Halle Bailey, who is set to star in this year’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, discussed the new movie’s Ariel and how she’s a bit different than the original 1989 version.
In an interview with The Face, Bailey described this take on Ariel as more reflective of modern women.
“What’s beautiful about this version of The Little Mermaid is that it’s a lot more modern,” Bailey stated. “When we saw it, when we were younger, she gave up everything for the guy. But I don’t think [that] reflects modern women today. So [now] it’s more about Ariel finding freedom for herself because of this world that she’s obsessed with.”
Bailey then said that Eric, the handsome prince whom Ariel pines for in the original film, ”is a cherry on top, but it’s not all about him.”
For this new version of The Little Mermaid, Disney paired Lin-Manuel Miranda with Alan Menken — who also wrote the songs in the 1989 animated film alongside Howard Ashman — to create a blend of old and new songs that will be featured in the upcoming big-screen version.
Disney’s animated The Little Mermaid made over $211 million at the box office and became a bestseller on home video, popularizing songs like “Under The Sea” and “Part of Your World.” The upcoming film is based on the short story by Hans Christian Andersen and the 1989 Disney animated film by Ron Clements and John Musker.