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‘Little Mermaid’ Stars Confirm Interest in Sequel About Ariel’s Child

halle bailey smiles at a scene from little mermaid 2 return to the sea

The new Little Mermaid Disney princess might leave something to be desired when fans meet her in person at the Disney Parks, but the film’s star Halle Bailey has blown audiences away with record-breaking success this past weekend — and apparently, she and her co-star Jonah Hauer-King are already eager for a sequel!

In a recent Youtube interview with Narcity (shown below), the actors (who play Ariel and her love interest Prince Eric) were asked about any upcoming plans for a sequel.

Ariel’s Original “Return to the Sea”

The original 1989 animated movie The Little Mermaid does have a sequel from 2000, called The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (as well as a 2008 prequel called The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning), so a sequel about Ariel and her family would certainly not be unprecedented.

Prince Eric Little Mermaid Remake

Jonah Hauer-King plays Prince Eric in the Little Mermaid live-action remake opposite Halle Bailey as Ariel, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

Jonah Hauer-King and Halle Bailey were already demonstrating some “adorable” chemistry during the interview that endeared them to audiences and Youtube users in the video’s comments, but the duo noticeably perked up when they were asked about the sequel.

This segment of the interview can be seen around the 4:20 mark in the video shown below.

A “Reverse” Little Mermaid

“In the second one, they have a girl, a baby girl, and she wants to go into the water, it’s like a reverse thing,” Bailey explained enthusiastically. “I love that movie, the singer and newly-minted Disney star added.

The Little Mermaid sequel does indeed focus on the daughter of Ariel and Prince Eric, a strong-willed girl named Melody who longs to be in the sea even though her parents are attempting to raise her on dry land (for fear of attracting the attention of Ursula’s villainous sister Morgana).

In the film, Melody does indeed go into the ocean and become a mermaid — and when she is attacked by Morgana, Ariel transforms back into a mermaid herself to rescue her daughter.

Ariel Halle Bailey

Halle Bailey as Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric in the live-action Little Mermaid film. The Disney movie also stars Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton. Credit: Disney

Will We Finally See Mermen?

Prince Eric remained human in the Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea sequel, but Jonah Hauer-King (who now plays the seafaring royal) made a specific request in the interview shown above after Halle Bailey explained the movie’s plot.

“I would be up for doing it. I kinda would like to also be a merman, so we can also somehow evolve that storyline with her, Hauer-King proposed.

Would you like to see a live-action reimagining of the 2000 Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea sequel, featuring these two actors “returning to the sea” as Ariel and Prince Eric?

About Sharon

Sharon is a writer and animal lover from New England. Sharon's two main focuses in her work are Disney's correlations with pop culture and the significance of Disney princesses (which was the basis for her college thesis). When she's not writing about Disney, Sharon spends her time singing, dancing, and cavorting with woodland creatures!

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