Since its debut at Disney’s D23 Expo a month ago, the teaser trailer for The Little Mermaid has been getting a lot of positive feedback, which has made Halle Bailey feel like she’s being buried by emotions.
A source talked to Halle and her sister Chloe at the WACO Theater Centers’ Wearable Art Gala. The event was hosted by Tina Knowles-Lawson and her husband Richard to support the company’s artistic and youth mentorship programs. Halle and Chloe talked about the live-action movie, new music, and other things during their talk.
The first time fans see Halle as Ariel, she is swimming through the ocean. As she swims by fish and turtles, they see things from her point of view. During the preview, Ariel comes across a ship that has sunk. She is about to look inside when all of a sudden, it disappears. In the meantime, “Part of Your World” builds up to its climax, and listeners and viewers finally get to hear and see Halle sing her version of the classic Disney song.
“It’s been really crazy, really overwhelming. I’ve been so emotional when I see all the babies,” Halle gushed while at the Harlem Nights-themed benefit Saturday. “So, I’m just really honored and just pinching myself.”
Halle also said that seeing their reactions made her cry. She said that the trailer has hit home even more for little Black girls, who are seeing themselves on screen for the first time as a beloved Disney character, and that it has hit home even more for Halle as well.
The events leading up to the release of the much-anticipated film in May 2023 are both exciting and sad, and Halle says it feels like she’s been waiting for the film to come out for a very long time.
“I’m so excited for the release. I feel like I’ve been waiting for so long — we’ve been talking about it for a long time, but now that the rollout’s starting, I’m really grateful that everyone’s gonna get to see,” she said. “I hope everyone likes it. We’ll see.”
In this movie, Jonah Hauer-King plays Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy plays Ursula, and Javier Bardem plays King Triton. Daveed Diggs gives Sebastian the crab’s voice, and Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, and Scuttle each play the part of Flounder.
Halle and Chloe have worked together for a long time, and even though they are each pursuing their own careers in the entertainment industry, in both film and music, they have said that nothing is more exciting than seeing their other sibling succeed.
“Absolutely, like me, I feel like I get even more excited for Chlöe’s music videos, than she does, ’cause she’s filled with nervousness, but I’m like, ‘Girl, you should see,'” so, it’s exciting,” Halle affirmed. “It’s really cool.”
Also, Chloe feels the same way, as the story makes clear, “I think it goes both ways because when you’re in it, you’re just focused on your nerves and internalizing everything, but being able to watch sis in all her glory has been so incredible, and I’m so happy the world is seeing what I’ve always seen since we were like, this tall.”
“So, I’m so, so proud of her in everything that we’re doing together, and individually,” she added.
The Little Mermaid by Disney is set to open in theaters all over the world on May 26, 2023.
