The Little Mermaid: Awkwafina Recalls Mind-Blowing Experience on Live-Action Remake

Disney has been making major strides to retell some of its iconic animated stories in live-action, [...]

By Jenna Anderson

Disney has been making major strides to retell some of its iconic animated stories in live-action, and The Little Mermaid is soon set to be among them. The new adaptation of the iconic fairytale will boast a star-studded cast, including Awkwafina, who is set to voice the snarky seagull Scuttle. In an interview with ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis tied to the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Awkwafina spoke about the experience of working on the film, which officially wrapped filming earlier this summer.

"Oh man. I mean, that was so cool," Awkwafina revealed in our interview, which you can check out above. "I mean, each one of these experiences is mind blowing in their own respect and very special, and for that one, it was so cool to work with Rob Marshall and Lin-Manuel [Miranda]. And I think that the world's going to really, really like it.'

When Davis mentioned that, between Shang-Chi and The Little Mermaid, Awkwafina will soon see herself "all over Disneyland", the actress jokingly agreed.

"Yeah, and I can never go there again," Awkwafina added. "No, it's all good."

The Little Mermaid will be directed by Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns), with a script from David Magee and Jane Goldman. The film is expected to feature original songs from the 1989 animated blockbuster, as well as new tracks composed by Alan Menken and Diggs' Hamilton co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda. Halle Bailey is set to play Ariel, and is expected to be joined by Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.

"There are things I've learned about how you have to work to integrate songs into story, and how it has to feel earned. It can't just be sort of put there, placed there, because you feel there should be a song," Marshall previously told ComicBook.com. "It has to be a song that's earned, that takes you there. And so as we're working on, in a way, fleshing out The Little Mermaid — Ariel has one song in the animated film — and so we're looking for maybe more material."

"Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda are coming on board to write some lyrics, so that's exciting, to sort of take what was there, which is so beloved, but also find a way to create a live-action version of it," Marshall said, adding "the lessons of creating an original musical have been very helpful so far."

Are you excited to see the live-action The Little Mermaid? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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