The arrival of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey, is just a month away — and fans are still receiving gifts from Disney.
Earlier today (April 26), the entertainment company announced that tickets for the upcoming film were available for purchase. But along with the news, viewers also got to see a new clip of The Little Mermaid. In the short video, fans saw Bailey as the iconic Ariel, swimming in the sea with her friend, Flounder (Jacob Tremblay). The pair appeared on a scavenger hunt as they approached a sunken ship.
“We aren’t supposed to be this far from the palace, Ariel,” Flounder told the princess. Ariel replied, “Getting cold fins?” While inside, they encountered a shark but managed to escape. “You okay, Flounder?” Ariel asked. “Sure, you’ve gotta show them who’s in ch…,” he responded before being interrupted by Scuttle (Awkwafina).
Ariel 🌊 Ursula 🌊 King Triton 🌊 Prince Eric 🌊 Sebastian 🌊 Flounder 🌊 Scuttle
🎟️Get tickets now for Disney's #TheLittleMermaid and see it in theaters May 26!
— The Little Mermaid (@LittleMermaid) April 25, 2023
The new clip also revealed more scenes of Ariel’s involvement with the manipulative Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), handsome Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), and her exploration of the world above the sea. The journey to making the live-action adaptation of the ’90s classic started over three years ago. In 2019, Bailey was cast to become Ariel and made history as the first Black woman to do so. Before then, only Anika Noni Rose had played a Disney princess in the 2009 animation The Princess and the Frog.
Since then, a doll, books, and several trailers of Bailey as Ariel have emerged worldwide. Despite criticism of her casting due to her darker skin complexion compared to the original Ariel, Bailey remains unbothered as she knows her purpose is much bigger.
She echoed that message during a recent interview with British Vogue. During the conversation, Bailey told the outlet that knowing her impact on kids made her emotional. She added that it filled her with love to learn little girls knew they could be princesses too.