The new The Little Mermaid is out in cinemas – starring Halle Bailey as the new Ariel

The new The Little Mermaid is out in cinemas this week, on the 26 May 2023.

In September 2022, it was revealed that the new Princess Ariel would be played by Halle Bailey. For the first time, Ariel will be depicted as a 16-year-old girl who is Black – a huge step towards more inclusivity and representation in Disney films.

Ariel is still shown to have her classic red locks, but nonetheless, we already know that red hair can be found among any race. The MC1R gene can be passed on to anyone, so it makes complete sense that Ariel is still a natural redhead, like the classic 1989 film.

Before the film has even been released, the new Disney Princess Ariel doll has already become a No1 bestseller online.

Halle Bailey posted a clip of the trailer on her Instagram. She captioned it: “Can’t believe it’s happening!”

Almost immediately after the trailer aired, heart-warming videos of children reacting to the new Ariel went viral. In hundreds of videos, excited young children are heard saying: “She is Black! She looks like me!”

@letslbs My heart melted 🥰 #ariel #newariel #blackariel #representationmatters ♬ original sound – Leticia Lopes

Some other changes in the new movie that are different to the 1989 classic include:

1. Ariel wants the freedom for herself, not for a man. This new feminist perspective is one of the biggest adaptations in the movie. Instead of wanting to be a human so that she could be with Prince Eric, Ariel makes the decision to go to the ‘human world’ to explore who she is.

2. Prince Eric’s mother will make an appearance in the movie, Queen Selina. From this, we can expect to have more of an insight into Prince Eric’s life and his relationship with his mother.

3. Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda have written new songs for the movie adaptation. Miranda ensured fans that, “Every song you love in The Little Mermaid is still The Little Mermaid, we just found new moments to musicalize.”

4. Flounder will look more like a real-life flounder fish. Disney have swapped his bright yellow and blue body, for a grey and blue body instead.

5. To reflect new views in society towards women and consent in relationships, some of the lyrics in the classic songs have been changed. For example, ‘Kiss the Girl’ and lyrics in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ that references to young girls “wanting to be thinner” and that they should stay silent.

Halloween costumes for ginger guys

6. Scuttle will be a seabird, instead of a seagull, voiced by comedian Awkwafina.

7. The film will be over two hours long! This extra time allows for much more character development, and new songs!

8. There has been no confirmation on whether Ariel will lose her voice in the film. But, if she doesn’t… I wonder how fans will react to the new storyline.