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March 13 (UPI) -- Can love ever work between humans and mermaids? That's the question posed in The Little Mermaid trailer, which shows stars Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King in the movie's first full-length clip. Mermaid Ariel saves Prince Eric (Hauer-King) from dying when his ship runs into a storm, but her father, King Triton (Javier Bardem), is not happy. She's gone to the above world and that's not a place for merpeople.
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"He's a human. You're a mermaid!" King Triton tells Ariel. "That doesn't make us enemies," Ariel says.
Ariel wants to know more about the creatures above the sea, so she makes a deal with sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) who will allow her to become human for a trial period as long as Ariel is willing to give up her voice.
Ariel's underwater world is beautifully represented in the 2-minute, 20-second trailer, which also features Bailey singing the theme song "Under the Sea."
The trailer was introduced by McCarthy and Bailey during Sunday's Oscars telecast, taking advantage of its broad global audience.
"It has been such an honor stepping into the iconic role of Ariel," Bailey said. "It was an extraordinary experience, a dream come true for me."
The cast also includes Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jason Tremblay and Lin-Manuel Miranda. This is the latest iteration of The Little Mermaid based on characters originally created by Hans-Christian Anderson. The success of the 1989 animated film, which won two Oscars and made over $250M, led to a sequel, a prequel, and a musical.
Rob Marshall directed the 2023 version.
