Halle Bailey is the 22-year-old singer and actress who was cast as Ariel in the live-remake of The Little Mermaid, much to racists’ dismay. The casting was announced in 2019 and the movie will come out in May 2023. The first teaser was released this fall and the visuals are amazing and Halle looks and sounds great. A lot of people, especially Black and brown girls, are really excited for this movie. That includes a Delta pilot, who sent Halle a nice note on a recent flight.
When the trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” dropped in September, it sparked an emotional frenzy as young Black and brown girls reacted to seeing Halle Bailey in her mermaid debut. Months later, Bailey’s role is still having an impact – and in unexpected places.
While on a recent Delta flight, Bailey received a surprise message from none other than the pilot.
“Miss Bailey, it is an honor to have you on board today,” the letter read, according to a picture Bailey tweeted on Monday. “Thank you for being an inspiration to little brown girls all over the world, like we were a few years ago.”
The letter was signed “Jess O, your young Latina female Delta pilot.”
“This amazing pilot on the plane gave me this beautiful note today,” Bailey wrote of the letter.
And Delta’s support of the actor didn’t stop there. After Bailey tweeted about the note, Delta responded, saying, “you’re giving so many little girls wings.”
“Thank you for letting us be part of your world,” the airline tweeted in reference to the song first performed by the original Ariel, Jodi Benson.
When Disney launched the trailer for “The Little Mermaid” in September, it immediately caused an emotional reaction for hundreds of children and adults who were excited to see someone with their skin color in the iconic story. The trailer provides a glimpse of life under the sea, with only a few shots of Bailey as she sings “Part of Your World.”
“She’s Brown like me,” one girl said in a video.
“Mama, she’s Black!” another girl said.
The movie is expected to be released in theaters on May 26, 2023.
It’s also pretty cool that the pilot was a young Latina woman. Love to see it. The note was really nice and Halle is an inspiration. (The only thing I didn’t get was the “like we were a few years ago” part.) Little girls and adult women who watched the cartoon when they were little are excited to be able to see themselves in this movie, myself included. The cartoon version came out the year I was born and when I was little, I was obsessed. I loved swimming and I literally watched it every single day. I don’t remember being conscious of Ariel’s skin color, but I definitely remember being conscious of her long, straight hair, while I had short, curly hair. I would put on two of my mom’s flowy skirts — a colorful one on my body to be my tail and a black lacy one on my head to be my hair — and pretend to be Ariel. So I also love to see the long red ‘locs and I can’t wait to see this movie!
this amazing pilot on the plane gave me this beautiful note today 😢♥️ pic.twitter.com/uE1P3oynQP
— Halle (@HalleBailey) November 7, 2022
photos credit: Darla Khazei/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images, Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon
I for one am stoked to see this as its my favourite Disney movie and Halle has a beautiful voice. I also can’t wait for Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.
Same! I love The Little Mermaid and Halle Bailey is just the cutest thing in the world. These live action remakes are usually awful but I’m actually excited for this one, can’t wait to hear the music. I’ve already informed my little nieces and nephews that they’re taking Auntie to see this 🙂
WAIT… Melissa McCarthy is playing Ursula?!?! How have I missed this?! With all the racist garbage I must have skimmed right over it.
Wow, no idea Melissa McCarthy is playing Ursula. This really is going to be epic!!
Also, THIS IS HOW TO WEAR “Barbie” or bubble-gum PINK!! This young woman is gorgeous and that pink outfit is perfection!
Yes I am SO excited! I saw one tweet that was basically like, children need to stay home the first weekend its out, opening weekend is for all the middle aged women who grew up on Little Mermaid to just go and have a massive sing along and I really really need that to happen in my local theater lol.
Melissa McCarthy and Daveed Diggs??! This is going to be epic 🙂
I was unprepared to cry this morning. I have no idea why that got me so emotional but I obsessed this BIPOC love.
Standing right beside you, sister.
I think the pilot means a few years ago when she started flying she also felt like an inspiration to young brown girls.
That was my reading of it. We need representation EVERYWHERE.
Same. And I thought that was really sweet of her to write that note.
This is delightful and the reactions of all those little girls just gets me every time.
I thought the pilot meant a few years ago she and Halle were little brown girls.
That’s how I read it – they used to be little brown girls, and now they are (both!) inspiring little brown girls.
That’s a lovely story. And on a shallow note, how cute does she look in that pink dress? I normally wouldn’t like the cut out or the big shoulder thing but somehow it looks perfect on her.