You know the story well: A beautiful mermaid with a stunning voice gives away her gift to an evil underwater witch in order to experience what it’s like to be “a part of that world”—and find true love. The classic film The Little Mermaid now has a highly anticipated live-action remake—and it just made its May 2023 debut.
Viewers also got a taste of the film's magic beforehand, including Bailey (who plays Ariel herself) performing the classic song "Part of Your World" at Disneyland on American Idol, and official clips like the one below!
The film’s cast members recently gathered in Hollywood for the world premiere. In addition to Halle’s sister Chloe, other stars were there, including Kelly Rowland, Tia Mowry, Tamera Mowry-Housley, and Cardi B’s husband, Offset, who were in attendance with their kids. Jodi Benson—the voice of the original Ariel—also showed her support at the event, and even appears onscreen.
In March, Bailey and Melissa McCarthy (who is tackling the role of Ursula) also made an appearance at this year’s Academy Awards to premiere the official trailer. Bailey announced that same month that she now has her very own Little Mermaid doll. “I am literally choking up because this means so much to me, and to have one that looks like me, that’s my favorite Disney character, is very surreal,” Bailey said.
While Bailey was declared the lead in 2019, Disney has also unveiled the rest of the full cast, as well as other changes that are on the way. If you’re ready to go under the sea, here’s a deep dive (pun intended) into everything we know about the The Little Mermaid live-action remake movie so far.
Who’s in the cast of the live-action Little Mermaid?
Bailey made history with her casting announcement as the lead—but despite causing some controversy thanks to fans who took issue with Ariel being played by a Black woman (sigh), this mostly inspired celebration. She’s only the second Black actor to ever be cast as a Disney princess.
After the news broke in 2019, she told Variety at the Power of Young Hollywood gala about the surreal experience—she felt thankful, didn't “pay attention to the negativity,” and explained how she was focusing on the big picture.
And years after it was revealed Bailey got the big part, she finally shared a sneak peek of her as Ariel. In an Instagram caption to go along with the snap, Bailey revealed that she’d just wrapped filming and shared more about the emotional journey she'd been on.
We already know about Bailey's role, but what about the rest of the cast? Jonah Hauer-King plays Prince Eric—and is a dead ringer for the animated character, if we say so ourselves. Previously, the 25-year-old British actor starred as Laurie in a Little Women remake (no, not Greta Gerwig's film) and the period drama World on Fire.
The rest of the cast is equally on-point. Academy Award–winning actor Javier Bardem plays Ariel's stern father, King Triton. And Melissa McCarthy, who is most often giving us side cramps in comedies like Spy, tries out villain mode as Ursula the sea witch. “I have seen The Little Mermaid like nine billion times, strangely, so to get to play Ursula was like a dream come true,” McCarthy told Yahoo. “I've kind of fallen in love with her.”
Then, there are Ariel's sidekicks. Crazy Rich Asians’ Awkwafina is Scuttle, the seagull expert of the human world. Jacob Tremblay (Wonder) is perfect as Flounder, Ariel’s fishy bestie. Finally, we can’t wait for Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs’s version of “Kiss the Girl” as Sebastian the crab.
A Disney veteran directed The Little Mermaid.
Chicago director Rob Marshall directed the film, which comes from a script written by Jane Goldman, who previously wrote Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The Woman in Black. Marshall is no stranger to Disney, having directed Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods, and Mary Poppins Returns.
Lin-Manuel Miranda helped rework the soundtrack.
Another major name is also attached to the film: The Little Mermaid superfan Lin-Manuel Miranda produced the film alongside Marc Platt. He also teamed up with the original 1989 film’s composer, Alan Menken, to rework songs from the animated movie and composed new songs for the soundtrack.
“There are some lyric changes in “Kiss the Girl” because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken told Vanity Fair in March. “We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn't speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice.”
Menken won two Oscars for his Little Mermaid score, including the Best Original Song for “Under the Sea.”
Miranda even tweeted about his excitement:
When did The Little Mermaid remake hit theaters?
The film premiered on May 26! Tickets are currently on sale, but if you haven't purchased yours yet, you can check out the original 1989 version of The Little Mermaid on Disney+. Just don’t blame us if “Under the Sea” gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Jane Burnett is an Assistant Editor at Oprah Daily, where she writes a variety of lifestyle content for the editorial team. She's a journalist with a pop culture sweet tooth—when she isn't catching up on celebrity news, she's usually listening to a podcast! Jane was previously an on-air reporter in local news, and worked at Thrive Global, Ladders News, and Reuters. She also interned at CNBC through the Emma Bowen Foundation, and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
