Disney has announced the official 2023 release date of their live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid is the latest in Disney’s new slate of live-action reimaginings of their classic films. Though Disney has long been readapting their animated films, this particular trend began in earnest with Kenneth Branagh’s 2015 Cinderella and Jon Favreau’s 2016 The Jungle Book, which has led Disney to adapt all their A-list material including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
The Little Mermaid is being directed by Rob Marshall, who previously helmed Disney’s decades-later sequel Mary Poppins Returns. The cast includes Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, with Jacob Tremblay voicing Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian. The film will follow the same plot as the Disney adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, though it will be updated in ways as yet unknown.
Details on The Little Mermaid have been slow to develop, but now Disney has announced the film’s official release date. The Little Mermaid will be swimming into theaters on May 26, 2023, right in time for Memorial Day weekend. This is a prime spot for the family-friendly vehicle.
The new Little Mermaid will still be a musical. Indeed, original co-writer Alan Menken is signed on to the project for the score and for the musical numbers. Though it’s unclear if all the familiar Menken and Ashman tracks will return, it has been confirmed that there will be some new songs added, co-written by producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda worked with Marshall previously on Mary Poppins Returns and has already penned music for the Disney projects Moana and Encanto. He is also likely responsible for bringing his Hamilton co-star Daveed Diggs onto the project.
Whether or not the new film lives up to the original animated project remains to be seen, and it’s difficult to tell given Disney’s divisive track record with updating their older classics. However, The Little Mermaid is one of their most iconic musicals and it will be interesting to see new performers breathe life into those classic karaoke songs. While fans still have a frustratingly long wait before they can see the film, now that there is an official release date in place, Disney will certainly begin to start the publicity machine in earnest, and more photos and clips will surely be coming down the line soon.
