The woman who provided Ariel’s voice in the classic 1989 animated picture has nothing but praise for Halle Bailey’s upcoming performance in the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Following the D23 Expo premiere of the first trailer for the Rob Marshall–directed picture, Jodi Benson expressed her satisfaction with her successor’s performance as the title character. Per Entertainment Weekly, Benson, who is also renowned for lending her voice to characters like Barbie in the Toy Story films and the main role in the 1994 children’s film Thumbelina, posted a photo of the singer’s “amazing performance” on Instagram to praise her work.
She approved of Bailey, one half of the Grammy-nominated sister R&B combo Chloe x Halle, and expressed her enthusiasm for her in an Instagram Story post. The teaser, which has been viewed over 104 million times around the world, features breathtaking underwater footage before focusing on a clip of Bailey performing the song “Part of Your World.” More songs from the original film’s composer Alan Menken will be featured in the live-action adaptation, along with two additional music numbers from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Benson captioned a photo of the actress with Marshall, “Halle, you were just fantastic!” She exclaimed, “I am SO PROUD of you and your magnificent performance as Ariel!” before going on to praise the film’s director. I cherish the relationship we’ve shared over the last 35 years. Many thanks for making this amazing video. ”
Bailey posted Benson’s encouraging words on her Instagram story, along with the caption, “This means the world coming from you!” She said, “You made Ariel spectacular for us,” adding a series of heart-eyed emojis to convey her feelings of appreciation. Benson has been vocal in her support of the young artist several times leading up to the release of the highly anticipated live-action version. Bailey’s appointment as Ariel generated headlines when it was initially revealed in 2019.
Since Ariel was white in the cartoon, racists were outraged when Disney cast a person of colour in the role; Benson defended the decision. Bailey will be joined in The Little Mermaid’s cast by Jonah Hauer-King (who will play Prince Eric), Javier Bardem (who will play King Triton), Jude Akuwudike (who will play Grimsby), Melissa McCarthy (who will play Ursula), Noma Dumezweni (who will play Queen Selina), Lorena Andrea (who will play Perla), and Kasja Mohammar (who will play Karina). Also, Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder, and Awkwafina voices Scuttle. Simone Ashley, Jessica Alexander, Noma Dumezwani, Russell Balogh, Emily Coates, and Adrian Christopher round out the live-action film’s cast.
On May 26, 2023, theatregoers may see The Little Mermaid.