Initial Reactions to 'The Little Mermaid' Praise Halle Bailey's Portrayal of Ariel

Releasing at the end of the month.

Entertainment
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Ahead of its global theatrical release, critics had a chance to enjoy an early viewing of Disney‘s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey.

Just last month at CinemaCon, Disney gave audiences a glimpse of Melissa McCarthy singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” as Ursula. The soundtrack to the film is produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken and features four original songs. Joining Bailey and McCarthy, the cast also includes Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Jacob Tremblay voicing Flounder, Daveed Diggs voicing Sebastian and Awkwafina voicing Scuttle.

The initial reactions to the film are overwhelmingly positive for Bailey’s portrayal of Ariel. Critics called Bailey “extraordinary.” The general consensus from the audience is that the performance of the cast stood out the most. While the performances were one to commend, one critic mentioned, “Bailey is great, McCarthy rules, the songs work but it just feels so unnecessary.” Another stated that the film looks “visually rough” to maintain the under-the-sea setting, but commended Bailey’s “gorgeous singing and empathetic charm.”

The Little Mermaid premieres on May 26.

In other entertainment news, watch Jason Statham face prehistoric sharks in the official Meg 2: The Trench trailer.

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