Halle Bailey Debuts Action-Filled ‘The Little Mermaid’ Official Trailer at the Oscars
Melissa McCarthy and Halle Bailey took the Oscars stage to unviel the official trailer for their highly-anticipated film The Little Mermaid. The 2-minute video gave fans their most in-depth look yet at the action to come with the Disney live-action.
“It has been such an honor stepping into the iconic role of Ariel,” Bailey said onstage before being interrupted by applause. “It was an extraordinary experience, a dream come true for me.”
The clip opens with an ultra-dark visual of a boat crashing and Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) drowning before Ariel (Bailey) brings him to the coast to save his life.
The trailer gives plenty of nods to the animated original, showing Ariel swimming through the ocean with Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremplay) by her side before being confronted by King Triton (Javier Bardem): “You broke the rules. You went to the above world,” Triton scolds her. “This obsession with humans has to stop.”
“A man was drowning. I had to save him,” Bailey responds. “I just want to know more about them.”
The visual also gives a first real glimpse of Ursula (McCarthy), the sea witch who offers to help her become a human before letting out an evil cackle. (We got a first listen at the laugh in a teaser last month.)
The visual then transitions to Ariel having two feet and meeting Scuttle the bird (voice by Awkwafina) and Sebastian (voiced by Daveed Diggs), the crab. Of course, Ariel sings the lyrics to “Under the Sea” as she swims through the ocean and rides off in a carriage with Prince Eric. (Remember when racists were worried about the historical accuracy of mermaids?)
“He’s a human. You’re a mermaid!” says King Triton dramatically before Ariel responds, “That doesn’t make us enemies.” Ariel and Eric lean in for a kiss while riding a boat showing a hint of the romance to come.
In theaters May 26, the Rob Marshall-directed The Little Mermaid builds on the original animated film with the addition of four new songs.