Little Mermaid Finished Filming: Halle Bailey Shares First Photo As Ariel

Get your flippers and fins ready because Disney’s The Little Mermaid is finished filming! Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel, shared a sneak peek of herself as Ariel enjoying the gorgeous waters of Sardinia. She said it was one of the toughest experiences she’s gone through, but that she can’t wait for everyone to see it.

and just like that..that’s a wrap ❤️after auditioning for this film when i was 18 just about to turn 19 , to now finishing filming through a pandemic when i turned 21 ..we have finally made it…💖i feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory.. pic.twitter.com/UtbyX5tS6a

— Halle (@HalleBailey) July 12, 2021

It’s so exciting to see this movie finally wrapping up, especially for Disney fans like myself. Bailey, who is one-half of the musical group Chloe x Halle, has a gorgeous voice and was the perfect fit to fill Ariel’s tail. To those that were up in arms about casting a Black woman as Ariel, I say Get. Over. Yourselves. She’s a mermaid and let’s all be real: Hollywood needs more diversity.

As director Rob Marshall said:

“It was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made. She (Bailey) came in and claimed the role. You know, when you’re looking for a character, you’re looking for those character traits that are sometimes indescribable. And Ariel needs to have a sort of wide-eyed wonder about the world, plus a fiery spirit, plus an angelic voice, plus something otherworldly because she’s not from this world. And she’s experiencing something for the first time.”

The Little Mermaid has an all-star cast including Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women) as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem (Skyfall) as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay (Luca) voicing Flounder, Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) voicing Sebastian, Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) as Ursula, and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) as Scuttle.

The Most Important Question: Will We Still Be Able To Sing Along To “Under The Sea”??

Great news karaoke lovers! The Little Mermaid will have songs! Unlike a certain other Disney live-action movie that starts with a Mu and ends in a -lan (as well as another Mulan controversy), fans will be able to sing along. While Disney said that not all of the songs would be included, there’s a lot of buzz over some of the potential new songs made especially for the film. Award-winning actor, singer, and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda is teaming up with the OG Little Mermaid‘s music composer Alan Menken to write some never-before-heard material. Given the popularity and catchiness of Miranda’s other material (Moana, Hamilton), fans are excited!

Because you’re probably humming it already:

The Little Mermaid has no set release date yet. 

Are you excited that The Little Mermaid finished filming? Let us know in the comments below.

Featured image via screengrab

Keilin Huang is a freelance writer that likes the Oxford comma, reading from her neverending pile of books from the library, and Reeses peanut butter cups. She thanks her Dad for introducing her to his Superman comics and probably majored in Journalism because of Lois Lane.