Disney’s animated “The Little Mermaid” is really beloved, and most of Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have grossed over $1 billion at the box office and have been generally adored too. But “The Little Mermaid,” the live-action reimagining of the studio’s Oscar-winning animated musical classic that dares to star a black girl as Ariel, Halle Bailey (“grown-ish”), has been met with, let’s say, some backlash and controversy from those corners of the Internet. Those corners that like to use the terms like “race-bending” “woke” casting and generally show massive discontent when the skin color of an animated character does not match the live-action counterpart.
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So yes, it’s a film that’s been mired with counterattack and criticism, but as usual, it seems to be a small but very vocal section of the Internet and social media that seems to always gain a lot of attention (which maybe makes an argument not to amplify these voices if they cause outrage).
Regardless, helmed by filmmaker Rob Marshall, “The Little Mermaid” opens exclusively in theaters nationwide on May 26, 2023, and a new trailer has been released during the Oscars.
The beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure, “The Little Mermaid” stars the aforementioned singer and actress Halle Bailey (“grown-ish”) as Ariel; Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton,” “Snowpiercer”) as the voice of Sebastian; Jacob Tremblay (“Luca,” “Room”) as the voice of Flounder; Awkwafina (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) as the voice of Scuttle; Jonah Hauer-King (“A Dog’s Way Home”) as Prince Eric; Art Malik (“Homeland”) as Sir Grimsby; Noma Dumezweni (“Mary Poppins Returns”) as Queen Selina; with Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Being the Ricardos”) as King Triton; and two-time Academy Award nominee Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “Bridesmaids”) as Ursula. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal 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 Little Mermaid” is directed by Oscar nominee Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Mary Poppins Returns”), and written by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee (“Life of Pi,” “Finding Neverland”), with a live-action story adaptation by David Magee, Rob Marshall, and two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca (“Tony Bennett: An American Classic”), based on the short story by Hans Christian Andersen, and the Disney animated film by Ron Clements and John Musker. The film is produced by two-time Emmy® winner Marc Platt (“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” “Grease Live!”), three-time Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “In the Heights”), Rob Marshall, and John DeLuca, with Jeffrey Silver (“The Lion King”) serving as executive producer. The score is by multiple Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin”), who won two Oscars for the music in the animated version of “The Little Mermaid,” with music supervised and produced by Mike Higham (“Mary Poppins Returns,” “Into the Woods”). The music is by Alan Menken; the lyrics are by Howard Ashman, and the new lyrics are by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“The Little Mermaid” opens nationwide on May 26, 2023, and online trolls are likely not going to affect its bottom line. Watch the new trailer below.
