Top 10 Best Moments Of Halle Bailey As Ariel In The Little Mermaid, Ranked

When King Triton becomes suspicious of Ariel's disappearances and Sebastian accidentally reveals her trip to the surface, he reveals the location of her grotto. Triton decides to teach her a lesson by destroying the grotto and most of the items she's collected inside of it when she arrives and tries to defend herself.

It's a tragic moment, highlighted by Bailey's performance as she desperately tries to save her collection and persuade her father. The scene also explains why Ariel is willing to turn to Ursula to get the feet she needs to return to the land and find Prince Eric.

When Ariel first appears, she is chasing Eric's ship. While it gives her her first glimpse of humans, it also takes a turn for the worse when the ship catches fire and crashes up against the rocks. As everyone started to abandon the ship, Ariel stayed close by, her kind heart offering subtle assistance. This includes gently pushing Max into the rowboat as he doggy paddles through open water, as well as saving Prince Eric when he doesn't make it to the rowboats.

Throughout the scene, as well as the subsequent scene with Eric on the beach, Bailey gives her all, knowing that Ariel would get in a lot of trouble just for saving a life, but she doesn't hesitate. We also get to see her recreate the iconic rock scene where she is pining for Eric, complete with dramatic waves, which elevate the entire scene.

In this film, Ariel proves her mettle more than in the original. When the shark attacks her and Flounder while they are searching for a shipwreck, the scene is much more intense than in the animated version. Because Bailey actually helps us feel the tense emotions as she runs away and tries to save Flounder and herself.

At this point, Ariel also shows her intelligence, as she uses a mirror reflection to trick the shark into attacking it and becoming stuck, freeing her and Flounder to flee in the opposite direction. This trick allows Ariel to show off her cunning skills. Bailey does a fantastic job of expressing all of this right now, even managing to remain composed while swimming for her life in order to come up with a trick like that in the first place.

We did get to see Ursula absorb Triton's strength and develop into a towering figure, though. The broken tip of a ship also met her demise, but the smaller details don't add up. Prince Eric is her main target now that he's hit her with a harpoon rather than terrorizing the merpeople. In an effort to save both of them, Ariel uses the moment Ursula is preoccupied to board one of the shipwrecks the whirlpool has uncovered.

Bailey literally crawls across the deck and up to the wheel, turning it right into Ursula's side, showing how desperate Ariel is at this particular moment. While still giving Ariel the ability to save herself, the final battle is fantastic and a wonderful homage to the original.

Another similar but altered scene from the original shows Eric and Vanessa planning to wed in the courtyard of the palace rather than at sea. Simply put, this gives Ariel more time to intervene and free Eric from the spell. Now that she knows it's Ursula, she completely assaults Vanessa, and despite being unable to explain why, nobody can really do anything to stop her.

By doing this, she is able to rip Ursula's shell necklace off of her and break it on the ground, releasing Ursula's voice and giving it back to her. Ariel's realization of the lie for herself is a powerful moment, and Bailey does a fantastic job of portraying the battle to take her life back into her own hands.

Several musical remakes feature not only old songs but also some new ones to add a breath of fresh air to the updated versions. For The First Time is one such song, a narration from Ariel as she experiences many firsts on land, transporting her from the sea to the castle. It's also her attempting to learn how to walk instead of swim.

Not only is it an excellent transition piece, but Bailey also does an excellent job of bringing the song to life and depicting Ariel's reaction to all of these firsts. Only a mermaid could truly express such joy and wonder at even the most mundane aspects of human life.

Ariel gets to experience what a typical day in a human's life is like on her and Eric's day away from the castle. She is without a doubt having the time of her life thanks to Bailey's acting as she encounters the kingdom's culture and sees a cameo from Ariel's original voice actor.

She is drawn deeper into the market by the vibrant fabrics and colors, the tantalizing food, and even the music. Of course, this means that she drags Eric along with her, enabling him to view the kingdom from a fresh perspective and actually relish his day as they dance. Bailey improves the situation by showing us how Ariel is falling in love with both Eric and her new life as a human.

Ariel has never once been above the ocean's surface, despite her love for the human trinkets she collects. Scuttle has come close, but she has never flown in the air because she is now a bird that can dive underwater. Her first trip up to the surface is all the more significant because of this.

When she finally pokes her head through the surface, we learn that it is simply a beautiful fireworks display for Eric's birthday. It is a stark contrast to the sudden darkness and chaos the intriguing ship brings to the water. Bailey really demonstrates the wonder of the once-in-a-lifetime experience as she continues to observe the ship and its passengers. This is the moment she has dreamed of.

Ariel and Eric's relationship is one of the new ideas this film introduces. In fact, Eric appears to have a similar fascination with the sea to how Ariel does with people; he even has a room filled with artifacts that resemble her underwater labyrinth. Ariel and Eric sit side by side as they open some of his maps as get to know one another.

Despite the fact that Ariel is currently speechless, Bailey does an excellent job of conveying her enthusiasm and interest in the subject as she points to various locations on the map, pays attention to Eric's explanation, and quickly strews a new map across the desk after they finish the current one. Instead of contemplating the possibility that Eric might only love Ariel for her voice, the new scene and the excellent acting really help show us how the couple falls in love.

There were high expectations for Part of Your World because it is Ariel's anthem and one of the most well-known in the movie. Fortunately, Bailey exceeded all of our expectations. She not only has a lovely voice that carries her rendition of the song, but her acting is also very heartfelt. When you watch and listen, you can sense her longing and comprehend why she wants to leave her world.

Since this all occurs before she meets Eric, unlike the animated version, we can clearly see that she has already developed a crush on people in general and human culture before she even sees Eric. This helps to push her even closer to the shore.

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