How 'The Little Mermaid' Hair Dept. Head Transformed Halle Bailey's Hair Disney's 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, introducing a new generation to the classic fairytale. The live-action Ariel's prismatic color palette, which phosphoresces as she gracefully glides through the water, pays homage to the animated version's purple clamshell bikini top and sea foam.
Halle Bailey's hair was a major focus of the costume and beauty department in the new live-action remake of 'The Little Mermaid.' Bailey, who plays Ariel, specifically wanted to keep her. A behind-the-scenes look at the making of "The Little Mermaid," starring Halle Bailey. Read the interview with her hairstylist on creating Ariel's look.
The original film, 1984's Splash, a mermaid-meets-'80s live-action fantasy comedy, had been a huge success, and its protagonist, played by Daryl Hannah, was blonde. According to the official Disney blog, red was chosen for Ariel partly to distinguish her from Hannah, and partly because red is green's complementary color. Obviously, modifications are required anytime you adapt animation to live-action, but Bailey and the beauty department had to reimagine Ariel as a woman of color too.
Alamy Stock Photo By contrast, in the live-action version, Ariel's hair appears to be a more muted shade of red. Halle Bailey's Ariel has more of an auburn hair color. Walt Disney Studios via.
Several moments from the original The Little Mermaid made it into the live-action movie, including Ariel's iconic hair flip, which took around 20 takes to get just right. When director Rob Marshall cast Halle Bailey to play Ariel in the new live-action film The Little Mermaid, he knew it was important to both bring mermaid energy and believability to everything about this updated version of the character, and that included Halle's hair. Of all the memorable aspects of Ariel from the 1989 animated feature, her redheaded, flowing locks became one of the most.
It is for the first time in history that a black actor is playing Ariel in any live-action or animation screen production. But that came with its challenges, including the hair and makeup for Halle Bailey to look like a version of the mermaid Ariel.