Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disney’s live-action 2023 Little Mermaid, set for release on May 26, 2023. She is best known as half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chloe Bailey. She also stars as Sky Forster on Grown-ish, an ABC spin-off of Black-ish. She is the first Black actress to play Ariel in a Disney adaptation of the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The first teaser trailer for the film, released in September 2022, featured her stunning rendition of “Part of Your World.” Here are the essential facts about Disney’s 2023 Little Mermaid adaptation.
1. Melissa McCarthy is Ursula
Disney has released the posters for the live-action version of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
2. First look
In addition to providing an overview of the characters, the posters feature the first look at Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), Sebastian (David Diggs), and Scuttle (Awkwafina).
3. Release date
The Little Mermaid is scheduled to hit theaters on May 26, 2023.
4. Rob Marshall directed
The film is directed by Rob Marshall with a screenplay by David Magee. Marshall chose Halle Bailey for the part of Ariel after an extensive search involving hundreds of candidates. The movie is produced by Walt Disney Pictures and is a live-action remake of the 1989 animated classic.
5. The previous Ariels
Jodi Benson voiced Ariel in the 1989 animated film and its sequels, prequels, TV series, and video games. Joanna Garcia Swisher portrayed the character in seven episodes of ABC’s Once Upon a Time from 2013 to 2018.
Sources
As always, we cross-checked our facts about Disney’s 2023 Little Mermaid with the best news sources.
- Deadline: The Little Mermaid Posters: Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy & Flounder
- Variety: Little Mermaid: Melissa McCarthy Brings Ursula Song to CinemaCon
- The Washington Post: Disney’s Freeform hits back at critics of Halle Bailey’s casting in ‘The Little Mermaid.’
News Trivia Quiz Time
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