The Little Mermaid: Disney’s live-action fairytale swims into CinemaCon with new footage

Disney‘s CinemaCon panel is underway, with new footage from The Little Mermaid dazzling event guests. During The Little Mermaid presentation, Melissa McCarthy, who plays the villain, Ursula, took the stage. She introduced her iconic musical number, “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” from the upcoming film. JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray is our boots on the ground at CinemaCon this week. He says the song gives off a burlesque vibe, with McCarthy having a great time strutting her stuff.

Unfortunately, Chris also says the lighting of the film is poor. It’s worth noting the preview is screening in Dolby Vision, so there’s little excuse for the clip to look as dark as it does. Still, Chris says the cast looks good, and Halle Bailey could win audiences over with her outstanding performance. Overall, the film seems faithful to the animated original, even if aspects of the plot and music will change for the new version.

Rob Marshall directs this bold vision for the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The film stars Halle Bailey (grown-ish) as Ariel, Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, Snowpiercer) as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay (Luca, Good Boys) as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina (The Bad Guys, The Farewell), as the voice of Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King (A Dog’s Way Home) as Prince Eric, Art Malik (Homeland) as Sir Grimsby, Noma Dumezweni (Mary Poppins Returns) as Queen Selina, Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as the villain Ursula.

In Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel, longs to learn more about the world beyond the sea and falls for the dashing Prince Eric while visiting the surface. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She strikes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

Written by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee, with a live-action story adaptation by Magee, Marshall, and two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca, The Little Mermaid, is inspired by the short story by Hans Christian Andersen and the Disney animated classic by Ron Clements and John Musker.

Disney dropped new posters for The Little Mermaid ahead of today’s presentation. You can check them out below. Disney’s The Little Mermaid opens in theaters on May 26, 2023.