Dwayne Johnson Sings ‘The Little Mermaid’ Star’s Praises 

A fellow Disney star saw the live-action Little Mermaid and had much to say about Ariel.

Crossing the $300 million threshold in its second weekend in theaters, The Little Mermaid has reeled in the attention of some star-powered families. From Serena Williams to Kim Kardashian, children from famous families have flocked to premiere parties, private theater showings, and all the modern Ariel merchandise.

In a sea of controversy leading up to the film’s release, the modern-day mermaid, Halle Bailey, kept her composure while navigating murky waters. The press attacked her race, hair, and place as the new Ariel, but Bailey kept her head above water.

One of her guiding principles throughout her Little Mermaid journey has been her ability to represent girls and women of color in the Disney princess space. Despite the negativity she faced, there was an outpouring of praise for her talent, Beyoncé protégé vocals, and kindness toward the little girls who saw themselves in her Ariel portrayal.

Bailey has garnered support from some unlikely places, including the OG Ariel: Jodi Benson. Still, her performance was hailed by another live-action remake star yesterday, and instead of his famous “you’re welcome,” he was saying “thank you” to Bailey.

‘Moana’ Star Thanks the New Ariel

Sharing a similar sentiment about Bailey’s groundbreaking representation of girls like his adorable daughters, Dwayne Johnson shared the following post on Twitter:

The little Queen’s have spoken – we LOVED the LITTLE MERMAID

Huge thank you to the amazing @hallebailey + director Rob Marshall, @disneystudios for being so gracious and kind. 

The invite, the movie, the toys, the SNACKS 

I’m very impressed with Halle’s performance on the big screen – what presence and charisma, but perhaps more importantly- I’ve been super impressed with Halle’s grace and mana as she’s moved thru this global spotlight with maturity and soul.

I didn’t realize it, til these little munchkins asked me to google her – but Halle’s just a kid herself. 

Impressive. 

Halle, keep being the ‘hardest worker in the room’ and sky’s the limit. Look forward to working with you one day. 

And the coolest part of the day – for me – as a proud girl dad – was watching our little girls of color, watch Halle and all the mermaids on the big screen and these little ones didn’t think twice about it because – that’s their norm. 

All shades, all colors. 

Very cool. Congrats again & mahalo and our families had a great time at the movies! 

The little Queen’s have spoken – we LOVED the LITTLE MERMAID 🧜🏾‍♀️🧜🏾‍♀️🍿🍿👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Huge thank you to the amazing @hallebailey + director Rob Marshall, @disneystudios for being so gracious and kind.
The invite, the movie, the toys, the SNACKS 😂❤️

I’m very impressed with Halle’s… pic.twitter.com/fHpfLdmRsw

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 4, 2023

Disney fans have fallen in love with Johnson’s viral videos of him singing Maui’s hit songs from Moana to his gaggle of girls, and the video he shared on social media was another peek into their cuteness.

Johnson gave each of his daughters a chance to share their thoughts while they held onto Ariel dolls, The Little Mermaid popcorn buckets, and other mermaid swag. Their consensus was they loved the movie, and in the video, Johnson said to Bailey:

Look forward to working with you one day. 

While Johnson gears up to reprise his role as Maui in another highly-anticipated live-action remake of Moana, his statement perked up some Disney fans’ ears. Disney is running an open casting call for the role of Moana, with the film produced by Johnson’s production company, Seven Bucks Productions. The latest Moana news includes a Hamilton addition to the movie with its director, Thomas Kail, sitting in the director chair for the live-action remake. Though Auli’i Cravalho won’t be reprising her role as Moana, Dwayne Johnson’s next project is shaping up to contend with The Little Mermaid’s box office numbers.

While it’s unlikely Bailey would join the Moana cast, Disney fans can now witness her command of the ocean on the big screen in The Little Mermaid.