Yesterday, during the Oscars, we were greeted with the first full trailer and new poster for The Little Mermaid. Today, Empire is sharing a new look at the highly-anticipated film.
The entertainment magazine spoke with director Rob Marshall who revealed one of Ariel’s new songs “For The First Time”. “It’s about her experiences the moment she hits land, We needed to create a number that could almost work as a montage, so we could take her through that experience – coming onto the land, what it’s like to put on shoes, have legs.” And given that that’s both everything Ariel’s dreamed of, but also something daunting and new, the song hopes to capture all of those emotions. “Anybody who has a different experience, it’s wondrous and scary at the same time.”
The Little Mermaid is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
The film stars singer and actress Halle Bailey (grown-ish) as Ariel; Jonah Hauer-King (A Dog’s Way Home) as Prince Eric; Tony Award® winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as the voice of Sebastian; Awkwafina (Raya and the Last Dragon) as the voice of Scuttle; Jacob Tremblay (Luca) as the voice of Flounder; Noma Dumezweni (Mary Poppins Returns) as Queen Selina; Art Malik (Homeland) as Sir Grimsby; with Oscar® winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) as King Triton; and two-time Academy Award® nominee Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me? Bridesmaids) as Ursula.
The Little Mermaid is directed by Oscar® nominee Rob Marshall (Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns)with a screenplay by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee (Life of Pi, Finding Neverland). The songs feature music from multiple Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) and lyrics by Howard Ashman, and new lyrics by three-time Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film is produced by two-time Emmy® winner Marc Platt (Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Grease Live!), Miranda, two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca (Tony Bennett: An American Classic), and Rob Marshall, with Jeffrey Silver (The Lion King) serving as executive producer.
