Winning the lead role in The Little Mermaid sounds like it’s been an absolute dream come true for Halle Bailey, who now counts herself as the latest Disney Princess who got to belt out her own version of “Part of Your World” and play a mermaid all day on set. However, there is one bummer part about playing Ariel – you know, the part where she gives up her voice to Ursula and can’t talk for most of it.
When CinemaBlend spoke to Halle Bailey about the making of the upcoming Disney movie, we talked about her taking on that element of the film. In her words:
It was definitely a really fun challenge for me, especially when she didn't have her voice because, well, number one, I've never done anything like this before, taking on a movie like this, anyways. So, with talking it was something that I felt like I was still learning and doing the lines and everything. And, then without having lines and having to show every emotion on my face, I felt like it was a really cool learning experience for me. But yeah, I was just trying to find the deeper meaning behind Ariel's heart and show that to the world, keep her open and allow people to see her emotions through her eyes and face.
You wouldn’t guess it by Halle Bailey’s incredible performance, which many critics are raving about while discussing the live-action remake, including in our The Little Mermaid review, but this is her first movie ever. As the Ariel actress told us, not only was the challenge there to express herself with few words given the circumstances the mermaid goes on throughout the movie, she was having so many first-time experiences at once. One thing that helped the actress on set when it came to not having dialogue is the fact that the music from The Little Mermaid played a vital role on set.
Director Rob Marshall would play the score on set too. It also helps that Halle Bailey has a new song in the movie called “For The First Time,” which plays in the background during Ariel’s first moments as a human. Bailey also said this:
IWe actually had ‘For The First Time’ blasted on the speakers when I would like coming into the castle area and being led up the stairs. It was like a very big thing Rob [Marshall] wanted was us to feel the music and the score. Whatever scene we had, there was always music behind us.
Release Date: May 26, 2023
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Written By: David Magee
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwarfina, and Jacob Tremblay
Rating: PG for action/peril and some scary images
Runtime: 135 minutes
Along with The Little Mermaid including almost every song from the 1989 film, original composer Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda teamed up to add more music to the beloved Disney film. “For The First Time” is a standout because it allows Halle Bailey to express herself despite not having a voice in the moment. While one might not realize it right away, Ariel’s only songs in the animated version are “Part of Your World” and the reprise. It would have been unfortunate for a show-stopping voice like Bailey to only get a couple songs, and “For The First Time,” allows her to use her angelic pipes more. Plus, Halle Bailey gets to sing a second “Part of Your World” reprise as well.
You can listen to the The Little Mermaid soundtrack on Spotify and check out Halle Bailey embody Ariel on the big screen when the movie hits theaters this Friday, May 26.
