Disney’s first trailer for its live-action “The Little Mermaid” reboot is making waves thanks to its eerily beautiful visuals and the stunning voice of Halle Bailey as Ariel.
The teaser opens with shots of a churning wave and an underwater world teeming with fish and turtles. It then features Bailey singing part of one of the original movie’s most famous songs, “Part of Your World,” as she gazes up into the light from the shadowy ocean floor.
The preview debuted at Disney’s D23 Expo this week, where Bailey called the role a “dream come true” while speaking onstage to fans.
“Being a little girl, swimming in the pool, imagining I was a mermaid ― I never thought one day I could actually see that come to life,” she said.
Bailey has previously spoken about how she’s faced racist backlash to being cast as the iconic Disney princess but took heart in her grandparents’ reassurance of how meaningful her casting would be for many Black and brown girls.
“It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you,’” Bailey told Variety in an interview published last month.
After the trailer was released Friday, many people on social media were sharing their excitement over the new movie.
“The Little Mermaid” is set to be released May 26, 2023
