Enter: Jonah Hauer-King, otherwise known as Prince Eric from the live movie adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Prior to Hauer-King's casting, speculation about who would play the charming prince was up in the air.

Who is Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid new?

Jonah Andre Hauer-King (born 30 May 1995) is an English actor. He began acting while studying at St John's College, Cambridge. He is best known for playing Prince Eric in the live-action adaptation of Disney's musical fantasy film The Little Mermaid (2023).

Who is the prince in the new Ariel?

In Disney's 2023 retelling of "The Little Mermaid," Prince Eric (now played by Jonah Hauer-King) and Princess Ariel have much more in common from the get-go, thanks to some much-needed development in Eric's backstory. It's revealed early on in the film that Prince Eric was not born a prince.

Who is Eric's mother in The Little Mermaid?

Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Eric's adoptive mother and the ruler of a Caribbean island kingdom. She is a new character for the film. Dumezweni described her character as a "loving queen and a mother queen and a parent and a land lover learning about herself through letting go of her children."

Why was Ariel cast as black?

He says they were looking for the best actor for the role of any ethnicity who could not only sing but convey traits such as strength, passion, beauty, joy and intelligence, which they found in Bailey.

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Why is Prince Eric's mom black?

There are several instances when Eric's mother Queen Salina (Noma Dumezweni), who is Black and adopted him as a child when he washed up from the ocean, chastises him for his obvious love for beings that are considered other.

What race is Ariel supposed to be?

The movie is loosely based on the fairy tale, so Disney has the freedom to give Ariel any skin color they want. In the 1989 movie, Ariel was born in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica, which technically makes her Atlantican, not Danish.

Is Ursula Ariel's aunt?

Ursula was played by Melissa McCarthy in the 2023 live action remake of The Little Mermaid, directed by Rob Marshall. In this version, like with the Broadway musical, Ursula is the estranged younger sister of King Triton (played by Javier Bardem), thus making her the paternal aunt to Ariel and her sisters in this film.

Why are Ariel's sisters different races?

So, why the change? One theory is that each of Ariel's sisters represents different oceans that are home to various cultures and ethnicities. It's pretty problematic to have mermaids who all look the same representing such an expansive underwater world.

Who is the new black Ariel?

Disney's live-action version of the 1989 animated classic 'The Little Mermaid' hits theaters on Friday. This highly-anticipated film is also marking a moment in Disney history with Halle Bailey as the first Black Ariel.

Why did Ursula want to marry Eric?

With intent to sabotage Ariel's relationship with Eric, so she can continue with her evil plan, Ursula takes the form of a beautiful human female with Ariel's voice. Under the alias "Vanessa", Ursula hypnotizes Eric into forgetting all about Ariel and marrying her.

Did Ariel and Eric get married?

After Eric marries Ariel, Triton and Eric take a moment and acknowledge each other during the reception, with Eric showing his respect and bowing to his new father-in-law and King Triton accepting Eric as his son-in-law.

What happened to Ariel's mom?

Ariel's Mother Had a Brutal Disney Death

Athena took too long to try and escape (going back for a music box she'd gotten for her husband as a gift), and she ends up crushed between the pirate ship and the rocks of the cove. Ariel's mother is far from the only material figure in Disney Animation to die.

Who is the handsome prince in The Little Mermaid?

Prince Eric is the deuteragonist of Disney's 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid.

Where are Prince Eric's parents?

It's suggested that Eric's biological parents died in a shipwreck. We finally meet Prince Eric's mother. In the animated film, we never meet Eric's parents. But the live-action movie introduces audiences to Eric's mother, Queen Selina.

Why is Ursula a squid and not a mermaid?

It's possible Ursula is not a mermaid in appearance because she and Triton did not have the same mother or father. If they're half siblings, Ursula's tentacles make more sense.

Who killed Ursula in the original Little mermaid?

While the animated battle against Ursula ends with Eric piercing her in the chest with his ship's bow, the live-action remake changes it so that Ariel is the one at the helm. When Ursula grows into a behemoth version of herself, Ariel steers a ship into her to deliver the killing blow.

Did Ursula have a child?

In Once Upon A Time, Ursula doesn't have a daughter but that character does have a daughter called Uma in the Disney Descendants films.

Was Ariel's mom crushed?

Most of the mermaids and mermen escape safely, but Attina, the oldest princess, gets her tail stuck between two rocks. Athena is able to free her, but she is crushed to death by the ship while trying to save the music box, and the ship sinks after hitting the rocks. Athena's death leaves Triton completely devastated.

Do all of Ariel's sisters have the same mom?

The Seven Princesses of Atlantica (commonly referred to as the Daughters of Triton or Ariel's Sisters) are the seven daughters of King Triton and Queen Athena, debuting in Disney's 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid.

Who is Ariel's real mother?

Queen Athena is a minor character in Disney's 2008 animated feature film The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. As ruler of Atlantica alongside her husband, King Triton, Athena is the mother of Ariel and her six older sisters.

Is Ariel a natural redhead?

“But I really did admire the fact that because I'm a Black woman and I have locs, [the producers] wanted to incorporate that into Ariel's look,” she added. To get the look, Halle Bailey worked with hairstylist Camille Friend to dye her roots red and wrap her locks in the same hued hair.

Who auditioned to play Ariel?

Halle Bailey was the first to audition for the beloved and coveted role of Ariel in Disney's live-action “The Little Mermaid.” After Bailey belted out the classic showstopper “Part of Your World” from the original 1989 film, director Rob Marshall and the other filmmakers knew that she was the one for the role.

What is Prince Eric's nationality?

Well, one would think it could be a sort of “magical Denmark” given the Danish origin of the story (thoroughly reimagined by Disney). Also, Eric has a Scandinavian name.