Disney’s streak of live-action remakes of animated classics continues with “The Little Mermaid,” and fans are eager to see how this iconic 1989 movie comes to life in this new feature. The animated original is largely responsible for jump-starting a creative resurgence for Disney after a fallow period in the 1980s, as the film’s Broadway-level original songs and emotional story struck a chord with kids and adults alike. The resurgence continued and solidified with “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King,” and while those three films have already gotten live-action remakes from Disney over the past decade (to whopping box office success), it’s finally “The Little Mermaid”’s turn.
Below we’ve rounded up a guide to everything we know about the “Little Mermaid” live-action remake so far.
Is There a Trailer for “The Little Mermaid” 2023?
Yes! The first teaser trailer was released in October 2022, offering a glimpse of how the underwater action comes to life and even a snippet of the film’s rendition of the iconic songs.
What Is the Release Date for “The Little Mermaid?”
The film will kick off the summer movie season on May 26, 2023.
Are There Songs in the “Little Mermaid” Live-Action Remake?
Yes! And it’s a fair question – there were barely songs in the live-action versions of “The Jungle Book” and “The Lion King,” but just like “Beauty and the Beast,” this new “Little Mermaid” is a full-on musical and retains the beloved songs from the original movie.
The film’s music was written by Alan Menken, who co-wrote all the original songs. He worked on 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and composed four all-new original songs.
What Is “The Little Mermaid” About?
As far as we know, the plot is similar to that of the 1989 film as mermaid Ariel dreams of living on the surface and walking among the humans. She gets her wish thanks to wicked Ursula, but in exchange for her voice. A mute Ariel then makes her way around the land with Prince Eric.
Who’s in the “Little Mermaid” 2023 Cast?
Actress, singer and songwriter Halle Bailey fills the role of Ariel in an inspired piece of casting. “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance—plus a glorious singing voice—all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” director Rob Marshall said of her casting.
Harry Styles was offered the role of Prince Eric but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Jonah Hauer-King (“The Last Photograph”) fills the role in the film.
Melissa McCarthy plays Ursula, Javier Bardem is King Triton, Daveed Diggs is the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay is the voice of Flounder and Awkwafina tackles the voice of Scuttle. Art Malick plays Grimsby and Noma Dumezweni is Queen Selina.
Who Made “The Little Mermaid” Live-Action Remake?
Rob Marshall, the Oscar-winning director behind the musical “Chicago” and Disney movies “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Mary Poppins Returns,” is the director of the film. David Magee (“Finding Neverland”) and Jane Goldman (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”) wrote the screenplay.
Marshall previously told TheWrap that “The Little Mermaid” is the most challenging film he’s ever made.
“I’m very proud of the film. It’s the most challenging film I’ve ever done, for sure. No question,” Marshall said. “Using complicated, cutting-edge techniques to make this work. I don’t think anybody’s ever done an underwater musical before. I have to say every single moment of the film had to be choreographed in advance so that we could have a flow to the whole piece. It’s crazy the apparatuses we worked with from wires to things called tuning forks to teeter-totters. Thank God we had the rehearsal time. You always need it on a musical anyway.”
Marshall, Miranda, Marc Platt and John DeLuca are the film’s producers.
Will “The Little Mermaid” 2023 Be on Disney+?
“The Little Mermaid” arrives on Disney+ on September 6, 2023.
