The Little Mermaid Poster Released, Trailer Announced for Oscars

The release of a new poster for Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake comes with the news that the first trailer will debut during the Oscars. Disney has found success in giving live-action updates to some of its biggest animated franchises. Some recent examples include The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Cruella, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Next up is The Little Mermaid with the multi-talented Halle Bailey playing Ariel. A short teaser trailer for The Little Mermaid was released shortly after the Super Bowl, but the Oscars broadcast this weekend will be the place to check out the official trailer.

“Check out the new poster for Disney’s #TheLittleMermaid and see the official trailer debut during the #Oscars this Sunday on ABC!” a tweet from The Little Mermaid Twitter account reads. The poster is an homage to the poster for the original 1989 animated movie, with Ariel sitting on a rock in the ocean, looking up at the sky. Another Little Mermaid poster was released in October, which got a lovely reaction from Bailey. “Words can’t describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams, Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Come under the sea with me, in theaters May 26, 2023 🧜🏽‍♀️,” Bailey wrote. 

Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula Revealed in The Little Mermaid Trailer

After sitting out Super Bowl LVII, Disney revealed a new look at the live-action re-imagining of the 1989 animated movie surfacing in theaters May 26th. Actress and singer Halle Bailey of Grammy-nominated duo Chloe x Halle stars as undersea princess Ariel, leading a cast that includes Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women) as the surface world’s Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as the crabby Sebastian, Awkwafina (Marvel’s Shang-Chi) as diving bird Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay (Room) as fish friend Flounder, Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) as the sea witch Ursula.

The Little Mermaid teaser trailer featured a few teasing notes of Bailey signing the classic Disney song “Part of Your World” and the first look at Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

1989’s The Little Mermaid, which ushered in the Disney Renaissance age of animation, is the latest animated classic to receive the live-action treatment following Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, and Pinocchio. Oscar-nominated Chicago filmmaker Rob Marshall, who directed Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the musicals Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns for Disney, returns to the studio for the live-action remake from writers David Magee (Life of Pi) and Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class).

The Little Mermaid swims into theaters on May 26th. The 95th Academy Awards airs Sunday, March 12th at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.