The Little Mermaid (2023) Official Trailer Breakdown — My Thoughts and Opinions

After months of waiting for the official trailer of the live-action of one of the most beloved Disney movies of their renaissance period, and of course of all time, we now have it!

(All photos are screengrabs from the official trailer of The Little Mermaid posted by Walt Disney Studios on their YouTube channel)

Yes, a 2-minute trailer of The Little Mermaid has already dropped and we couldn’t be more excited to break down all the nods to the original animated film and its other exciting details.

The Little Mermaid (2023) Official Trailer Break Down

Ariel saves Eric from the shipwreck

The trailer opens up with the shipwreck scene where Halle Bailey‘s Ariel saves Jonah Hauer-King‘s Prince Eric from drowning which happened during the celebration of his birthday.

This might be a little scary for people who have thalassophobia or an intense fear of large bodies of water—I know I was terrified. However, you will feel relief once you see the enchanting tail of our live-action Disney princess.

The scene where Ariel brought Eric to the seashore was very reminiscent of the animated feature. They even recreated the blurry image of the mermaid from the point of view of the prince.

Also, can we talk about how gorgeous the wide shot of the castle is in the scene where Ariel watched Eric’s men go to him? For me, it took my breath away for having such an amazing visual.

Under the Sea | Musical Numbers

We also got to see what seems to be the musical number of Disney fan favorite Under the Sea where Sebastian sings to Ariel how wonderful a life a merfolk can have in the deep blue ocean.

Reports say that the live-action remake of the 1989 classic will contain music from the original. Well, they should, because they will be crucified if they do not. Remember live-action Mulan?

Nevertheless, for me, it would be weird if a live-action crab does a musical number, but we got a singing realistic candelabra in the live-action Beauty and the Beast so let’s see what they do here. Let’s just wish Daveed Diggs, who lent his voice to Sebastian, luck.

What’s exciting though is the information that the original composer from the animated classic Alan Menken has returned. He has collaborated with broadway legend Lin-Manuel Miranda to create more amazing music for this live-action iteration.

Alan and Lin-Manuel have both helmed amazing pieces for Disney movies over the years. The former for classics such as A Whole New World (Aladdin), Go the Distance (Hercules), and of course, Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid; and the latter for modern-classics such as How Far I’ll Go (Moana) and We Don’t Talk About Bruno (Encanto).

So this will surely be a treat as it will be no exception. They are such huge talent.

Ariel gets caught by Triton for her collection

Here, we, alongside Halle’s Ariel, get surprised by Javier Bardem‘s King Triton who has caught her thingamabobs collection. We can also see Flounder voiced by Jacob Tremblay, talking to the princess as they entered the cave. Of course, we all know this scene where her father confronts her for her admiration for human beings.

We’re not really sure if in the live-action we will also see the king destroy all of the pieces in the princess’ collection. But if we were basing on the shot-by-shot remake this trailer has done so far, that might just be the case.

Unfortunately, if that is to happen, we did not see the statue of Prince Eric that Triton destroyed in the animated film that fully broke Ariel’s heart which caused her to seek help from the sea witch. In the last scenes of the trailer, nevertheless, we see the father and daughter conversing which further escalated.

Poor Unfortunate Souls | Ariel goes to Ursula

One of the most iconic scenes in Disney films ever is when Ariel visited Ursula in her lair to ask for help and meet Eric. However, things took a turn when the sea witch suggests that she needs to become a human herself in order for the prince to fall in love with her.

And of course, the cult classic Poor Unfortunate Souls number where Ursula asks for the mermaid’s beautiful voice. Well, we sure are getting that despite the trailer’s lack of a preview as we see Melissa McCarthy‘s Ursula mix up her potions and work her “little magic.”

One of the things I noticed in the trailer however is how they used some of the lines of Ursula as is, just being delivered by Melissa a little differently. Phrases like “…become a human yourself,” and “That’s what I live for” when Ariel asks the antagonist if it was possible.

I have mentioned this since, in the past, people have criticized Disney for copying classic animated films so closely with their live-action movies without ever bothering to add a spin to them, and in the case of The Lion King, shot by shot, they say.

Let’s just hope they add a little flavor to it because, personally, I do not mind seeing live-action films remake the classics as is, but a change in the lines, dialogue, and delivery surely amps them up and sets them apart from the original.

Ariel gets legs | Scuttle and Sebastian

This screengrab does not give justice to the scene where Ariel emerged from the sea when she finally got her legs. The shot was mesmerizing but I couldn’t capture it as Halle moved.

In addition, we got a detailed first look at Sebastian and Scuttle voiced by Awkwafina. Initially, I was weirded out by the voice of our favorite “human expert” and then I heard Sebastian speak as well who had a weird accent that reminded me of Lumiere‘s French articulation in the live-action Beauty and the Beast.

I am just hoping that they do not have that absurd feel in the film itself.

Kiss the Girl | Halle and Jonah’s chemistry

Another song that truly speaks to Disney fans out there is Kiss the Girl where Ariel almost successfully kisses Eric to fulfill her contract and keep her permanent legs. We all know what’s going to happen here but, of course, we still got that stunning romantic visual of the pair in a small boat in a lagoon with sparkling fireflies.

Truly, the ethereal beauty of Halle Bailey shines here complementing the uncanny resemblance of Jonah Hauer-King to the gorgeous Prince Eric. However, in the trailer, it was not enough for me to grasp their chemistry with each other. But of course, it was hard to say with just a little screen time like that, making me look forward to the full-length film.

Other details you might have missed

This shot of what looks like Atlantica, the home of merfolk, piqued my interest and I cannot wait to see more of it in the movie. If this is indeed it, it is somehow a downgrade to the golden city we saw in the 1989 classic with the latter’s spellbinding architecture, and, I repeat, golden. Crossing my fingers right now wishing that it is more beautiful in the movie itself.

Also, we have here what seems to be Ariel’s older sisters Mala, Karina, Indira, Caspia, Perla, and Tameka which were renamed, instead of having the original siblings all starting with an “A”: Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina.

With these names, it is obvious that Disney opted for a mixed-race family, as we can see with Ariel resembling African-American features, and Triton having caucasian features. Actresses reported to play the sisters include Lorena Andrea as Perla, Simone Ashley as Indira, and Kajsa Mohammar as Karina.

Part of Your World (Reprise) | Strong ending of the trailer

When thinking about The Little Mermaid, of course, we all think about the timeless song Part of Your World where Ariel dreams about joining the love of her life in his world above the sea.

Nevertheless, it also has a reprised version where she sings about feeling hopeful that something has already started after she rescued the prince and delivered him onto the shore.

This birthed the famous photo of the Disney princess singing on a huge rock with a huge splash behind her back recreated in the live-action as seen in the image above. In the animated classic, despite it being a reprise, it has that same magic.

In this trailer, Halle Bailey’s immense vocal ability surely impressed, touched our souls, and gave goosebumps to everyone who watched it. Her awesome delivery of the song made the heart of the little kid in me melt with her long note at the end as the trailer slowly comes to a close and flashes some more enchanting snippets of the film.

If I’m being honest, I was not that satisfied with the rest of the scenes I viewed, but with this emotional closing that literally gave me goosebumps, I might just give The Little Mermaid a pass as it also almost made me tear up. Truly, it was a strong ending and made me look forward to it more. I just hope it delivers.

Nevertheless, as a person who has waited for years after Disney announced that it will have a live-action iteration way back, of course, I cannot wait to see The Little Mermaid in theaters.

Watch the full trailer here: