Pour one for the unlucky individuals missing out on CinemaCon. The yearly exhibition trade fair attendees got to see Melissa McCarthy for the first time as Ursula in the upcoming Disney "The Little Mermaid" remake, along with a jaw-dropping performance of the character's iconic song, "Poor Unfortunate Souls."
Despite not doing a live performance, McCarthy travelled to Las Vegas to premiere a scene from the film, which features Halle Bailey as Ariel. McCarthy flawlessly replicates Tallulah Bankhead as the evil sea witch persuades Ariel to give up her voice in the stunning video. Ursula shimmies around the waves with her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam as she sings the evil hymn while donning dramatic makeup and a short, purple-like updo. And McCarthy, who is better recognised for her comedic skills than her singing ability, does indeed sing the song's high notes with ease.
"The Little Mermaid" is a live-action adaptation of the 1989 Disney animated classic, and it depicts the tale of King Triton's youngest daughter, who is enthralled by the sky. Ariel strikes a deal with her wicked aunt Ursula to change into a human in return for her beautiful voice. She has three days to win the heart of a prince named Eric, or else she'll revert to mermaid form and be permanently possessed by Ursula.
McCarthy said on stage that it was a privilege to portray one of Disney's "most delicious and iconic" villains. She's a liar. She describes Ursula as a cunning broad. "You can't help but fall in love with her at the same time."
The voice cast also includes Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian in addition to Bailey and McCarthy. The movie, which premieres in theatres on May 26, was directed by Rob Marshall.
Disney has live-action versions of many of its animated films, with varied degrees of box office success, including "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "Mulan," and "Dumbo." Crowds at Caesars Palace were treated to fresh footage from "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," Pixar's impending "Elemental," and Harrison Ford's comeback in "Indiana Jones 5" at the studio's CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday morning.
To thunderous acclaim, Disney's distribution director Tony Chambers remarked that great stories never go out of style: "As we've seen with recent box office results, great stories never go out of fashion." And watching a terrific story in a theatre is an experience that cannot be replaced.
