The Canadian premier of the live-action reimagining of Disney’s The Little Mermaid kicked off in Toronto Thursday night at TIFF Lightbox with special guest Jacob Tremblay, who voices “Flouder” making an appearance.
Tremblay spoke with Now Toronto and shared that of all the special moments he had while filming the movie, one moment in particular stood out.
The 16-year-old actor said that it was witnessing Halle Bailey step into ‘Ariel’ while singing “Part of Your World” for the first time that really blew him away.
“I was really fortunate to be there during rehearsals,” he said. “I got to hear her sing in person for the first time [and it] gave me goosebumps. She was just amazing.”
He added that it was only during a practice run and “she was just that good.”
While he got to hear her sing in an intimate setting among cast members, the world got a full production when Bailey sang the iconic song live at Disney last weekend.
Her performance was watched over 40 million times on her TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, as well as Disney’s socials.
As the voice of Flouder, the beloved fish and one of Ariel’s most trusted companions throughout the film, we asked Tremblay if he’s as good a swimmer in real life.
“I would never compete professionally, but yeah I could swim,” he said.
“Here’s the thing about Flouder, he’s very very slow and he’s always trying to keep up with Ariel so I’d give it a go.“ he added, when asked if he could out-swim his Disney character.
The movie has been highly anticipated ever since the trailer was first released in March and since the movie was first announced over a year ago.
Fans online have been raving about Bailey stepping in as Ariel and playing the part of a hugely recognizable Dinesy princess.
“I haven’t been excited for a movie like i’m excited for “the little mermaid” in such a long time,” one Twitter user wrote.
“I already bought my tickets for the little mermaid. I’m so excited. I haven’t stepped foot in a movie theatre since 2013,” another said.
In fact, some fans are already envisioning what the second live action could look like, and the first isn’t even out yet:
Here are some other fan reactions:
The Little Mermaid will officially hit theaters on May 26.
