The D23 Expo is underway, and we’ve already been treated to some amazing things. One of those things was a first look at the live action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey.
We love the animated version of The Little Mermaid and have been following all the news for the live action adaptation since Bailey’s casting was announced in 2019. At that time, there was a lot of controversy over her casting. Because well, she’s a black woman, and Ariel is white. As we mentioned in our piece on that, we couldn’t care less what the haters think. We know she’s going to absolutely deliver.
The teaser trailer that was released further proves that. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have actually watched it since it debuted. And, I haven’t stopped crying since. As a child, like most, The Little Mermaid was one of my favorites. It was unique and had some amazing songs, including the classic “Part of Your World.”
Getting to see this new live-action version of The Little Mermaid with Bailey playing such an iconic Disney character is just going to make me fall in love with this story even more. Now, I know we are going to have those people out there who say things like “we’ve seen this before” and all that. But I’m going to be the one to say I haven’t seen it before. Growing up, I loved watching all the films that featured Disney princesses. There just weren’t enough out there who looked like me.
I truly believe this is why I got so emotional watching the teaser. I immediately burst into tears at the 36 second mark when “Part of Your World” started to play and I saw Bailey swimming; I felt like a kid all over again. Only this time, I was seeing someone who looks like me. If I got this emotional, I can only imagine what a little black girl watching this must have felt like.
When Bailey started to sing, I lost it even more. We already knew she had a beautiful voice, but hearing her sing “Part of Your World” was so moving. And just think, we haven’t even heard her sing the full song yet.
If there was a doubt in anyone’s mind that she could pull this off, I hope this teaser put those doubts to rest. She’s pure perfection. Every part of this teaser was amazing. From the detail on Ariel’s tail, to the place where she keeps her treasures, it’s all so wonderful and contains that Disney magic we know and love. We are looking forward to being part of Ariel’s world when this film releases next year.
Check out the official teaser trailer for Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid Releases May 2023 and stars Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, and Daveed Diggs.
