Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action film ‘The Little Mermaid.’ Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
The path of The Little Mermaid to theaters is being, to say the least, curious. The live-action remake of the 1989 animated classic has spent a long season dividing audiences, and from different angles.
After all, recovering a film so longed for by the public was never going to be an easy task, especially when Disney intends to bring about social changes in the process and transform animated characters into real versions (the Sebastián and Flounder thing is quite shocking, but it’s already been done).
However, if you are one of those who have doubts about the remake, Halle Bailey manages to erase them or, at least, generate enough expectation with a particular video.
The Iconic Song and Bailey’s Voice
I am talking about a promotional video clip focused on one of the most emblematic songs of the film: Part of your world, sung by Ariel as she sings in her treasure cave after arguing with her father for having risen to the surface, just before meeting Prince Eric.
Composed by Alan Menken, in Latin America we know it as ‘Part of him’ sung by the Mexican Gabriela León in the dubbed version.
And now, just a month before the premiere, Disney published it in full on YouTube, revealing another reason that would explain why Halle Bailey could be the perfect choice for the role, beyond the aesthetic differences in the color of skin.
The video includes several images from the film – most of which we had seen in the promotional trailers – but it stands out above all the wonderful voice of Halle Bailey and the vocal performance that she offers us.
The Vocal Interpretation and the Original Voice
Because it doesn’t matter in which language you discovered The Little Mermaid for the first time, the truth is that the 23-year-old actress and singer makes us imagine the princess of the sea and all the magic of a curious, passionate and adventurous character just by listening to her.
What stands out the most about the song, beyond the wonderful voice of Halle Bailey, is the vocal interpretation so faithful to the Ariel that we all know.
Because the actress manages to amplify our imagination and listen to that mermaid that we remember so much, but achieving something as difficult as making the original theme sung by Jodi Benson her own.
The song will be part of the soundtrack that Disney will launch shortly before the premiere of the film (on May 19) and when the video reaches its final climax, one can experience goosebumps which is a direct consequence of the power of nostalgia and the eternal adoration for the original film.
The Relevance of Bailey Amid Controversies and Criticisms
Consequently, Halle Bailey proves herself as a relevant piece to keep in mind amid the criticism surrounding the remake.
Because there are still many viewers who continue to reject the choice of a black actress in the role of the originally red-haired mermaid.
The nostalgic faithful can’t conceive of the change while others criticize Disney’s forced inclusion, and racism has been creeping into the conversation since the controversy began.
But Bailey manages to dispel them by showing off of a vocal interpretation that predicts something emotional and powerfully endearing.
A vocal work that appeals to the emotion of a character adored by the whole world and where the color of the skin does not exist as a debate but being able to transmit the essence of Ariel to us.
And only with that song and her voice, she succeeds. The Little Mermaid opens on May 26.