Source: Image Group LA / Getty
D23 Expo is going down in Anaheim, Los Angeles, and Cassius Life was in the building on day one to peep some of the big announcements. During the Studio Showcase, Disney gave fans and press a first look at the highly anticipated live-action take on the animated classic The Little Mermaid.
Disney treated Fans and press in attendance to the full clip of Halle Bailey as Ariel singing the classic song from The Little Mermaid, “Part of Your World,” which was amazing. Following the scene, Bailey came out on stage to massive applause from the D23 Expo crowd, who had the privilege of seeing the scene.
Immediately after, Disney dropped the first teaser trailer for the film, which has been hampered with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is currently on track to drop in May 2023.
Speaking with Variety, the one-half of the dynamic singing duo Chloe x Halle spoke about shooting the film and what she hopes little girls walk away with after watching her in the movie.
“I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special and that they should be a princess in every single way,” Bailey said. “There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be. That reassurance was something that I needed.” Bailey also discussed identifying with Ariel at a young age, saying, “Her sense of longing, her searching for herself, was something that I could resonate with. She knew where she wanted to go, and she wasn’t going to let anybody stop her.”
If that scene indicates what we can expect from The Little Mermaid, we are most likely in for a treat.
Other Announcements
The Little Mermaid wasn’t the only big announcement Disney had up its sleeve. Disney delivered trailers for Hocus Pocus 2, The Haunted Mansion, and Disenchanted. We also got exclusive first looks at Wish, Snow White, and The Lion King prequel Mufasa helmed by Barry Jenkins, plus new projects from Pixar; Win or Lose, Elio, Elemental, and confirmation that a sequel to Inside Out is coming.
Elio, which arrives in 2023, tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who makes first contact with aliens and is taken into space. America Ferrara lends her voice to the boy’s mother, Olga, in the animated feature.
Also coming in 2023 is Disney Animation’s newest film, Wish, starring Ariana DeBose as Asha in the musical about a magical kingdom where wishes and dreams come true. Following the end of the presentation, The West Side Story star came out to sing a song from Disney’s upcoming animated movie.
Disney+ also has a bevy of animated content on the way. The house of the mouse announced Zootopia+, a spinoff of the insanely-popular Zootopia film that will focus on six animated shorts featuring characters from the original movie. Disney also announced it has teamed up with African animation studio Kugali for a new series called Iwájú.
You can peep the trailers for Hocus Pocus 2 and Disenchanted below.
Photo: Image Group LA / Getty
