"Chills, tears, BREATHTAKING": Halle Bailey’s The Little Mermaid performance at Disneyland wins internet

Halle Bailey put the audience under a spell when she performed Part Of Your World from her upcoming feature, The Little Mermaid, on Sunday at Disneyland. The 23-year-old actress/singer crooned the track on the May 24 episode of American Idol. Dressed in a beautiful blue off-shoulder gown with an elaborate train and a stellar skirt, Bailey delivered the striking rendition of the iconic number during Disney Night.

The Little Mermaid is slated to hit theaters on Friday, May 26, 2023.

After a video of Halle Bailey's performance was shared on social media, people flocked together to express their joy. Replying to the video shared by the entertainment website The Neighborhood Talk, a user said that they had “chills” and “tears” after watching the same.

Apart from Halle Bailey as Ariel, The Little Mermaid also stars Jonah Hauer-King as the human prince and Ariel's love interest Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian’s voice, Awkwafina as Scuttle’s voice, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder’s voice, and Noma Dumezweni as Eric's mother/Queen Selina.

Javier Bardem as King Triton, Ariel's overprotective father and the Atlantica emperor, and Melissa McCarthy as the antagonist and sea witch Ursula complete the main cast of the unreleased film, which is helmed by Rob Marshall.

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Halle Bailey’s Disneyland performance seems to have overturned her casting criticism

Halle Bailey, who will be seen as the lead character of mermaid princess Ariel in the forthcoming Disney musical, owned her almost 4-minute-long routine of Part Of Your World. The visually calming shade of blue as the sole setting amplified the effect.

So, the unanimous and vociferous love for Halle Bailey from fans doesn’t come as a surprise. Several replied with “wow,” “gorgeous,” and “incredible,” to the video shared by The Little Mermaid and the film’s distributor/producer Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on Twitter.

Some also expressed their anticipation for the film’s release.

It needs to be noted that when Halle Bailey was cast in July 2019, she and the makers faced a lot of flak. Much of the opinion was directed at the physical appearance of the African-American actress, with many saying that she wasn’t a right fit to be a mermaid.

Ariel was fair-skinned in the original 1989 animated film, which doesn’t match the Grown-ish star’s skin tone. Further, after the teaser trailer was dropped, social media witnessed a storm under the raging hashtag of #NotMyAriel.

Soon, The Guardian's scribe Stuart Heritage, West Side Story star Rachel Zegler, and Ariel’s voice actress in the animated film Jodi Benson, among others, lent support to Halle Bailey.

The young actress too has maintained since the start that the racist trolling doesn’t bother her and recently stated that musical sensation Beyonce gave her “very good advice” on how to tackle the menace. She said:

“I had a private conversation with Beyonce who told me not to read the comments on social media. It’s kind of sad, but very good advice for your mental health. I started in the industry so young that mental health has always been something I have tried to prioritize.”

Moreover, McCarthy’s inclusion as Ursula, and Flounder and Sebastian’s character designs too were criticized. Fans didn't want someone with drag queen experience to portray the villainous character. Many also termed the character designs to be “too realistic” and “awful” compared to the ones seen in the previous iteration.

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The Little Mermaid will hit theaters on May 26, 2023, across the country.