While the Super Bowl trailer for Disney’s live-action take on The Little Mermaid offered a brief glimpse of Melissa McCarthy’s betenticled baddie Ursula, the spot that aired during the Oscars tonight gave us a much fuller view of Melissa McCarthy as the sea witch who secretly plots to conquer Atlantica.
“Poor child,” Ursula says to Halle Bailey’s Ariel, “I can help you. You can’t live in that world [above water] unless you become a human yourself.”
“Is that even possible?” asks the mermaid.
“It’s what I live for,” replies Ursula with a cackle.
The pic, which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel the Mermaid, is based on Disney’s 1989 animated Oscar-winning pic The Little Mermaid, which itself was based on hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale.
Not everyone was happy with the trailer, or at least with the trailer being played by Disney subsidiary ABC during the Oscars, especially as it was introduced from the stage during the broadcast by Bailey and McCarthy.
Director and Oscar-winning producer Phil Lord took to Twitter shortly after it aired and wrote, “The broadcaster using the Oscars to promote its own movies simply undermines the integrity of the awards.”
Directed by Chicago filmmaker Rob Marshall, Little Mermaid follows Ariel, who thirsts for adventure. Pic also stars Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs is the voice of Sebastian; Jacob Tremblay is the voice of Flounder; Awkwafina is the voice of Scuttle; Art Malik as Sir Grimsby; Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy is the notorious Ursula and Oscar winner Javier Bardem as King Triton. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes 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.
The Little Mermaid opens May 26. See the new poster below.
