Beyonce's Lemonade visual album

In 2016, Halle and sister Chloe scored a cameo in Beyonce's Lemonade visual album, along with Zendaya and Serena Williams. The duo was first noticed by viewers with their cover of Beyonce's hit 'Best Thing I Never Had' so there's a real bond between the sisters and the multi-hyphenate popstar.

5. Halle was just 18 years old when she auditioned for The Little Mermaid

Director Rob Marshall first found out about Halle at the 2019 Grammy telecast when Chloe x Halle performed ‘Where Is the Love?’

He asked her to audition and sing Ariel’s iconic anthem ‘Part of Your World’. He said that he was in tears after listening to her soulful rendition, and the rest is history.

(Cover photo from: @disneylittlemermaid, Disney Singapore)