The way Melissa McCarthy’s aquatic witch encircles a helpless tiny mermaid with her tentacles captivated the CinemaCon audience.
McCarthy took the stage on Wednesday at the convention for theatre operators and studios to debut her musical number “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” which will serve as McCarthy’s portrayal of the villainous Ursula in Disney’s upcoming live-action “The Little Mermaid” (out in theatres on May 26).
McCarthy gushed, “It was genuinely such an honour to play one of Disney’s most delectable villains. Ursula is essential. She’s a cunning broad who is dishonest. I suppose that’s the reason I do.
In her big role, McCarthy portrays Ursula as brazen, brassy, and with a gravelly voice. This is a more stylishly evil interpretation of the character than in the 1989 animated “Little Mermaid.”
Ursula agrees to shift into a human for three days in exchange for Ariel’s heavenly voice since Ariel (played by Halle Bailey) wishes to travel to Earth. The mermaid’s tentacles also form a heart shape as Ursula instructs her to accept true love’s kiss.
“One of the most fabulous songs ever,” McCarthy praised her song. “I’m pretty ecstatic,”
Chris Pine joins the cast of Disney’s animated “Wish”
Chris Pine’s casting in the upcoming animated musical “Wish” (released Nov. 22), the finale of the company’s 100th anniversary celebration, was also revealed at the Disney presentation.
Pine will take on the role of King Magnifico, the monarch of a mythical realm where dreams come true. Ariana DeBose plays Asha in the movie, and one of her songs from it debuted at CinemaCon. In it, Asha pledges to grant other people’s desires (“Here I make this wish, for something more for us than this”) and sings about doing so. Pine’s character is probably not a magnificent guy because she has a pet goat named Valentino that pokes its tongue out at a statue of Magnifico.
