Last month, Disney treated fans to a first look at the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey as the titular character. Now, Disney has released the first poster for the film, bringing some underwater magic as we eagerly await the theatrical release. Bailey expressed her excitement on Twitter, saying, "Words can’t describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams."
The poster draws from the footage viewers have already seen from the trailer. It features Bailey as Ariel as she perches on a rock in the sea. One of Ariel's driving goals is to reach the surface world one day, and the poster reflects that desire as she gazes towards the top of the water, with a ray of light both shining on her and marking her goal. Color-wise, the poster easily showcases the underwater landscape of the movie, with varying hues of blue drawing fans into Ariel's world. It also gives a sense of being underwater as Ariel's hair flows behind her.
The Little Mermaid will again share the tale most viewers are quite familiar with. It will follow Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), who is deeply fascinated with the human world. After she saves a human, Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), from a shipwreck, she begins to fall in love with him and is determined to meet him again on the surface world. However, Ariel soon receives pushback from King Triton and becomes entangled in more conflict with the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy).
The teaser trailer for the movie has created quite a swirl of excitement, garnering 104 million views within the first couple days of its release. Since then, it has reached around 24.8 million views. Bailey, who's well-known for being one half of singing duo Chole x Halle with her sister, stunned viewers with her rendition of "Part of Your World," as well as offered a delightful beacon to young Black girls who could see themselves reflected on-screen. Bailey was also able to do that for herself as she incorporated locs as part of Ariel's hair.
The remake is written by Jane Goldman and David Magee, with Rob Marshall as director. It will feature the original soundtrack with four new songs composed by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Additional cast includes Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, a new character.
The Little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26, 2023. Check out the poster below:
