The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey And Jonah Hauer-King Went Viral On TikTok For Dancing, But It's The BTS Video That Has Me Cracking Up

Jonah Hauer-King and Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid
(Image credit: Walt Disney Studios)

In the age of TikTok, more big names are going viral for taking part in fun videos and, recently, the stars of Disney's The Little Mermaid remake got in on the action. In the process of promoting one of the biggest titles on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases, Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King and Jacob Tremblay took part in a dance clip. The footage shows them dancing to the tune of “Part Of Your World,” and it's simply incredible. But if you think that sounds fun enough, just wait until you see the behind-the-scenes footage of the new Ariel and Prince Eric actors trying to nail down the routine. 

Last month, TikTok dancers @brookieandjessie got the opportunity to star in a video with three of the actors from the latest live-action Disney movie. Check out the video, which has over six million views:  

@brookieandjessie

♬ Part of Your World - From "The Little Mermaid" - Halle

The clip is so random and cheesy, but it’s fun to see the three stars attempt to master the choreography. The cast couldn’t quite keep up with the TikTok dancers (though Halle Bailey was quite in sync). But hey, it's all in good fun and, let's be honest, they’ve already proven they have plenty of other talents, thanks to their work in The Little Mermaid. What’s even better than the initial video, though, is this behind-the-scenes footage of Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King learning the steps. Check it: 

@brookieandjessie

♬ original sound - brookieandjessie

It’s just too good! You can tell the two actors are having a blast trying to learn the dance in a short amount of time but are also taking it seriously all the same. The part that gets me is when Halle Bailey heads to the corner and records Jonah Hauer-King trying his hand at the choreo. The hardest part for Bailey was keeping a straight face for the final video while wearing sunnies. All in all, it's such a cute video and, unsurprisingly, the comment section went off. Here’s some of fans’ thoughts: 

  • "The way she was recording him😭"
  • "NOT THE BACKWARDS HEART 😭😭"
  • "Jonah was STRESSED"
  • "Do behind the scenes with Jacob Trembly"

Per the account, they will be posting an entire vlog on the experience with the stars learning their choreography to the YouTube channel on Sunday. And yes, that will include more of Jacob Tremblay learning his part in the dance, too! 

The three Disney stars certainly should be dancing considering the huge success The Little Mermaid has become since it hit theaters last weekend. The movie swam to the top of the box office during the Memorial Day holiday and has made over $236 million worldwide ahead of its second weekend in theaters. The Disney movie also received glowing reviews, with many calling it one of the best live-action remakes from the House of Mouse and singling out Halle Bailey's performance as Ariel. She and the cast are definitely impeccable performers, and I wouldn't mind see more adorable moments from them like the ones in the dance videos.

CinemaBlend has its own exclusive moment with Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King from The Little Mermaid press tour, where the pair shared the cute scene they shot on the first day of filming. And if you'd like to see them in their roles, check out the movie in theaters now.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.