'The Little Mermaid' Trailer

Disney may have dropped a teaser for its live-action version of ‘The Little Mermaid’ around the Super Bowl, but unlike some other big movies, it waited for the Oscars to do a big push.

Despite the general celebration of the movies, it still felt like a bit of an imposition for the company –– which owns ABC, the network carrying the ceremony –– to drop in a big promo for one of its movies as part of an overall celebration of Disney’s centenary.

Yet here we are, with the latest conversion from animation to CG- assisted live-action, all drawn from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale.

And unlike other teasers, which primarily focused on Halle Bailey as main character Ariel, the trailer dives right in with proper looks at others in the cast –– be they real or virtual.

Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney's live-action 'The Little Mermaid.'

What’s the story of ‘The Little Mermaid’

We’re fairly certain most people know the classic morality tale, but here’s the official synopsis:

‘The Little Mermaid’ follows Ariel , a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s (Javier Bardem) 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 (Jonah Hauer-King), who for his part is literally falling from a ship during a turbulent storm.

Which causes something of a quandary for our heroine; while mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life –– and her father’s crown –– in jeopardy.

You see, Ursula’s deal involves Ariel trading her voice for the chance to walk among the humans, and that doesn’t make things so easy when you’re trying to land a prince. And in the original story, there’s a far from happy ending, but Disney’s animated effort let Ariel find her man. Will the new movie shift back? We doubt it…

Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in Disney's live-action 'The Little Mermaid.'

Who else is in the ‘Little Mermaid’ cast?

We can expect to see (or hear, since some of the following are voicing CG creatures), Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby.

The original ‘Little Mermaid’ is still hailed as one of the best films from Disney’s resurgent golden age of animation, so the new movie, which has David Magee writing the script and Rob Marshall (who has Disney form after ‘Mary Poppins Returns’), has a lot to live up to.

It has a secret weapon in terms of its music –– original maestro Alan Menken is back, and this time he’s been working with ‘Hamilton’ creator/star Lin Manuel Miranda on fresh lyrics and songs to stand alongside the classic tunes. The big question will be whether audiences still want to be part of Ariel’s world.

‘The Little Mermaid’ swims into cinemas on May 26.

Halle Bailey as Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric in Disney's live-action 'The Little Mermaid.'

Other Movies Similar to ‘The Little Mermaid:'

'The Little Mermaid' (1989)
'Cinderella' (2015)
'Beauty and the Beast' (2017)
'The Lion King' (2019)
'Mulan' (2020)
‘Cruella' (2021)
'Pinocchio' (2022)

Buy 'The Little Mermaid' Movies on Amazon

‘The Little Mermaid’ is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, and Marc Platt Productions. It is set to release in theaters on May 26th, 2023.