Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid is no stranger when it comes to receiving endless backlash on one too many nitpicks about the upcoming remake.
Fans of the original 1989 animated film had immediate first reactions to casting Halle Bailey as the mermaid princess Ariel.
Not only for her evidently not-so-red hair, but also due to being Black, as opposed to what the animated Ariel looked like.
Apart from the production design and how the CGI animals looked ‘too realistic’ for the fans, Melissa McCarthy was also one of the early targets of backlashes.
In this case, people were quite unsure of the casting Disney did for Ursula the Sea Witch, despite McCarthy’s proven track record for having versatile roles in various films and series.
Well, now that The Little Mermaid is releasing right around the corner, Disney has released our first preview on McCarthy’s performance of the Sea Witch’s iconic song, Poor Unfortunate Souls. You can check out her music video below:
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Needless to say, McCarthy definitely ruled her part of the sea with her amazing drag make-up, stellar vocals in putting her own spin into Ursula, and overall, rocking the visuals ahead of her official debut in the live remake.
The Little Mermaid fans had even taken to Twitter their first reactions upon the release of Poor Unfortunate Souls, most of them taking back for not believing in McCarthy’s talents to deliver Ursula well on screen.
Though some replies are still leaning on the live remake flopping at the box office and prefer the original Ursula voice actor, the late Pat Carroll, there is no doubt that fans are definitely getting more hyped for the remake as we get closer to its release.
Depending on how The Little Mermaid live-action performs, Jonah Hauer-King, Halle Bailey and director Rob Marshall are already considering returning for a sequel that would center around Ariel’s daughter, Melody.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid live remake premieres in theaters on May 26!
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