The Super Bowl has traditionally been a wonderful, high-profile occasion for studios to unveil trailers for their most anticipated films, so fans were unhappy when Disney’s The Little Mermaid wasn’t among them this year.
Super Bowl LVII may have appeared to be about the American football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, but many fans tune in to watch the halftime show – this year’s spectacular performance by Rihanna – and see which trailers debut.
The 2023 event gave us our first look at DC Studios’ The Flash, as well as another Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 teaser and a quick second clip from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which had stars Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller Bridge jumping out of a plane.
All of these films are scheduled to be released between May and July of this year, so it seems reasonable to assume (or hope) that Disney fans will finally get a lengthier look at the impending live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.
Its release date coincides with the others, since it is set to open in theatres worldwide on May 26.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Ariel flicking her fins to be observed.
‘All I wanted was the little mermaid trailer I’VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH,’ fumed one fan online, while another tweeted: ‘The Little Mermaid trailer not releasing during the Super Bowl is the most stupidest thing ever [sic].’
‘We wanted The Little Mermaid not these,’ lamented one viewer to Disney on Twitter, which also owns Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, the studios responsible for Guardians and Indiana Jones, respectively.
‘It’s Black History Month and they really chose not to release The Little Mermaid trailer during the super bowl…,’ wrote another fan, referencing Disney’s choice to cast Black singer and actress Halle Bailey in the lead role.
Black History Month is observed in the United States in February, whereas it is observed in the United Kingdom in October.
In addition to only hearing a fragment of Bailey singing Part of Your World in the first teaser, it’s one of Disney’s most popular titles and therefore a widely expected remake, especially given the casting choices picked.
Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, and Jonah Hauer-King all appear in the long-awaited film.
Bailey has been openly linked to the project since 2019, when the remake was revealed in 2016.
Filming finished in July 2021, with fans clamouring for more ever since Bailey gave the first sight of herself as Ariel to commemorate the occasion.
Confusion about the video’s release was likely fueled by sites such as Deadline reporting it as part of the Super Bowl trailer ads, however screenshots circulating on social media over the weekend purported to show Bailey herself denying to a fan that The Little Mermaid would be among them.
The Little Mermaid releases in cinemas on May 26, 2023.