Audiences have taken their first voyage beneath the waves with Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” starring Halle Bailey, which concluded with a Los Angeles premiere.
Reactions to the film have started to appear on social media. Last month, Disney gave a sneak peek of Melissa McCarthy singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” as Ursula at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
Additionally, director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca held a private screening of the movie, with Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Matt Damon, and Ben Platt in attendance. Reports state that the star-studded crowd cheered and clapped after every musical number and kept the enthusiasm going during the post-screening reception.
“The Little Mermaid” will be officially released in theaters on May 26.
Variety artisans editor Jazz Tangcay praised the new adaptation of the classic Disney film “The Little Mermaid,” with awe-inspiring performances from Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as her villainous Aunt Ursula.
With a soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken, who wrote the score for the 1989 original, the movie features four brand new original songs.
Besides Bailey and McCarthy, the cast also includes Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Jacob Tremblay voicing Flounder, Daveed Diggs voicing Sebastian, and Awkwafina voicing Scuttle. Tangcay was particularly impressed with Bailey’s turn as Ariel, calling her “extraordinary” and McCarthy a “bad-ass.”
