Disney is finally getting ready to take us under the sea with its upcoming live-action version of “The Little Mermaid.” The cast was first revealed way back on Disney’s Investor Day on Dec. 10, 2020, and over three years later, we’re closer than ever to seeing the memorable characters from the 1989 animated movie come to life.
In a March 4 interview with Entertainment Tonight at the 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards, Halle Bailey – who stars as Ariel – gave a little window into what we can expect from her film’s star-studded cast. When asked about which character transformation surprised her the most, she said she would “definitely” have to say Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula.
“People are going to be so amazed at her job of Ursula. She’s a beautiful human being, [and] so talented, and the way she just consumes Ursula is so beautiful,” Bailey said. “I’m just so proud of her and I can’t wait for people to see it. She has this very maternal trickiness to her when it comes to tricking Ariel in the film, so I kind of got to be consumed and in her world – and almost teased and falling into her spell.”
McCarthy – who gave us a first look at her character in a September 2022 trailer for “The Little Mermaid” – has also praised Bailey’s performance. In June 2022, she said that when she first heard Bailey singing on set, she was brought to tears. “That girl has got roots down and she sings from her heart. When I heard it, there were like seven of us that just burst out crying because we had not heard it,” McCarthy said in an interview on “Watch What Happens Live.” “She is a remarkable young woman in every moment – how she is on set, how she is as a person – and I burst out crying.”
In addition to Bailey as Ariel and McCarthy as Ursula, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, and Daveed Diggs also star in the live-action reboot, which hits theaters on May 26. Meanwhile, Rob Marshall, who previously worked on “Mary Poppins Returns,” is directing, and Lin-Manuel Miranda and original composer Alan Menken collaborated on the music. Check out the rest of the cast ahead.