The Little Mermaid

***The Little Mermaid*** is a 2023 American musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the live-action adaption of the 1989 animated film of the same name. It stars Halle Bailey as the titular character Ariel, and was released exclusively in theatres on May 26, 2023, before being available to stream and purchase.

Bailey grew up watching the film, where she resonated with Ariel's "[S]ense of longing, her searching for herself." She continued, "She knew where she wanted to go, and she wasn't going to let anybody stop her. [...] I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they're special, and that they should be a princess in every single way. There's no reason that they shouldn't be. That reassurance was something that I needed."

*Entertainment Tonight* reported, "The film's opening makes it the highest opening ever for a film with a Black female lead." *Variety* declared, "It ranks as the fifth highest Memorial Day opening in history."

## Synopsis

"The Little Mermaid," visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall's live-action reimagining of the studio's Oscar®-winning animated musical classic, opens exclusively in theaters nationwide May 26, 2023. "The Little Mermaid" is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton's daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life—and her father's crown—in jeopardy.

## Plot

Ariel is a mermaid princess and the youngest daughter of King Triton, ruler of the merpeople of Atlantica. She is fascinated with the human world despite never having seen it, as Triton forbid all merfolk from going to the surface after Ariel's mother was killed by a human. Ariel collects human objects with the support of her best friend, Flounder, a sergeant major, and Scuttle, a Northern gannet.

Ariel misses the Coral Moon meeting that she was supposed to attend with her sisters, and is scolded by Triton. Afterwards, she sees fireworks above the ocean and surfaces to see it up close. The fireworks come from the ship of Prince Eric, a prince of a nearby island kingdom. Ariel overhears Eric telling the kingdom's Prime Minister, Grimsby, about his wish to explore the unknown and help the people of his kingdom. A storm arrives and the ship crashes against the rocks, forcing all to go for the lifeboats. Ariel rescues Eric and brings him to shore, where she sings with her siren voice to help save his life. She flees before he can regain full consciousness. After Eric recovers, his adoptive mother Queen Selina forbids him from sailing again.

Ariel's absentminded behavior is commented on by her sisters. Overhearing this, Triton questions his advisor Sebastian the crab, who tells him that she saved a human's life. Outraged, Triton travels to Ariel's grotto to confront her; when she refuses to swear to never go to the surface again, Triton destroys her collection of human objects. After Triton leaves, Ariel is approached by a pair of moray eels who show her an image of the sea witch Ursula, Triton's estranged younger sister and Ariel's aunt who was banished from Atlantica 15 years prior and she offers to help Ariel.

Ariel follows the eels to Ursula's lair, where the sea witch presents a deal: she will transform Ariel into a human for three days, during which Ariel must receive a "true love's kiss" from Eric to remain human permanently. If she fails, she will transform back into a mermaid and Ursula will claim her. To become human, Ariel must give up her tail, the ability to breathe underwater, and her siren voice, the last of which Ursula will keep in a nautilus shell. Ariel accepts the deal and is given human legs. She is taken to the surface by Flounder and Sebastian, and is rescued by a fisherman, who takes her to the island kingdom and to Eric's castle. Eric, who has been frantically searching for the woman who saved his life, rushes to meet Ariel when he hears of her arrival. Ariel is excited, but her lack of voice has Eric immediately turning away. Later that evening, Ariel explores the castle and finds Eric's collection of items he'd accumulated over his travels. Eric and Ariel spend time together poring over his collection.

The next day, Eric takes Ariel sightseeing around the kingdom. Sebastian, who has followed Ariel on land, realizes that Ursula has put a cheat in the spell that's causing Ariel to forget that she needs to kiss Eric. Along with Scuttle and Flounder, Sebastian takes it upon himself to get the pair to kiss. They are almost successful, but are thwarted by Ursula's eels. Ursula is enraged by the close call, and transforms herself into the guise of a beautiful young woman named Vanessa, and uses Ariel's siren voice to hypnotize Eric. Back at Atlantica, Triton had the kingdom search for Ariel. Once he ordered his remaining daughters to continue the search, he began to regret his actions towards Ariel and for not listening to her.

The next morning, Ariel and her friends discover that Eric will be announcing his engagement to Vanessa later that day. Scuttle discovers Vanessa's true identity and informs Ariel, who rushes to the engagement party and confronts Ursula to break the nautilus shell around her neck. Ariel's voice is restored to her and the enchantment on Eric is broken. But before they can kiss, the sun sets and Ariel transforms back into a mermaid. Ursula reverts to her original form before grabbing Ariel and diving back into the ocean.

Ursula is confronted by Triton, who orders her to let Ariel go. However, Ursula reveals that the deal that she made with Ariel is unbreakable. Triton trades himself for Ariel and is turned to dust by Ursula's eels, much to Ariel's horror. Ursula claims Triton's trident, but before she can kill Ariel, Eric arrives and distracts her; in the melee, Ursula accidentally kills her eels. Enraged, Ursula uses the trident to grow to a monstrous size and summons a storm to threaten Ariel and Eric. As Eric distracts Ursula, Ariel pulls herself onto a surfaced ship and turns the helm at the right moment to impale Ursula with its splintered bowsprit. Once Ursula is killed, Triton comes back to life; he and Ariel recognize the other's sacrifice for them. Eric manages to return home, where Selina acknowledges that Eric and Ariel's love was real.

Triton eventually accepts that although Ariel has returned home as he wanted, she is unhappy without Eric. On Sebastian's advice, Triton transforms Ariel into a human permanently, and she reunites with Eric. The pair decide to travel together, with the blessing of both their parents and the support of people from both their worlds.

## Cast

* Halle Bailey as Ariel
* Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric
* Melissa McCarthy as Ursula
* Daveed Diggs as Sebastian
* Jacob Tremblay as Flounder
* Awkwafina as Scuttle
* Javier Bardem as King Triton
* Art Malik as Grimsby
* Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina
* Lorena Andrea as Perla
* Kajsa Mohammar as Karina
* Simone Ashley as Indira
* Kajsa Mohammar as Karina
* Nathalie Sorrell as Caspia
* Karolina Conchet as Mala
* Sienna King as Tamika

## Background

> Ariel has this longing for something more. She doesn't quite know what it is yet, but she has to be brave in order to find it on her own. Being away from everybody for the first time in my life, I really loved those themes of knowing that it's OK to be fearful and pushing through it.
>
> Halle Bailey to *The Face*

Bailey was 18 years old when she auditioned for the role. Her sister Chloe Bailey helped her go over the lines, convinced she'd get the part. Director Rob Marshall shared in a press release, "Halle had this incredible facility to be able to dig deep, find the truth of Ariel's passion and her heart. It was like watching a great film actor being born." Marshall first saw Chloe x Halle perform Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway's 1972 song "Where Is the Love?" at the Grammy Awards and wanted Bailey to audition with the song "Part of Your World." He concluded, "When she finished, I was in tears because she's so soulful. You could tell right away that she was able to harness Ariel's passion, her fire, her soul, her joy and her heart."

The video shoot was based in London, England, where Halle traveled from her Los Angeles home, unable to physically meet her family due to COVID-19 restrictions. Chlöe joined her "for the first two months of the film's rehearsals" in support, and told *Entertainment Tonight* at the 2021 BET Awards, "I am more than proud. She is so beautiful every time we FaceTime, I get chills. She will always be my little mermaid." Production wrapped up within three years, Halle also working on the set of the musical adaption of *The Color Purple* (2023). She was able to incorporate her locs in *The Little Mermaid*, and added that the plot was less about falling in love with a boy and more about seeking her adventure and passion. The hair-flip shot took an entire day to do, Bailey revealing, "That scene was so fun to do. It was definitely hard, though, because my hair was really, really heavy." Camille Friend was hired to maintain Bailey's natural hair. Friend told *Variety* of the extensions, "It's three shades of red. I'm not guesstimating, but we probably spent at least $150,000 because we had to redo it and take it out. You couldn't use it and we'd have to start again. It was a process." Along with this, locs didn't float, so they solved this by adding loose pieces of hair. The original voice actor of Ariel, Jodi Benson, made a cameo appearance as a vendor at the marketplace.

The first teaser trailer was released in September 2022 at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. There were reactions posted online by parents showing their Black daughters the trailer, which positively commented upon the representation.

On March 6, 2023, Bailey revealed the doll version of her character, which was slated to be released a month later on April 23, and already became the number one bestseller on Amazon. She said in the video, "I have something really exciting to reveal to you all. I am gonna cry. This is the new *Little Mermaid* doll! I am literally choking up because this means so much to me. And to have one that looks like me, that's my favorite Disney character, is very surreal. And look, she even has my mole! See? And the hair, and the tail... I'm just stunned, so I don't quite know what to do with it, but I'm gonna steal this and take it home." On March 12, she attended the 95th Academy Awards as a presenter, where she and co-star Melissa McCarthy unveiled the full theatrical trailer for *The Little Mermaid*.

On April 10, 2023, Bailey attended the White House Easter Egg Roll to read *The Little Mermaid: Make a Splash* to the children. On April 26, Bailey's rendition of "Part of Your World" was released from the film soundtrack, alongside character posters. She performed the song live on *American Idol* on May 14 as a special guest for their Disney Night. Throughout May, she attended the film premieres in Hollywood, California (May 8); Mexico (May 11); London, England (May 15); and Sydney, Australia (May 22). On its opening night, Bailey went undercover for the screening at the Grove, Los Angeles. She revealed the next day in the caption of her TikTok video, "went to the theatre to go see it last night."

On June 13, 2023, the CGI-animated series *Disney Junior's Ariel* was announced to be greenlit by Disney Branded Television. The series was inspired by the live-action film and is scheduled to be released worldwide in 2024.

## Release

### Formats

 Disney+
 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD

### Bonus features

Bonus features on home theater formats included a sing-along and behind the scenes with director Rob Marshall; cast members including Bailey, McCarthy, and Hauer-King spoke on bringing Marshall's vision to life. An overview of how the virtual ocean was created, the production design to various sets including Prince Eric's castle, and a look at the music created with Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda was added.

 Hotter Under The Water
* A Tale Of The Bottomless Blue – Join Rob Marshall on the set of one of the most ambitious and challenging films he's ever directed.
* I Know Something's Starting Right Now – Join cast members Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King and more and learn how they were cast in the film and what it was like to bring director Rob Marshall's vision to life.
* Down Where It's Wetter – Dip your toes into the virtual ocean and learn about how the breathtaking underwater world was created with visual effects, imagination and a lot of talented artists.
* Explore That Shore Up Above – From Prince Eric's castle to the beach, explore the above-the-sea locations and the elaborate production design behind them.
 Song Breakdowns
* Under the Sea – Get a first-hand look at how professional dancers helped bring director Rob Marshall's vision to life as they stood in for the various animated sea creatures that sing and dance in this showstopping number.
* Kiss The Girl – Float along and get a frog's-eye view of the beautiful set built to film the live-action version of this classic song.
 Featurettes
* Passing The Dinglehopper – Ariel met Ariel when Halle Bailey worked with Jodi Benson — the voice of Ariel in the original animated movie — who appears in a clever cameo in the live-action film.
* Bloopers – Laugh along with the cast as they have the time of their lives making *The Little Mermaid*.

## Soundtrack

On March 13, 2023, the official soundtrack was announced to be available for pre-order. It was released on May 19 by Walt Disney Records, a week before the film hit the theaters. Alan Menken composed the score and wrote new songs with Lin-Manuel Miranda, where it would rework some of the preexisting problematic lyrics and include three original songs.

In an interview with *The Washington Post*, Menken revealed information about the new tracks: "There's one song that's very much in the Menken wheelhouse, a ballad [for Prince Eric] called 'Wild Uncharted Waters.' At the other end of the spectrum, there's a song where I took a variation on a piece of music from the original animated movie—kind of a lilting melody—and then Lin actually rapped over it in the most amazing way. That's a song called 'Scuttlebutt' that's sung by Scuttle and Sebastian. And then there's a new song for Ariel, 'For the First Time.'"

## Reception

### Critical response

Response from critics was mixed, where Bailey's performance was praised while others found the film to be lackluster, particular concerns raised with the CGI animation and additions that resulted in a longer duration than the 1989 version. *The Little Mermaid* received "mixed or average reviews," where Metacritic assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 53 critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 318 reviews. Its critics consensus reads, "With Halle Bailey making a major splash in the title role, Disney's live-action *Little Mermaid* ranks among the studio's most enjoyable reimaginings." Fans suspected review bombing with negative scores, which saw the IMDb site host the low score of 39%; it led to the IMDb site posting the notice of "unusual voting activity," and changed its rating system to mitigate this. It now holds the score of 72%.

*Arizona Republic* gave the film a perfect score of 100, praising the visuals and realism, as well as Bailey being perfect for the role of Ariel. They continued, "But the best part of Bailey's performance is that she injected more fullness into the character, meaning she gave Ariel some agency that the cartoon version lacked. It's subtle, but between Bailey's performance and Marshall's guidance, Ariel doesn't come across as a dumb teenager. Instead, her naïveté fits with the character but she's also thinking. She doesn't just want to give up her world for love. She wants to grow and experience all that the world has to offer." *Entertainment Weekly* said in similar assessment of Bailey's performance, "What is marvelous is this more diverse world of characters and a new Disney princess in Bailey. Her Ariel is so radiant that she seems to possess the properties of bioluminescence, absolutely glowing in every scene. Like the screen actors of the past who began as silent creatures, conveying the panoply of human emotion with looks and gestures rather than dialogue, Bailey has a similar task for a portion of the film when Ariel gives up her voice. It's engrossing to watch how much story she can tell with only her eyes or the tilt of her head. It's a type of performance and incumbent stardom we rarely see anymore." *The Seattle Times* applauded, "Bailey gives a glowing performance of effortless starshine; her singing voice has both sweetness and power, and her smile is the sort on which dreams dance." *USA Today* wrote, "Bailey is especially good at conveying her character's evolving emotions with facial expressions rather than speech." *Consequence* called Bailey "wildly charming" and "genuinely great in the role," though felt the changes made in the film were "superficial." In contrast, *Paste* magazine asserted, "benefits from some smart additions that flesh out the storyline in richer ways." They believed the visuals and CGI to be "problematic," from the hyper-realism of Flounder and Sebastian to Ursula's tentacle animation. *Los Angeles Times* vocalized, "Much like the studio's 1989 hand-drawn touchstone, this ostensibly live-action but heavily digitized redo takes a famously tragic story and spins it into a drama of reckless teenage empowerment, populated by colorful under-the-sea critters and set to a rousing calypso beat. It has, in short, almost nothing to do with Hans Christian Andersen, and even less to do with suffering. Unless, that is, you're easily tormented by the sights and sounds of a peerless animated classic being padded, mimicked and CGI-fortified into a half-diverting, half-dispiriting retread of itself." They stated of Bailey's role, "If Bailey is less expressive in her non-singing moments—a flaw built into the story itself, once Ariel is magically divested of her voice—she nonetheless makes an empathetic, eminently see-worthy heroine."

Alex Diggins of *The Daily Telegraph* penned, "Halle Bailey brings charm and vocal power to Rob Marshall's excellent reboot of the Disney classic, never mind some bizarre special effects." Lovia Gyarkye of *The Hollywood Reporter* was less impressed, writing, "Like other live-action remakes, *The Little Mermaid* is a neatly packaged story ribboned with representational awareness. There's enough in it to fill an evening, but it doesn't inspire much more than a passing sense of déjà vu." They considered Bailey's performance to "[add] edge to what is ultimately a serviceable film." *The Wall Street Journal* expressed disapproval of the remake: "[It] is self-evidently nothing but a marketer's dream, a glitzed-up, star-studded version of something that was small and wonderful, with a bit more multiculturalism," "some unneeded lyrical alterations," and "its heart is lost at sea." *Slant Magazine* described it as "remarkably bland" and felt that the majority "of the cast struggles to stay afloat throughout the film." They also remarked of its longer duration than the original, feeling there were unnecessary additions with the music and the underwater scenes.

*The Globe and Mail* dubbed it to be "one of the most uninspired films," while *The New York* compared to its predecessor, "it's an authentically fuller dramatic experience, though not a more charming one." *The New York Times* remarked, "is everything nobody should want in a movie: dutiful and defensive, yet desperate for approval. It reeks of obligation and noble intentions." *Chicago Tribune* said, "Yet the changes really help. The fleshed-out central romance, the performances of Halle Bailey (Ariel, the mermaid, with songs belted like nobody's business) and, as her Above World love Prince Eric, Jonah Hauer-King–it all basically works." They gave critique, "Some of the revisions and additions strain for relevance, as when hunky but enlightened Eric, back from many weeks at sea, speaks of his desire to 'reach out to other cultures so we don't get left behind.' Smart capitalism by way of progressive values!" *Vulture* wrote, "It sticks to the sequence, scenes, and dynamics of the original, save for some overdone character exposition that is meant to give the film greater emotional heft but just leaves the plot and dialogue leaden." They continued in disapproval, "[W]e–critics and audiences and filmmakers–need to have an honest conversation about the limits of this kind of representation, which is generally good for children's imagination but sours when adults begin to look at the media they consume like children as well. It's all made worse by the fact that Hollywood sees people of color as a buoy in times of financial strife. Consider the blaxploitation boom of the 1970s, which handily saved the studio system. Disney is once again excavating an audience of color desperate for material change, taking advantage of those who believe film is a mirror or a moral tool. It shouldn't have to be either."

*The Guardian* voiced satisfaction with the choice of Bailey as Ariel, though felt "almost everything else about this flops," where the CGI work in particular was criticized. *The Irish Times* stated, "[T]his version of *The Little Mermaid* does crack on at admirable pace towards its expected destination. [...] And, Bailey, who will surely profit from this opportunity, knows how to build the blowsier numbers through show-stopping crescendos. All that should be enough to satisfy indulgent fans. The rest can scowl pointlessly into the void." *BBC*' Caryn James called it "uneven, but it is also a spectacle with an allure and vitality of its own." *Boston Globe* named it as "one of Disney's better remakes," and *Collider* similarly wrote, "is one of the rare Disney remakes that manages to bring this magic to live-action." The latter admired the expanded narrative of the characters, along with the romance between Ariel and Eric.

Celebrities who saw the film include Offset with his daughters Kulture Kiari and Kalea Marie Cephus; Tina Knowles-Lawson with Blue Ivy Carter, Sir and Rumi, Kelly Rowland, Heidi Klum; and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who took to Twitter to praise Bailey as the "hardest worker in the room," along with the film inspiring people of "all shades, all colors." Bailey responded, "this was the kindest message ever @TheRock 💜🥹i am a huge supporter and have loved watching your career..thank you for being so kind and genuine to me it means the world .. i'm so happy you all loved the movie! 💗💜"

### Casting of Ariel

> I get to not only reinvent this character, but I also show other young Black and brown kids that we can be anything we want to be. And we deserve to be in these spaces, too. It's beautiful.
>
> Bailey to *Marie Claire*

In 2019, the casting for Ariel was announced. Bailey faced racist backlash from online, the hashtag #NotMyAriel trending on Twitter. She addressed at the Variety Power of Young Hollywood event, "I don't pay attention to the negativity; I just feel like this role is something bigger than me. And it's going to be beautiful. I'm just so excited to be a part of it." Jodi Benson spoke out at the Florida Supercon convention, "The most important thing is to tell the story. And we have, as a family, we have raised our children, and for ourselves, that we don't see anything that's different on the outside. I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters."

Freeform, the network that airs *Grown-ish*, also joined in with an open letter:

>
> Yes. The original author of 'The Little Mermaid' was Danish. Ariel…is a mermaid. She lives in an underwater kingdom in international waters and can legit swim wherever she wants (even though that often upsets King Triton, absolute zaddy). But for the sake of argument, let's say that Ariel, too, is Danish. Danish mermaids can be black because Danish \*people\* can be black. Ariel can sneak up to the surface at any time with her pals Scuttle and the \*ahem\* Jamaican crab Sebastian (sorry, Flounder!) and keep that bronze base tight. Black Danish people, and thus mer-folk, can also \*genetically\* (!!!) have red hair. But spoiler alert—to bring it back to the top—the character of Ariel is a work of fiction. So after all this is said and done, and you still cannot get past the idea that choosing the incredible, sensational, highly-talented, gorgeous Halle Bailey is anything other than the INSPIRED casting that it is because she 'doesn't look like the cartoon one,' oh boy do I have some news for you…about you.
>
>
>
>

*Forbes* summarized, "While Disney's tepid remakes always receive criticism from nostalgic fans, this time, the backlash is transparently racist, with all of the negativity aimed at the casting of a non-white actress to play the titular mermaid." *Screen Rant* called the controversy surrounding the casting "ridiculous." They observed, "*The Little Mermaid* is rooted in racism, plain and simple. The main excuse being used to justify the often virulent fury on this matter is her lack of red hair. That point overlooks how the vibrant scarlet locks Ariel has in *The Little Mermaid* are a shade completely unnatural to people with red hair. [...] While it is possible to dye one's hair this crimson, it's very difficult to maintain and would never look as if it had grown from someone's own scalp. The chances are that any actress playing that role would be wearing a wig and that natural red hair would hardly be a mandatory requirement for anyone auditioning to play Ariel." They added, "[T]here is no reason why a new generation of kids can't have an Ariel who looks different from the cartoon."

Halle admitted that she had expected some negative reactions, telling *Marie Claire*, "I definitely knew that it would be a conversation. But I didn't really take it to heart. Sometimes in this world, we are just gonna have to deal with things like that. I surround myself with family and friends who lift me up. At the end of the day, people are going to comment on it, because that's just the way of the world today. I focused on staying positive throughout all of that." To *The Face*, she stated, "As a Black person, you just expect it and it's not really a shock anymore. [...] When [Chlöe and I] first signed to Parkwood, [Beyoncé] was always like 'I never read my comments. Don't ever read the comments.'" She told *Refinery29*:

>
> We are all different from one another. It's special when you get to see the connections that you're able to make as human beings when you just say, 'You know what, I understand your world... I respect your differences. I respect the fact that you're different than me, and I love that and embrace you.' "I think all of those qualities about this film is what makes it special—because it's really representative of the world that we live in today."
>
>
>
>

In statements to *CBC*, it was discerned of the long history where people of color were not visible in Hollywood, where one mentioned, "If people who look like me are on screen, I matter. If that's how we think about representation … you can imagine how painful the exclusion of people of color, queer [and diverse people has been] … for basically the entire course of film and television history." *CNN* debunked the main arguments against the casting, and pointed out, "[T]he remake of one film doesn't erase the existence of the previous film."

## Trivia

Adapted from *Collider*.

 Singers
 Names: Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, Andrina
 Unrelated to Ariel
 Unexplained hatred for Triton
 Seagull
 Presumably born into nobility
 Eric impales Ursula
 Ariel and Eric marry and are together on land

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jackson, Angelique (August 10, 2022). "The New Little Mermaid: How Halle Bailey Found Her Voice and Defied Haters by Creating Her Own Ariel". *Variety*.
2. ↑ Pierre, Mekishana (May 30, 2023). "Halle Bailey Sneaks Into Theater to See 'The Little Mermaid': See Her Disguise!". *Entertainment Tonight*.
3. ↑ Lang, Brent (May 28, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Dominates Memorial Day Box Office with $118 Million Debut". *Variety*.
4. ↑ Estima, Christine (April 14, 2022). "Chloe Bailey Defends Halle Bailey's Casting in 'The Little Mermaid'". *E Talk*.
5. ↑ Ng, Philiana (June 27, 2021). "Chloe Bailey Misses Her Sister Halle 'Every Single Day' While She's Filming 'Little Mermaid' (Exclusive)". *Entertainment Tonight*.
6. ↑ Glynn, Jennifer (September 20, 2022). "'The Little Mermaid': Halle Bailey Discusses How Special It Was to Incorporate Her Locs into Ariel's Hair". *Collider*.
7. ↑ Romano, Nick (May 9, 2023). "*The Little Mermaid*'s Halle Bailey Explains Why Ariel's Iconic Hair Flip Was Hard to Pull Off". *Entertainment Weekly*.
8. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (May 26, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid': How Halle Bailey's Locs and Extensions Were Created for Live-Action Film". *Variety*.
9. ↑ Noyen, Maria (May 28, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Has a Subtle 'Passing the Torch' Moment Between Halle Bailey and the Actor Who Originally Voiced Ariel, the Film's Director Reveals". *Insider*.
10. ↑ Acuna, Kirsten (September 9, 2022). "'The Little Mermaid' Is Getting a Live-Action Remake Next May...". *Insider*.
11. ↑ Tumin, Remy (September 14, 2022). "A New Ariel Inspires Joy for Young Black Girls: 'She Looks Like Me'". *The New York Times*.
12. ↑ Gruber, Lauren (April 28, 2023). "Halle Bailey's 'The Little Mermaid' Doll Is Already a Bestseller — Here's How to Order Yours". *Entertainment Tonight*.
13. ↑ Rowley, Glenn (March 6, 2023). "Halle Bailey Celebrates Getting Her Own 'Little Mermaid' Doll: 'BRB Gonna Go Cry Now'". *Billboard*.
14. ↑ O'Kane, Caitlin (March 12, 2023). "Trailer for "The Little Mermaid" Remake Premieres During the Oscars". *CBS*.
15. ↑ "The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey Shines at the White House's 2023 Easter Egg Roll". *The Source*. April 11, 2023.
16. ↑ Anderson, Elissa and Rock, Audrey (May 9, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Premiere: Photos of Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy & More". *The Hollywood Reporter*.
17. ↑ Carras, Christi (May 30, 2023). "Did You See 'The Little Mermaid' at the Grove? Ariel Might Have Been at Your Screening". *Los Angeles Times*.
18. ↑ Denis, Kyle (June 13, 2023). "'Disney Junior's Ariel' Animated Series on the Way Inspired by Halle Bailey's 'Little Mermaid'". *Billboard*.
19. ↑ Aniftos, Rania (March 13, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Soundtrack Gets an Official Release Date". *Billboard*.
20. ↑ Edwards, Christian (April 7, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Remake Updates Original Lyrics to Include Consent, Songwriter Says". *CNN*.
21. ↑ Floyd, Thomas (April 10, 2023). "Alan Menken Talks Adaptations of 'Aladdin' and 'The Little Mermaid'". *The Washington Post*.
22. ↑ Chery, Samantha (May 31, 2023). "Fans Say 'The Little Mermaid' Is the Latest 'Review-Bomb' Target". *The Washington Post*.
23. ↑ Shoard, Catherine (June 1, 2023). "The Little Mermaid Subjected to 'Review Bombing' with Mass Negative Reactions Posted by Bots". *The Guardian*.
24. ↑ Monahan, Kaely (May 22, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Is Disney's Best Live-Action Remake Yet. Yes, Really". *Arizona Republic*.
25. ↑ Lenker, Maureen (May 22, 2023). "*The Little Mermaid* Review: Halle Bailey Swims (and Sings) Her Way to Stardom". *Entertainment Weekly*.
26. ↑ Macdonald, Moira (May 22, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Review: Halle Bailey Shines in Live-Action Remake". *The Seattle Times*.
27. ↑ Truitt, Brian (May 22, 2023). "Review: Halle Bailey Keeps Disney's Live-Action 'Little Mermaid' Remake from Being All Wet". *USA Today'*.
28. ↑ Miller, Liz (May 22, 2023). "Film Film Reviews The Little Mermaid Review: A Story About Mermaids and Magic Doesn't Need a Grounded Touch". *Consequence*.
29. ↑ Bennett, Tara (May 22, 2023). "Halle Bailey Is the Reason Disney's "Live-Action" *The Little Mermaid Shines* at All". *Paste*.
30. ↑ Chang, Justin (May 22, 2023). "Review: Halle Bailey Makes a Lovely 'Little Mermaid,' but This Remake Is Less Than Shipshape". *Los Angeles Times*.
31. ↑ Diggins, Alex (May 26, 2023). "The Little Mermaid, Review: An Exciting, Enveloping Remake That Deserves to Make a Splash". *The Daily Telegraph*.
32. ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (May 22, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Review: Halle Bailey Charms, but Rob Marshall's Live-Action Remake Nearly Drowns in Déjà Vu". *The Hollywood Reporter*.
33. ↑ Smith, Kyle (May 25, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Review: Overlong and Under the Sea". *Wall Street Journal*.
34. ↑ Nussen, Greg (May 22, 2023). "Disney's *The Little Mermaid* Remake Proves Life Isn't Better Down Where It's Wetter". *Slant Magazine*.
35. ↑ Hertz, Barry (May 22, 2023). "Disney's *The Little Mermaid* Remake Proves Life Isn't Better Down Where It's Wetter". *The Globe and Mail*.
36. ↑ Brody, Richard (May 25, 2023). ""The Little Mermaid" Has a Stellar Lead Performance and Something of an Inner Life". *The New Yorker*.
37. ↑ Morris, Wesley (May 24, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Review: The Renovations Are Only Skin Deep". *The New York Times*.
38. ↑ Phillips, Michael (May 25, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Review: Compared with the Average Live-Action Disney Cash Grab, This One's Actually Worth Your Cash". *Chicago Tribune*.
39. ↑ Bastien, Angelica (May 22, 2023). "What Happened to the Frothy Pleasures of *The Little Mermaid*?". *Vulture*.
40. ↑ Jones, Ellen (May 22, 2023). "The Little Mermaid Review – Halle Bailey Goes Full Mermaidcore in Disney's CGI Remake". *The Guardian*.
41. ↑ Clarke, Donald (May 25, 2023). "The Little Mermaid: Disney's Live-Action Remake Should Satisfy Indulgent Fans. The Rest Can Scowl Pointlessly into the Void". *The Irish Times*.
42. ↑ James, Caryn (May 22, 2023). "Halle Bailey Is "Captivating" in the Disney Film That "Reinvents the Animated Classic", Writes Caryn James.". *BBC*.
43. ↑ Henderson, Odie (May 22, 2023). "Halle Bailey Makes 'The Little Mermaid' Her Own". *Boston Globe*.
44. ↑ Bonaime, Ross (May 22, 2023). "'The Little Mermaid' Review: A Rare Disney Live-Action Remake That Captures the Magic of the Original". *Collider*.
45. ↑ Klein, Brennan (June 4, 2023). "Dwayne Johnson Gushes About Halle Bailey After Seeing Live Action Little Mermaid". *Screen Rant*.
46. ↑ "Halle Bailey (@HalleBailey)". *Twitter*. June 4, 2023.
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Player, Bree (June 2, 2023). "Halle Bailey on the Role of Ariel, Representation, and Being Pals with Beyoncé". *Marie Claire*.
48. ↑ Yaptangco, Ariana (August 7, 2019). "Halle Bailey Responds to the #NotMyAriel Backlash: 'This Role Is Something Bigger Than Me'". *Elle*.
49. ↑ Bailey, Alyssa (July 9, 2019). "The Original Voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson, Spoke Out Against the Halle Bailey #NotMyAriel Casting Backlash". *Elle*.
50. ↑ Di Placido, Dani (September 14, 2022). "Disney's 'Little Mermaid' Backlash Has Reached Insane Heights". *Forbes*.
51. ↑ Bruce, Amanda and Donaldson, Kayleigh (May 25, 2023). "The Little Mermaid's Ridiculous Casting Backlash Explained". *Screen Rant*.
52. ↑ Pometsey, Olive (February 23, 2023). "Halle Bailey Is Ready to Stand". *THE FACE*.
53. ↑ Vrajlal, Alicia (May 23, 2023). "*The Little Mermaid*'s Halle Bailey Has Risen Above the #NotMyAriel Noise". *Refinery29*.
54. ↑ Tran, Cindy (September 22, 2022). "Racial Representation and *The Little Mermaid*: The Struggle for Diversity in Film". *CBC*.
55. ↑ Willingham, AJ (September 17, 2022). "Analysis: A Definitive Rebuttal to Every Racist 'Little Mermaid' Argument". *CNN*.
56. ↑ Tinoco, Armando (June 5, 2023). "Golden Trailer Awards Nominations List: 'Stranger Things,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' 'Ted Lasso' & 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' Among Most Nominated". *Deadline*.
57. ↑ "Next Big Thing". *Queerty*. 2023.
58. ↑ Kelley, Aidan (May 27, 2023). "Everything 2023's 'The Little Mermaid' Changes from the Original Disney Classic". *Collider*.

## External links

* The Little Mermaid on Apple Music
* The Little Mermaid on YouTube
* The Little Mermaid on Internet Movie Database
* The Little Mermaid on Spotify
* The Little Mermaid on Twitter