‘The Little Mermaid’ Trailer Teases First Look at Melissa McCarthy’s Cackling Ursula
Disney takes The little Mermaid fans under the sea for a first glimpse of Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula in her live-action remake.
In a 30-second teaser trailer for the movie that dropped Wednesday, star Halle Bailey can be seen performing her rendition of “Part of Your World,” while spinning through underwater reefs and peeking behind shipwrecks.
But perhaps the trailer’s greatest moment — aside from a glimpse of Bailey and co-star Jonah Hauer-King’s Prince Eric’s near-kiss on a boat — is the teasing of McCarthy as the story’s beloved villain, Ursula. Towards the end of the 30-second spot, McCarthy’s bright eyes can be seen poking out from behind a tentacle as the actress delivers her rendition of the character’s iconic laugh.
The reimagining of the 1989 animated Disney hit is directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay by Jane Goldman and David Magee from a story by Marshall. Also starring is Javier Bardem as King Triton, and the voices of Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian. Other notable names associated with the cast include Lin-Manuel Miranda and Simone Ashley.
Disney favorite and Broadway legend Miranda is collaborating with the composer of the original animated film, Alan Menken, on the music. Miranda, Marshall, Russell Allen, John DeLuca, Marc Platt and Michael Zimmer serve as producers alongside Allison Erlikhman who serves as an executive producer.
The film was previously teased as part of a D23 presentation in September alongside Barry Jenkins’ Lion King precursor Mufasa and the one led by Rachel Zegler Snow White. That tease also included a look at Bailey’s performance of the classic “Part of Your World,” with the actress and singer sharing that filming the sequence was “the most beautiful experience of my life.”
The little Mermaid hits theaters May 26.
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