In addition to Bailey as Ariel, the live-action Little Mermaid stars Melissa McCarthy as the witch Ursula, Javier Bardem as the overprotective King Triton, and Jonah Hauer-King as the dashing Prince Eric, with Daveed Diggs voicing the musical crab Sebastian, Awkwazany. Scuttle the seagull and Jacob Tremblay who voices Flounder, Ariel’s best (fish) friend. The new film is directed by Rob Marshall, who previously directed Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns for Disney. Lin-Manuel Miranda of Moana and Encanto and Alan Menken, the composer behind the animated film, will write four new songs. The original Little Mermaid was released in 1989 and was largely responsible for starting the Disney Renaissance and bringing the Broadway musical formula to the studio’s animated films. Menken teamed up with acclaimed lyricist Howard Ashman to nail the music and the rest is history. The Little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26, 2023.
