Over the past few years, Disney has made a habit of out doing live-action remakes of their beloved animated blockbusters. We saw this to great success with projects like Maleficent and The Lion King, and that trend continues with Rob Marshall’s highly anticipated take on The Little Mermaid. Singer/actress Halle Bailey will play the title role of Ariel, and she recently shared some more underwater footage from the movie– including a brief glimpse of Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the Sea Witch. Is it March yet?
Rob Marshall assembled a killer cast to bring his vision for The Little Mermaid to life, which includes live-action performances and voice acting for the animated characters. Halle Bailey is leading the way, and recently posted a brief teaser for the movie on her personal Instagram. In addition to seeing more of Ariel’s life under the sea, the final moments offers the first footage of Melissa McCarthy’s villainous Ursula. Check it out below:
I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely dying to see a full trailer for The Little Mermaid. It looks like a colorful and fun take on the classic 1989 animated movie, while also offering something fresh. And smart money says that Melissa McCarthy is going to be a total scene stealer as Ursula. After all, she’s an iconic villain known for being over the top and fabulous.
Halle Bailey shared this Little Mermaid clip with her 4 million followers, while celebrating that the movie is only 100 days away from arriving in theaters. Given this timeline, it’s actually somewhat surprising that Disney hasn’t offered the public a full trailer just yet. But perhaps work is still happening on the visual effects, of which I’m sure there will be plenty. We’ll just have to wait and see when more footage is finally offered to the generations of Little Mermaid fans.
The Little Mermaid
Director: Rob Marshall
Writer: David Magee and Jane Goldman
Cast: Halle Bailey, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King.
Release Date/Platform: March 26th in theaters.
The clip featured a bunch of new footage, including some really visually striking shots from the live-action Little Mermaid. One in particular shows Ariel swimming towards the surface, inching close to her own reflection. We also see her interacting with fellow sea creatures, and even a brief shot from the “Kiss the Girl” sequence, including a clear view of Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. But the teaser waits until the final few seconds to offer a tease about Ursula.
Disney is still keeping its cards close to the chest, so Melissa McCarthy’s full look as Ursula isn’t visible just yet. Instead we were simply shown the Gilmore Girls alum‘s eyes as the Sea Witch, with the rest of her face covered by a tentacle. One thing is clear: her cackle as Ursula is delightful, and perfectly pays homage to the original voice performance by the late Pat Carroll.
The Little Mermaid is currently expected to arrive in theaters on March 26th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.