One of the best elements of Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake is undoubtedly the chemistry between Halle Bailey, in her star-making turn as Ariel, and co-star Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. Any scene of the pair bringing the classic animated romance to life goes to show why all the crybabies complaining about Bailey’s casting and the fact Hauer-King isn’t Harry Styles don’t have a leg to stand on… A bit like Ariel at the beginning of the film.
The duo’s wonderful chemistry is particularly well showcased in the remake’s extended “Kiss the Girl” sequence, which might just be the best part of the whole picture due to the performances, the tender character work, and the lively rendition of the iconic song, which wisely updates the original’s lyrics. That’s why it’s coming as a surprise to fans that this scene was the very first thing that Bailey and Hauer-King shot together once production began.
As Twitter user @photonsmight went viral for pointing out, the two actors admitted in an interview with IMDb that the “Kiss the Girl” scene is a “special” one in terms of their favorite memories of making The Little Mermaid as it was the very first thing they filmed.
Now that’s how you ace your first day at work.
Cast-iron proof that both of them were the perfect picks for their characters.
The remake adds an extra wrinkle into the story in that Ursula makes Ariel forget she needs to kiss Eric in order for the spell to take hold. It’s yet to be clarified exactly why this was inserted, but maybe we now have our answer.
The “scintillating chemistry” between Bailey and Hauer-King, as WGTC’s Francisca Tinoco put it in her four-star review of the film, is just one of the reasons this is one Disney remake that’s guaranteed not to ruin your childhood.