Following the release of the full trailer for Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” on Sunday night, the film’s director Rob Marshall has spoken about the big new song that will be featured in the film that wasn’t in the 1989 animated original.
Halle Bailey stars as the mermaid herself Ariel, alongside Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian the crab, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
The animated classic sports several musical numbers that have become iconic including “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. Speaking with Empire Magazine, Marshall reveals that the new song will be titled “For The First Time”.
The track hails from Broadway legends Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda who are fleshing out Ariel’s story. More specifically, this will take place just after she swaps her fins for feet. Marshall says:
“It’s about her experiences the moment she hits land. We needed to create a number that could almost work as a montage, so we could take her through that experience – coming onto the land, what it’s like to put on shoes, have legs. Anybody who has a different experience, it’s wondrous and scary at the same time. There was an innocence and a purity to [Halle] as well as having fire. It was this strange combination. And, of course, this magnificent voice.”
Marshall directs from a screenplay by David Magee. “The Little Mermaid” opens in cinemas on May 26th.
