Halle Bailey singing “Part of Your World” has prompted various emotional reactions from the internet. Even before the Little Mermaid teaser trailer was released, her co-star Melissa McCarthy spilled she cried upon hearing the film’s leading lady sing a song from the live-action adaptation. McCarthy wasn’t the only one to weep over Bailey’s voice, as the film’s star had an emotional reaction to the viral teaser trailer. The “Do It” singer opened up about being overwhelmed hearing herself singing the signature Little Mermaid tune.
The Little Mermaid star spoke about her emotional reaction to ET during D23. The singer-actress admitted it was her first time seeing the teaser trailer despite going viral after its release. While Bailey didn’t explain why she hadn’t seen the teaser, she called seeing herself as Princess Ariel for the first time “an out-of-body experience.” She opened up about what she did after seeing herself sing “Part of Your World,” saying:
I went in the trailer and bawled my eyes out, and now, I’m here. So, I’m just like, ‘This is really weird.’ [I’m having] an out-of-body experience right now.
The Little Mermaid star already understood the teaser’s impact after reacting to seeing young Black girls watching it for the first time, and now she understands how powerful her musical performance was. She already delved into how crazy her stunt work, including wire work, was to portray the beloved Disney character. Being her first time headlining a film, witnessing her months of labor on the big screen was an overwhelming experience for her.
Hitting all the right notes with the coming-of-age song was important after the backlash surrounding her being cast in The Little Mermaid. “Part of Your World” has always been an emotional song for both Princess Ariel and viewers. There was so much pressure to live up to the iconic role, and Bailey went for the heavens and nailed it.
After being so far removed from the film, she mentioned seeing herself sing the beloved song made the whole process “feel real.” Bailey had moved on to other projects, including the Color Purple musical film. The grown-ish alum admitted the clip exceeded all her expectations. Bailey appeared to take in the whole experience and cherish it. Watching the teaser made the experience worthwhile as she headlines one of 2023’s most-anticipated films.
2023 is shaping up to be a busy year for the Grammy-nominated singer. Along with starring in the Disney live-action adaptation and The Color Purple, Halle Bailey is attached to the drama The Line with Alex Wolff and John Malkovich. While the former two films will arrive on May 26 and December 20, 2023, respectively, it is currently unclear when The Line will debut. In the meantime, you can check out our 2022 movie schedule to see which upcoming movies are arriving until these films are released.