A Guide To The Live-Action "Little Mermaid" Remake, And Yes, There Are New Songs

"All day [Rob Marshall's] like, ‘Do you want to slide down this 40-foot clam shell?’ I’m like, ‘Yes! Of course, I do. What are you, crazy?’ It’s been wildly creative.”

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Ever since the live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid was announced back in 2016 — over FIVE YEARS AGO — we have been hungry for any and all news relating to what stands to be Disney's most ambitious project yet.

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And while there's still a bit of a wait before we'll actually get to see the movie, here is absolutely everything we know about the project so far.

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1. We know the cast.

The cast was slowly announced between mid 2019 and early 2020, which by now was so long ago! I have been so excited for this movie, and even *I* forgot some of these GENIUS casting choices.

Halle Bailey is Ariel.

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Melissa McCarthy is Ursula.

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Jonah Hauer-King is Prince Eric.

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Javier Bardem is King Triton.

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Awkwafina is Scuttle.

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Daveed Diggs is Sebastian.

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Jacob Tremblay is Flounder.

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And Art Malik is Grimsby.

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2. We FINALLY have a teaser trailer, and it is EVERYTHING!

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I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how Disney was going to make this movie look good. There is so much time spent under the sea, and I don't know if you know this, but actors can't actually breathe underwater. But boy, did they pull it off! It not only looks so much better than I could have imagined, Halle's tease of "Part of Your World" proves that she was absolutely the best woman for the job. CHILLS!

3. We also know that there will be NEW SONGS written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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In an interview on Variety's Awards Circuit podcast, Miranda confirmed that he and Menken (who wrote the original Little Mermaid score) "wrote three or four original tunes." Ok, color me excited!! But what will these new songs be?? I'm glad you asked.

King Triton will have his own song.

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Last year, Javier Bardem let it slip to Variety that he’d be singing one of the new songs. He said, “[Rob Marshall] was the first one who was courageous enough to give me a song and give me the stage, and I adore him. Working with him is a gift.”

And Halle confirmed the news in an interview with STYLECASTER earlier this year when she said, "There are some new songs as well. I really like them. I know Javier let the cat out of the bag that he has a whole song. I like that one.”

Ariel will have at least one more song as well.

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In that same Variety interview, Miranda told them that "Part of Your World" will not be Ariel's only number. "Rob found a creative way to hear from Ariel, even though she is sans voice for a little while. We wrote some music for her time on land. She experiences a lot of firsts, as someone with legs for the first time. We got to lean into all of that musically."

But don't worry! All your old faves will still be in it, too.

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Miranda revealed in an interview with Collider that we don't need to worry about the new songs pushing out any of our old faves. He said, "Every song you love in The Little Mermaid is still in The Little Mermaid; we just found some new moments to musicalize. That’s really tricky."

And while 2019's The Little Mermaid Live! on ABC included songs from the Broadway stage adaptation, there's been no word if any of them will make it into the new movie.

Jemal Countess / WireImage

Justice for the "If Only" quartet!

4. We know the sets are going to be “wildly creative,” and there will even be a “40-foot clam shell.”

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In an appearance on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Melissa McCarthy spoke about her time on set with director Rob Marshall. "All day, he’s like, ‘Do you want to slide down this 40-foot clam shell?’ I’m like, ‘Yes! Of course, I do. What are you, crazy?’ It’s been wildly creative.” 40-foot clam shell?? I'M LISTENING!

And we even got this little behind-the-scenes peek!

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In early 2020, when production halted due to the pandemic, drone footage captured an abandoned Little Mermaid set, where you could fully see Prince Eric's massive ship. In a film that we know heavily relies on CGI, it's exciting to hear about so many practical sets! I can't wait to see the finished product.

5. Some shots from the original animated film will be fully recreated.

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Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, Halle discussed how she can't wait for everyone to see all of the things that stay completely faithful to the film. "[I'm excited about] the mirrored shots, the iconic shots that we've all loved, like the hair flip, and when she's in her grotto. I think all those special moments [are] going to be really cool to see in live-action."

6. It will give us a modern take on Ariel, and her story will not be all about finding love.

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While some things from the animated movie will be completely recreated, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't expect some updates. Just last week at Disney's largest fan expo, D23, Halle spoke to Yahoo! News, saying, “We keep a lot of the meat of the film that made us all fall in love with [it]. It’s really her, and her gumption. And just excitement for the life above [her] world. ... It’s also updated with the current times. ... She really just goes for what she wants. She’s not scared. And it’s not all about a boy. It’s all about what she wants for herself, and her life. She inspires me.”

And talking to STYLECASTER, she adds, "I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised by some updates of the themes of the film. More so on Ariel’s side of women empowerment and her taking her power back."

SIGN ME UP!

Daveed Diggs even said there are some more “surprises” that have yet to be announced.

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Speaking with Collider, Daveed Diggs talked a lot about his experience playing Sebastian, but the most intriguing thing he said was this: “[Being part of The Little Mermaid is] pretty cool. ... There are so many cool surprises that I know and I’m just sitting on." What are they, Daveed? Is Sebastian going to rap? Will Eric turn into a merman? Will Chef Louis be vegetarian? I need to know!

7. You're probably going to cry — in a good way!

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Rob Marshall revealed to Variety that the first time he heard Halle sing "Part of Your World," he got more than a little emotional. “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.”

And Melissa McCarthy echoed this sentiment during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.

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“We were on set, and they just started playing Halle’s version of the song. ... It’s so beautiful, and it’s from such a — it’s just different. That girl has got roots down, and she sings from her heart. When I heard it, there were, like, seven of us that just burst out crying because we had not heard it.” 

8. The movie is coming out May 26, 2023!

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The movie will be released May 26, 2023! That's so soon! And with all the Disney content that was announced at D23, you'll have plenty of things to keep you busy while you wait!

And it's getting a theatrical release!

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That's not a given these days! The live-action Pinocchio was released exclusively on Disney+, and the same will happen for the sequels to both Hocus Pocus and Enchanted (which I think is a CRIME, but that's a topic for a different article). We'll get to see all the under the sea glory on the biggest screens possible, and I couldn't be more grateful. Catch me there opening night! 

That's all I've got for you FOR NOW! I'll keep this updated with ALL the latest Little Mermaid news as it becomes available. In the meantime, keep watching the trailer until your eyeballs fall out like I am.

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