Uncertainty Unfolds as Fans Speculate Disney’s Super Bowl Exclusion
The Disney fandom is taking to social media to share their disappointment as The Walt Disney Company failed to release the live-action trailer for the upcoming The Little Mermaid (2023) during the Super Bowl LVII.
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With a captive audience, the Super Bowl is the perfect time for entertainment giants to release details about upcoming films. Disney released a heartwarming trailer thanking Disney fans for 100 years of magic for the company’s 100th anniversary. Additionally, Disney trailers dropped for two highly anticipated films, including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30, 2023). But something was missing…
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Not only did Disney fans think the live-action The Little Mermaid, to be released on May 26, 2023, would have a trailer dropped during the Super Bowl, but apparently, Disney-owned Good Morning America on ABC also had planned for the trailer to be released as shown in the screenshot below:
The tweet was awkwardly removed this morning (February 13, 2023) from Good Morning America’s Twitter account, with a link to an article that has been updated to mention nothing about The Little Mermaid trailer. This leads fans to believe that Disney pulled the trailer last minute, with its own ABC believing it would go live during the Super Bowl.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023) did not have its own solo trailer, as incorrectly noted in Good Morning America’s tweet above, but it did appear with Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in a Heineken commercial. Additionally, there was a glimpse of Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid during Disney’s 100th Anniversary commercial… but this was hardly a trailer for the upcoming film.
Disney fans were quick to take to social media to share their disappointment:
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One fan tweeted, “The fact that they didn’t release The Little Mermaid trailer and it comes out in May but movies that come out later in the summer had their trailers premiere during the Super Bowl is perplexing! What is @Disney’s game plan?”
Rumors are swirling that The Little Mermaid trailer was scheduled to be released during the Super Bowl (just like Good Morning America seemed to believe), but it was instead pulled because it wasn’t ready:
More chatter online revolves around Halle and her recent breakup with rapper DDG. “People saying the little mermaid trailer was postponed due to the halle/DDG drama. Pls as if Disney is worried about drama only twitter stand are invested in.”
While it may not be the same as being spotlighted at the Super Bowl, here is the official teaser trailer from Walt Disney Studios for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, shared several months ago at the 2022 D23 Expo:
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Walt Disney Studios includes the story plot as: “The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.”
Rob Marshall’s live-action The Little Mermaid opens exclusively in theaters nationwide on May 26, 2023.
