Prepare to be part of Ariel's world all over again in Disney's The Little Mermaid remake. The live-action take on the 1989 animated classic arrives at Cineworld in 2023, and the newly released poster gives a suitably yearning feel.
Screen newcomer Hailee Bailey plays the conflicted Ariel, the wistful mermaid who yearns to venture onto land and walk among the humans. This is further accentuated when she sees and falls in love with the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King).
Bridesmaids and Spy star Melissa McCarthy portrays the scheming sea witch Ursula who grants Ariel her wish – at a vicious and calculating cost. Skyfall's Javier Bardem portrays Ariel's noble father, King Triton, Room's Jacob Tremblay voices sidekick fish Flounder, Daveed Diggs voices the singing crab Sebastian and Awkwafina is Scuttle, rounding off a suitably starry cast.
As if the cast wasn't illustrious enough, there's a lot of pedigree behind the camera too. The director is Rob Marshall who spun magic from 2018's Mary Poppins sequel, Mary Poppins Returns. Composer Alan Menken returns to the musical territory he first carved out with the late lyricist Howard Ashman.
Menken collaborates with Mary Poppins Returns and Hamilton alumnus Lin-Manuel Miranda, no doubt putting a vibrant and heart-singing new spin on several much-loved tunes. Menken's original soundtrack won Oscars for himself and Ashman and arguably helped set the Disney renaissance in motion, importing the notion of Broadway bombast into the traditional Disney hand-drawn canvas.
Can the new version of The Little Mermaid recapture the magic? We'll find out when it's released at Cineworld on May 26, 2023. Check out the trailer and try to hold down the nostalgia at the reveal of that unforgettable melody.
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