The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey shares the movie poster along with an emotional message.
On her Twitter account, Bailey posted the image of Ariel at the bottom of the sea looking up as sunlight pours in. She wrote that she was at a loss for words, and expressed how honored she was to be playing the character.
The poster calls back to one from the original 1989 movie. In that one, Ariel is also seated on the ocean floor and looking up toward the light — except in the original, Flounder and Sebastian are there with her.
Bailey recently revealed how she approached making a brand new Ariel and how much the character meant to her ever since she was a little girl. Her main goal was to make herself proud and to make that little girl happy, and in doing so, she’ll make other little girls happy.
Her casting in this iconic role has created many online discussions and fellow Disney princess Rachel Zegler stood firmly in support of Bailey. She wrote on Twitter that Bailey would be the moment forever and ever. Zegler will be playing Snow White in the titular live-action movie, so she knows something about the royal expectations. Based on the snippet of singing vocals from the teaser trailer, there’s no denying her talent.
The Little Mermaid swims into theaters May 26, 2023.