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R&B singer and actress Halle Bailey continued to make waves in Hollywood on its biggest night.
Six months after the debut of a teaser trailer promoting the Black star's turn as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” at Disney's D23 expo, which sparked claims of "blackwashing" in the casting of the fictional red-headed mermaid who dreams of a life above the waves, Bailey and co-star Melissa McCarthy took to the Oscars stage on Sunday to unveil the official trailer for the movie.
“It has been such an honor stepping into the iconic role of Ariel,” Bailey said before revealing the new trailer. “It was an extraordinary experience, a dream come true for me.”
Halle Bailey x Melissa McCarthy present the full length trailer for #TheLittleMermaid at the 95th annual #Oscars #Ariel #Ursula pic.twitter.com/VNHBLx4Hu7
— Chlöe x Halle Now 🧜🏽♀️ (@cxhnow) March 13, 2023
The two-minute video opens with a dramatic boat crash and a drowning Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Of course, Ariel (Bailey) takes him to the shore to save his life, an act which begins the duo's obsession with each other and leads the young mermaid to make a choice that threatens the world she was born into in order to pursue love with a human.
It is no secret to most how the romance eventually plays out, but Disney watchers have been clamoring for new footage since the teaser trailer amassed over 104 million views globally shortly after its release, more than any other tease for a live-action Disney adaptation.
Disney did not disappoint. In addition to the wreck, viewers were treated to a scene of Ariel swimming through the ocean with Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremplay) by her side before being confronted by King Triton (Javier Bardem) for breaking the rules by going to the above world.
“This obsession with humans has to stop,” he scolds her.
Bailey responds, “A man was drowning. I had to save him. I just want to know more about them.”
Fans also get a first real glimpse of McCarthy as Ursula, the sea witch who offers to help Ariel become human, and get to hear her take on the antagonist's iconic evil laugh.
Among the other goodies packed into the trailer are Ariel with feet, her meeting with Scuttle the bird (voiced by Awkwafina), and Sebastian (voiced by Daveed Diggs), the crab, as well as snippets from some of the movie’s classic musical numbers, including “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl.”
You can watch the full trailer below for the Rob Marshall-directed movie, which includes four new songs and will be in movie theaters on May 26:
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