The Little Mermaid Live Action

The Little Mermaid Live Action 4/5/23

By: Kinley Butler & Poppy Bishop

“Life is just the bubbles under the sea.”, says Ariel, as she dreams of life on the surface. We all know and love the famous Little Mermaid as a cartoon, right? Well, if you didn’t know, Disney has decided to make a live-action version of the well-known movie, with a few changes. Keep reading to know more about the release, the cast, and some plot details, as well as other things you might want to know!

So currently, the release date of the live-action Little Mermaid movie is May 26, 2023. When the movie releases it will be in-theaters-only, and then it will be released on Disney+ for viewers at home to watch and enjoy. “The live-action remake has been in the works for a few years, but it became a hot topic in July 2019, when Disney announced Halle Bailey would be taking on the role of Ariel.”, says Harper’s Bazar. The movie will be released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and will be 135 minutes (2 hours and 23 minutes) long. The trailer came out in September 2022 and “according to Jon Jackson, a reporter from Newsweek, the video received over ``1.5 million dislikes on YouTube in the first two days after its release.” says Sonomaster.

The cast of The Little Mermaid is Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Eric. Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Daveed Diggs as Sebastion, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, and Javier Bardem as King Triton. The new movie will include some of the same songs and small details as the first one. The only main change, as most people know now, will be that, unlike the cartoons, which feature a white mermaid princess, Ariel will be played by an African-American actress, which we are super excited about!

One BIG change that will be made to the plot is that Ursula, who was originally just an evil sea witch that was banished from Triton’s kingdom, will be portrayed as the sea king’s sister, which makes her Ariel’s aunt! It is also said that The Little Mermaid will feature new songs by Alen Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, such as “For the First Time '', which will be played when Ariel (Halle Bailey), is exploring the surface with Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Also, Disney will be stretching Ariel’s reason for leaving the safety of the ocean. In the cartoon, she leaves just for a boy, whereas in the new remake, she’s leaving for herself, her freedom, her life, and what she wants.

In conclusion, the new live-action Little Mermaid movie looks like it has a fantastic cast and some cool and exciting plot changes. We both can’t wait to see it and will watch it as soon as it comes out!