“Wait, Is That Ariel?” Director of ‘The Little Mermaid’ Describes When He First Met Halle Bailey

One “little” casting decision sent shockwaves through Disney fandom, even bursting the Disney bubble.

Disney fans and beyond have witnessed the peaks and valleys of a tenacious Little Mermaid’s journey for almost a year, but do we know how she landed the iconic role?

In the 25 years since Brandy was cast in the acclaimed Cinderella, a Disney princess hasn’t been crowned with so much controversy as Halley Bailey’s Ariel. Criticism erupted in the media about Bailey’s appearance not reflecting the original Ariel’s.

While the media was loud, Bailey’s ethereal voice sang louder, and she won the hearts of millions of people throughout the film’s promotion. Through breathtaking performances of “Part of Your World,” humble meet-and-greets with children who idolize her, an unwavering bond with her sister, and undeniable charm, Bailey has garnered high praise despite the initial backlash.

She even turned the tides on one of the most famous Disney dolls, shared on Twitter by @HalleLegion:

halle bailey viewing ‘ariel limited edition’ and ‘ariel on land’#TheLittleMermaid #ariel pic.twitter.com/srt7ntijtG

— Halle Bailey Legion (@HalleLegion) May 26, 2023

It takes a force to withstand all of the troubled waters Bailey has navigated, and it takes a skilled director to recognize her as the one up for the task.

Rob Marshall’s Discovery of Ariel

With an animated film like The Little Mermaid ingrained in the culture, remaking the movie was a challenge—and casting a brand-new interpretation of Ariel was like swimming upstream.

To make that decision, it had to be a clear one. And in a post by ​​@korysstar on Twitter, director Rob Marshall shared why he made it:

rob marshall you will always be famous for casting halle baile

rob marshall you will always be famous for casting halle bailey 🫶🏽 #thelittlemermaid pic.twitter.com/8i2idkV4tO

— faiza ☪︎ gen v era 🩸 (@korysstar) May 26, 2023

In the interview, Marshall revealed he first saw Halle Bailey at the 2019 Grammys performing on stage with Chloe Bailey. Looking on with producer John Deluca, Marshall said:

Chloe and Halle started to sing ‘Where is the Love?’—the beautiful song. I turned to John and said, ‘Wait, is that Ariel?’ She’s so ethereal, sort of other-worldly, with that angelic voice. She had, just—a presence.

While his instincts were to reel Bailey in immediately, she auditioned for Ariel in person with her rendition of “Part of Your World.” When she finished the song, Marshall said:

I was completely in tears.

Bailey’s Beyoncé-trained voice is a sound to behold, but her talent for bringing audiences to tears with her “other-worldly” talent has been a theme throughout her Little Mermaid run.

Worldwide audiences can witness Bailey’s star power in The Little Mermaid along with Jonah Hauer-King as the dashing Prince Eric, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton in theaters now.