Disney releases Halle’s rendition of “Part of Your World” from 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, and now bitches are bald unda di sea

If I remember correctly, folk who were in attendance at the 2022 D23 Expo got to watch the entire “Part of Your World” sequence from the film, albeit in an unfinalised form. Surprisingly, a leak didn’t hit as fast and as furious as you would have thought. But it did still leak. Because, people with phones not giving a fuck. But Disney played themselves by even choosing to show that scene, knowing it would inevitably find its way onto the Internet. Or maybe that was all part of the marketing strategy for The Little Mermaid. Although I have to wonder if there is even a strategy at all, because the promo and marketing for The Little Mermaid has been terrible. And as great as it is to hear Halle’s version of “Part of Your World” via an official release, I don’t think we shoulda got this a whole month out from the release of the film.

Releasing the full version of “Part of Your World” so early seems spurred on by the muted response to The Little Mermaid in general. There just isn’t a great deal of buzz around this film. For better and for worst, any buzz there around The little Mermaid ends up being because of Halle. And this has been the case from the moment it was announced that Halle was cast as Ariel, right up until the release of [Part of Your World”. Halle remains the biggest reason why people talk about The Little Mermaid. It’s great promo for her, but she shouldn’t be carrying this film on her shoulders the way I feel she is at the moment. And Disney’s awful trailers, posters and marketing rollout for this film is part of the reason why so much is resting on Halle, because she’s the only thing about the film that looks good, sounds good and people have faith in. It’s like how all so much of the interest in The Lion King was just because Beyoncé was in it. But nothing concerning the film itself or how Disney were marketing it seemed even remotely interesting.

Mess.

But I guess the release of a new version of “Part of Your World” is going to trend and cause bigger waves online than any trailer could. After all, how good the snippets sounded in The Little Mermaid teaser trailers were one of the few overwhelmingly positive responses to The Little Mermaid. “Part of Your World” is also going to be the one thing that most will uniformly agree is good, and restore some faith in Disney knowing what they’re doing with the music of the film if nothing else. Especially after the amount of goodwill Disney won with audiences over the music in Encanto - the common thread being Lin-Manuel Miranda who has had a hand in the music for Encanto and The Little Mermaid.

Lay me down on the coral reef and fuck me sideways. Because this is amazing.

Fans of Chloe x Halle always knew that Halle was going to sing the fuck outta some Disney when she was cast as Ariel. But I don’t think even they (we?) expected Halle to really deliver the way in which she did here. Although Halle’s performance of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” in 2021 gave us a taste of what was to come.

Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid | Disney

Jodi Benson will always be that bitch. But, I prefer Halle’s version. It wasn’t even a toss up or a debate for me. Straight away I said ‘This is the version for me’.

The pace is so much better on this newer rendition of “Part of Your World”. Listening to the original now, it feels too fast. The perspective from which Halle sings the song is also very different. Jodi’s Ariel seemed to be singing the song from a perspective of ‘I can’t wait to go on an adventure on the surface!’. It was almost as though Ariel always knew she would be a part of that world. Where-as Halle’s version feels more melancholy, as though she feels she will never be part of that world. And I’m a sucker for a sad bitch vibe in a song. But also, Halle makes lots of really cool singing choices, which create a sense of her moving through different emotions; joy, wonderment, whimsy, desire, disappointment. Every time you think Halle’s gonna zig, she zags, and it really holds your attention, because you feel like you’re going on this new unknown journey with Ariel, despite it being a journey that you already know. Or at least, thought you knew. And at no point is Halle trying to emulate the original. She makes it her own, yet with a clear understanding of Jodi’s version, how a renaissance Disney princess has traditionally sounded, and what is required of an “I want” song.

Halle better look after that voice, because she’s probably going to have to hit up day time TV shows and perform this song a whole lot during the press run for the film. And I really hope that as part of some Disney celebration shit, that we get to hear a duet of the song with Halle and Jodi. Jodi already gave her co-sign to Halle.

Can’t nobody tell Halle shit now.