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UNDER THE SEA — A young fan of "The Little Mermaid" refused to let go of actress Halle Bailey when she saw her at Disney World.
Bailey, 23, plays Ariel in the new live-action remake, which opened in theaters Friday.
In a video posted March 24, Bailey hugs young Mila Rose, who recognized the actress from "The Little Mermaid" movie trailers.
Off-camera, her parents explain to Bailey that Ariel is Mila's favorite princess.
"(I) met this beautiful baby Mila Rose who made me cry," Bailey captioned the video on an Instagram story posted last week. "She just hugged me so tight."
Disney's choice to cast Bailey has led to controversy from die-hard fans of the 1989 animated movie, who expected the live-action actress to be white. But interactions like this one show that Bailey's influence on young girls goes far beyond her on-screen representation.
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